NFL Highs And Lows: Mike Tomlin And Russell Wilson Beat The Jets, Make Gasbag Analysts Look Bad

The question this morning is how many national pundits and former players are going to admit they were wrong about Mike Tomlin promoting Russell Wilson to be his starting quarterback while also benching Justin Fields?

The guess here is not many. And that's where we lead this week's NFL highs and lows, with Wilson and Tomlin at the front of the highs. And the analysts at the front of the lows:

Wilson had not played in an NFL game since December 2023 and the Steelers were producing well enough with Fields, but Tomlin changed course to Wilson – because he was reaching for something better than merely good.

Wilson Delivered Sunday night

Tomlin got better than merely good and the Steelers beat the New York Jets.

"You know, we are in a tremendous situation where we are," Wilson said afterward. "I think there's a lot of outside noise that makes it seem like it's a negative thing and this rivalry internally, and it's not, man. We just want to win. That's what we're focused on.

"I got to give Justin Fields credit, man, all the things he was able to do, how great he's been playing. He inspires me every day how he works, and vice versa. We have a great relationship. He's a tremendous quarterback. He's a franchise quarterback. He's a leader, he's got all the intangibles and whatever I can give to him and show him and just be around him, that's part of my job, you know. I really believe that."

Tomlin, second-guessed throughout last week for benching Fields, didn't take a victory lap. He merely gave credit to his new starter.

Mike Tomlin: Wilson ‘Excellent’

"I thought he was excellent," Tomlin said of Wilson. "I thought he got better as the game went on but I'm not surprised by that. It's been a while since he played some ball.

"I thought he settled in and knocked the rust off and distributed the ball around and played well."

This doesn't mean Wilson won't have a bad game here or there. That's part of every quarterback's journey in the NFL – except maybe Josh Allen so far this year. But it was obvious that, against a good defense in Wilson's first outing, the Steelers offense was more dynamic.

As to the national gasbags: Wilson struggled for a couple of series, which they probably thought was going to be an ongoing issue, because it was their narrative throughout the week. 

But, ultimately, Wilson made his coach look really smart. And them look wrong.

JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 29: Ben Roethlisberger attends the Icons Series Inaugural Event & Press Conference at Liberty National Golf Club on June 29, 2022 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Manny Carabel/Getty Images)

Big Ben Got It Wrong

Let's take a little quick inventory.

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a great in franchise history, missed badly on this decision.

"I would absolutely not even think about taking [Fields] out of the game right now," Roethlisberger said following the Steelers’ 32-13 win over the Raiders in Week 6 on his "Footbahlin" podcast.

Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky didn't like the idea of the switch, questioning it with some questionable logic.

What Were Kimes, Orlovsky Thinking?

Kimes said for Tomlin's move to make "any sense" Wilson had to be better in how he played for Denver last year than Fields played so far this year for the Steelers. But, she added, "he was not better in any capacity."

Really?

Wilson averaged 204.7 passing yards per game last year in Denver. Fields averaged 184.7 passing yards per game with the Steelers through six games.

Wilson threw 26 TD passes with the Broncos last season despite missing the final two games when he was benched by coach Sean Payton. Fields was on pace to throw 15 TD passes this year when Tomlin benched him.

Wilson had a 98 passer rating in Denver. Fields exited with a 93.9 passer rating with the Steelers.

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 20: Najee Harris #22 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is tackled by Quincy Williams #56 of the New York Jets during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)

Wilson Did Not Hurt Run Game

It's fair to say Fields did better in some metrics than Wilson, but "in any capacity?"

Kimes and Orlovsky also agreed switching to Wilson would hurt the Steelers' running game. Maybe they were thinking one-dimensionally, in that Fields is a better runner than Wilson now. 

But football isn't a one-dimensional sport.

Wilson's ability to upgrade the passing game over Fields opens the field to a run game. Defenses, wary about the quarterback throwing downfield, do not stack the tackle box as much.

That helps the running game. 

The Steelers are not a great running team. But in the six games Fields started, they averaged 3.9 yards per rush. Against the Jets, they averaged 4.1 yards per rush.

At least One Analyst Got It Right

To be fair to ESPN, it should be noted analyst Andrew Hawkins was fully in favor of the move to Wilson and said doing it against the Jets was actually the right time to pull the proverbial trigger.

Wilson and Tomlin don't have a last laugh yet because the Steelers have 10 more games to play. But they get the W this week.

And the pundits go home with their bad takes.

The rest of this week's highs:

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 20: Kalif Raymond #11 of the Detroit Lions celebrates with Jared Goff #16 and Amon-Ra St. Brown #14 after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Jared Goff Is Red Hot

Lions quarterback Jared Goff: He's on a heater and his team is the NFC North's best team right now. In the last three games Goff has thrown a grand total of 10 incompletions. He connected on 100 percent of his 18 passes against Seattle, 72 percent of his 25 passes against Dallas, and 88 percent of his 25 passes on Sunday against Minnesota and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, his old nemesis. 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley: He said it wasn't a revenge game against his former team. And then he saw his old Giants jersey being burned by fans in the pregame tailgate and he suddenly felt differently.

"That was crazy," Barkley said. "I’ve seen my jersey get burned before on social media, but the timing of it. I’m locked in, I’m listening to my music, and I see the fans, and all I see is fans just pointing, and I look, and I’m like what are they pointing at?

" I see smoke and I’m just like, where’s my jersey at? That was definitely different. I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced anything like that in my life and hopefully, I don’t experience that again but, in that moment, I was ready for third-and-one. I’ll just say that."

Barkley rushed for 176 yards, averaging 10.4 yards per carry, and scored a touchdown.

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 20: Amari Cooper #18 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

Love For Amari Cooper

Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper: There was that moment, in the third quarter of Sunday's game against Tennessee, when he lined up for a play but didn't know what to do.

That's understandable because he was traded from the Browns to the Bills only five days earlier. But Cooper seemingly asked Keon Coleman to tell him what to do and the rookie obliged.

Cooper caught a 12-yard TD pass on the play. And he finished with 4 catches for 66 yards – a 16.5 yard per catch average.

And here's the thing: Cooper, despite his seven 1,000-yard seasons, has never been a huge fan favorite anywhere. He's been traded three times now. But it says right here that if he plays as he has in the past, with perhaps the best quarterback he's ever had, Western New York will love Cooper.

Love him.

Here are the rest of Week 7's Lows:

The Revenge Of The 'Dad Bod'

49ers defensive back Malik Mustapha: The joke Patrick Mahomes made toward the end of last season, was that he had a "dad bod" because photos of him with a bit of belly made the rounds. 

That's probably not what Mustapha was thinking when the quarterback steamrolled him on a quarterback draw on Sunday. That moment will likely draw some attention in the 49ers' tape session on Monday.

The New York Jets: Last year was a nightmare because Aaron Rodgers was lost for the season on the fourth play of the season. This season was supposed to be different -- and it is, but for all the wrong reasons.

This season, the club improved the offensive line. They have Rodgers playing every game. They fired coach Robert Saleh to get some spark. They traded for receiver Davante Adams.

So the difference?

The Jets are 2-5 after seven games. Last year, the nightmare year, the team was 4-3 after seven games.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 20: Frankie Luvu #4 of the Washington Commanders sacks Andy Dalton #14 of the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Dalton Show Needs To Close

Panthers QB Andy Dalton: It's quite obvious, after five starts, that he's a more experienced quarterback than Bryce Young and so better equipped to succeed. The problem is Dalton's ceiling is what it has always been, and we've reached the point in the season where he's reached it. 

Dalton laid a stinky egg against the Commanders on Sunday, throwing two interceptions without a touchdown. 

Dalton's biggest sin is that he played a key role in playing his team out of the game in the first quarter, as he threw both his picks in Carolina's the first three possessions. One of those was a Pick Six.

Coach Dave Canales has to now consider what is the point of continuing to play Dalton over Young. The coach needs to give Young a chance, even if the surrounding cast continues to be subpar.