Russell Wilson George Pickens PIttsburgh SteelersMatt Freed/Associated Press

All George Pickens needed to overcome a few passionate emotions was a new quarterback. The new aerial connection that made a big difference in Sunday night’s Jets-Steelers game wasn’t the hyped-up Aaron RodgersDavante Adams combination. It was Pickens and new Pittsburgh starter Russell Wilson.

Give me Pickens and Russ,” said Good Morning Football host Kyle Brandt on Monday morning. “George Pickens looked like a superstar last night. Every catch was freakish circus-like. And, honestly I really mean this, a few drives into the game, the Pittsburgh crowd was getting really restless. And it didn’t look like it was working at all. It looked like bad Denver Russ.”

After a rocky start that made everyone – including Mike Tomlin on the sideline – wonder which Wilson would finish the Steelers’ 37-15 win over the Jets, Wilson shifted his persona to the nine-time Pro Bowler who led Seattle to a Super Bowl title. Wilson helped Pittsburgh erase a 15-6 deficit with 31 unanswered points, starting with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Pickens just before halftime. Pickens finished with five catches for 111 yards, including a 44-yarder in the first half and a 37-yard reception that set up Chris Boswell’s go-ahead field goal in the third quarter.

Wilson finished 16 of 29 for 264 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He got a big boost from Najee Harris (21 carries, 102 yards), who capped a prolific second half with a 10-yard touchdown run, and a Steelers defense highlighted by a pair of interceptions from rookie Beanie Bishop. The nickelback, signed as an undrafted free agent, made an incredible catch to rob Rodgers and set up the Pickens touchdown in the second quarter.

And while Tomlin before the game made clear to the NBC announcers that the shift to Wilson was certainly not permanent, Wilson certainly provided a lot of optimism for one evening.

“He cooked. He absolutely cooked,” Brandt said. “And if you weren’t watching the game for some reason, there was this incredible thing where every time Russ did anything good or bad, they would immediately go to Justin Fields on the sideline. They showed him 50 times, as many times as they showed Taylor Swift all of last year, they showed Justin Fields more in the first quarter of last night. They were breaking the record on that. And they should have; he was ready to go. You were like, ‘In the red zone, are they going to put him in? Are they going to put him in now after three-and-out? No.’”

Brandt then did his Mr. McMahon impression and made an educated guess for how Tomlin entered Steelers headquarters to break down film on Monday morning.

“Why did I put Russell Wilson in? Because I’m bleeping Mike Tomlin and I know what I’m doing. And every person and every blog who were like, ‘What are you’re doing? He’s 4-2.’ I’ve seen a lot of Justin Fields. You’ve seen a lot of Justin Fields. I knew what I had in Russ. I put him in. I was right and you’re not. Let’s go on. We’re 5-2. Mike Tomlin, have a day.”

Pittsburgh might still need Fields, who was benched with a logical strategy. Whether the Steelers insert him with designed packages, they’re looking at an ominous stretch in the next month. After the Giants next week, Pittsburgh gets a Week 9 bye followed by a Beltway stretch at Washington and home against Baltimore.

For at least a few hours, though, the Steelers are alone in first place. After cooking the new-look Jets (2-5), Pittsburgh owns a half-game lead in the AFC North over Baltimore (4-2), which plays on Monday night at Tampa Bay.

The Jets, meanwhile, might not need to give up a second-round selection for Adams. The conditional 2025 pick they sent to Las Vegas last week will be a third-rounder unless Adams makes the Associated Press All-Pro team or appears on New York’s active roster for an AFC Championship or Super Bowl. His first game in a Jets uniform produced only three catches on nine targets, for 30 yards.


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By Zak Gilbert

Since his freshman year at the University of Colorado, Zak Gilbert has worked 30 years in sports, including 18 NFL seasons. He's spent time with four NFL teams, serving as head of communications for both the Raiders and Browns. A veteran of nine Super Bowls, he most recently worked six seasons in the NFL's New York league office.

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