Russell Wilson Has Mike Tomlin Love And That Says Everything We Need To Know

When it was over, Mike Tomlin paced back and forth in front of the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room waiting for the last of all his players to get inside so he could speak with them after this win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Russell Wilson, who had been detained doing a TV network interview, was the last player to come off the field.

"What's up old man?" Tomlin said as he hugged Wilson. "Love you, baby."

And with that, Tomlin planted a kiss on Wilson's head.

Mike Tomlin Endorsement Important

Yes, the baddest, never-had-a-losing-record-in-18-seasons, poet of the NFL coaching ranks, showed the castoff guy who came to Pittsburgh with a battered reputation, some genuine love late Sunday afternoon.

"The intimacy of these divisional relationships — we know them, and they know us — but I thought our group would smile in the face, particularly Russ," Tomlin said. "It’s the first time for him going through this AFC [North] football, and I thought he acclimated himself well today. He put himself squarely in the history of this series with that performance today. And we’re thankful for it."

And now, maybe, just maybe, everyone else can join in Tomlin's appreciation of Wilson. 

Now maybe all the whispers from sources and questions from pundits about Wilson can cease because he has Tomlin's very public endorsement.

One that he's earning week after week.

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA;  Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) celebrates his touchdown catch with quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Russell Wilson Cooks

Wilson completed 29-of-38 passes against the Bengals for a 76.3 completion percentage. He threw three touchdowns and one interception. Wilson threw for 414 yards. 

• It was the most by any quarterback against the Bengals this season.
• It was the third most yards by any quarterback against any team this season.
• And it was the most passing yards by a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger threw for 462 yards in November of 2018.

Wilson delivered the best first half of his career. He's started 194 NFL games and his 257 yards against the Bengals in the first half Sunday is unmatched.

That's a lot of great stuff. And what does it all tell us? 

This:

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) hands off to running back Najee Harris (22) in the second quarter of the NFL Week 13 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024.

A Lot Of Folks Wrong About Wilson

It tells us the Denver Broncos and the naysayers were wrong when they insisted all the way through the end of last season and even into the early part of this season that Wilson was washed. 

Sure, the Broncos have moved on with Bo Nix. But that doesn't change the fact Wilson is playing like he's far from done, and they incorrectly thought otherwise.

"For me, I just turned 36 the other day — I feel like I'm 26, maybe I'm 30," Wilson said. "I think the best part about it is we're having fun, and we're having a blast doing it. And we'll do whatever it takes to do what we need to do… 

"I'm just excited to be a part of this team."

It tells us Wilson is playing like his Seattle Seahawks self. You'll recall the Seahawks went to two Super Bowl with Wilson and were a goal line interception away from winning both.

It tells us the Steelers have a really good thing going with a rejuvenated Wilson – perhaps good enough that they'll be more than a transient visitor to the NFL playoffs in January.

Steeler Have New Personality

The Steelers lead the AFC North now. 

And they're starting to play an unfamiliar brand of football that is a departure from the run-first, bloody brand of ball that cast the franchise foundation.

The Steelers are a passing team now. They had 36 plays in the first half of this game. And threw the football on 27 of them. Wilson completed passes to 10 different guys during the game. 

All of that was actually the plan.

 "We feel comfortable with our group," Tomlin said. "You guys ask us about that a lot over the course of the journey. We gain that confidence in team development. There’s a lot of different playmaking coming from a lot of different people in Latrobe. So this is just a continuation of that."

Dec 1, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) meet after the game at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Slow Start That Didn't Matter

As well as it ended, it certainly didn't start that way. It was a mess at the beginning, with Wilson throwing an interception that Bengals' cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt returned for a touchdown and a 7-0 Cincinnati lead.

"Yeah, you know, George (Pickens) runs the slant. You know, he kind of pulled him down, to be honest with you," Wilson said of Taylor-Britt. "I tried throwing it on time in rhythm. We thought we could’ve gotten a penalty there. But, they did a good job of making that play.

 "It's just football. It was one of those (things that), as soon as I threw it, George (Pickens) went to the ground. More than anything else though, like I was saying earlier, our response was great."