PITTSBURGH (AP) — Russell Wilson was at the Pro Bowl following his breakout rookie season more than a decade ago when he found himself practicing alongside quarterbacks whose resumes he was chasing.
Ben Roethlisberger. Drew Brees. Peyton Manning. Eli Manning. Sure, that week in paradise was fun. Yet Wilson's memories of it don't focus on the perks, but the practices.
The player who obsesses over the game found kindred spirits among Super Bowl champions.
“I just learned and watched a lot,” Wilson said. “I have just always believed in understanding and learning every play. There's never a play off. There's always something we can gain, something we can learn and see.”
Nearing a dozen years later, that curiosity and attention to detail hasn't waned. That much was obvious during Wilson's careful rehab from a calf injury that forced him to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers get off to a 4-2 start without him.
If Wilson — in full dress even when his participation was limited at best — wasn't pantomiming everything from the cadence to handoffs while backups Justin Fields and Kyle Allen took the live reps, he was attaching himself to first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
It's an approach Wilson doesn't apologize for. His job is to run the offense. The way he figures it, the more he knows, the better. And if that means stalking the guy who calls the plays, so be it.
“I'm constantly asking questions,” Wilson said. “(I'm) not afraid to ask the questions or bring something up if we think it's going to help.”
It wasn't Wilson being a teacher's pet but a professional. The nine-time Pro Bowler understands more than anyone how important this season is for the rest of his career. He's on a one-year “prove it” deal and Fields performed well in Wilson's absence.
There was no time to waste. At practice, in the film room, or during games. And maybe that's why Wilson has gotten up to speed so quickly for the Steelers, who head into their bye week at 6-2 after a 26-18 win over the New York Giants on Monday night.
Two weeks ago, coach Mike Tomlin raised eyebrows when he turned to Wilson and asked him to help Pittsburgh find a gear it has largely lacked since Roethlisberger's retirement three years ago.
It's hard to argue with the results.
The Steelers have surpassed 400 yards in both of Wilson's starts, something they haven't done since 2018. While there is much to work on — such as not having drives stall in the red zone — there is also plenty of reason for optimism.
For the first time in a long time, Pittsburgh's offense looks potent enough to win if the defense falters. Wilson's deep ball remains a wonder and he has been largely mistake-free while completing 36 of 57 for 542 yards, a franchise record for a quarterback in his first two starts with the club.
“We have great confidence,” Wilson said. “(But) we haven't done anything yet.”
True. All the moves the Steelers have made over the past 10 months have been with one goal in mind: to end a playoff victory drought that stretches to 2016 as quickly as possible. Pittsburgh isn't there yet.
For the first time in a while though, it looks doable.
What's working
Letting perhaps the best edge-rush duo in the NFL do its thing.
Outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith combined for four sacks (two each) against the Giants, all of them coming in the second half. They dropped Daniel Jones on consecutive plays in the third quarter to take New York out of scoring range. Watt later swiped the ball out of Jones' hands and then recovered the fumble to snuff out a scoring threat.
“He’s what Coach Tomlin calls an ‘A' player," Highsmith said of his longtime teammate. ”‘A' players are built for those moments."
What needs help
Facing a Giants offense in an identity crisis, the Steelers run defense allowed New York rookie Tyrone Tracy to gash them for 145 yards on the ground. Considering some of the run-heavy teams that dot the schedule over the final two months (hello Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia) it's an area that needs to get shored up before the winter chill becomes permanent.
Stock up
The Steelers have been in the market for a high(ish) profile wide receiver ever since they traded Diontae Johnson to Carolina in the offseason. They couldn't get Brandon Aiyuk to come over in a trade and missed out on the Davante Adams sweepstakes. Maybe — maybe — they don't need one after all. Eight different players caught passes against the Giants. If Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson and tight end Pat Freiermuth can consistently make opponents pay for focusing too much on George Pickens, things could open up downfield for Pittsburgh's talented if mercurial No. 1 wideout more often.
Stock down
The only thing worse than the steady number of penalties right tackle Broderick Jones is racking up may be the moments when he gets called for them. Pittsburgh appeared to score a touchdown on its opening drive when Wilson found Pickens in the back of the end zone only to have it called back because of a rare facemask call against Jones, who grabbed Giants defensive end Armon Watts' helmet and the Steelers settled for a field goal. It marked the second time this season a Pickens touchdown has been wiped out by a Jones penalty.
Injuries
Fields tweaked a hamstring late in practice last week, relegating him to emergency quarterback status against the Giants. ... There's optimism that running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle), center Zach Frasier (ankle) and outside linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring) could return after the break. ... Rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson's disappointing season took another turn on Monday when the team placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Key number
0 — the number of points the Steelers have allowed in the third quarter this season.
Next steps
Take a few days off to rest up for a challenging second half of the season that begins on Nov. 10 in Washington against rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the surprising Commanders.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Will Graves, The Associated Press
