The Steelers pulled off an impressive 37-15 win over the New York Jets in the Steelers season debut of Russell Wilson, but let’s keep things in perspective—although talented on paper, the Jets are a mess and seriously beat up. Still, as Head Coach Mike Tomlin always says, “we will not apologize for winning.” Russell Wilson didn’t come out looking like a former Super Bowl winning quarterback, and the crowd at Acrisure Stadium were not shy about letting him know how they felt. After a few terrible passes and some 3-and-outs, boo’s rang from the crowd but Russell wasn’t phased and he improved as the game went on and those boo’s quickly turned to cheers. His stat line was solid: 16/29 for 264 yards, two touchdowns, and even a rushing touchdown on a QB sneak.

Once Wilson shook off some rust, his ability to take advantage of matchups, especially with George Pickens, was clear. Wilson trusted Pickens and kept giving him chance after chance to make some unbelievable catches downfield, and Pickens delivered. GP finished with five catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Pickens is one of the best in the league at making tough grabs, especially with one of his catches that may be held in catch of the year conversations, but he needs the ball thrown his way. With Wilson willing to throw it up to him, he had his chance to really shine.

Wilson’s deep ball opened up the entire offense. Defenses couldn’t focus on stopping the run, knowing that Wilson could stretch the field the Steelers didn’t see as many safeties in a full sprint to the backfield upon the snap. This allowed Najee Harris to get to work, racking up his second 100-yard rushing game in two weeks. He finished with 21 carries for 102 yards and a touchdown. If this kind of balance continues, teams will have to pay extra attention to both Pickens’ ability to stretch the field and Harris’ ground game making it rough to fully commit to either.

The offense really found its rhythm in the second half, scoring on all five drives, with four of them resulting in touchdowns. And there’s more reason for optimism—key players like Zach Frazier and Cordarrelle Patterson are still out but should be back sooner than later. Roman Wilson, who was able to “hop on the moving train” before a hamstring injury, could be back for the Giants game. Plus, the Steelers could still add another wide receiver before the trade deadline.

Now, I’m not planning a Super Bowl party just yet—it’s only one game—but there’s plenty to be excited about. This win was probably the most fun I’ve had watching the Steelers since Big Ben in his prime. If the offense keeps evolving and improving, we could be in for an exciting rest of the season.

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Stay Blessed and Stay Positive… “Here We Go”