The Pittsburgh Steelers host the New York Giants tonight to put a cap on Week Eight National Football League action.
The Steelers are favored, got a break yesterday when their primary AFC North Division competition, the Baltimore Ravens, lost to the Cleveland Browns, and may have found a revitalized Russell Wilson to run their offense.
Pity the Giants.
Last week, in his first start since moving from the Denver Broncos to Pittsburgh, Wilson ran an effective offense that tallied the most points the Steelers have posted this season, 37. His efforts dominated another veteran quarterback working on his opposing team, Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets.
This Wilson saga is most interesting. A two-time Super Bowl participant during a ten-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson brought Hall of Fame credentials to the Broncos a few years ago and was a bust in the Mile High City. In his first disappointing campaign in a Denver uniform Wilson got his coach fired. In his second season with the Broncos, he got himself fired.
He then came to the Steelers at a bargain basement price while Mike Tomlin was in search of a man to replace the recently retired Ben Roethlisberger. A two-year experiment with Kenny Picket and a number of journeyman backups served only to keep Tomlin’s record of never having a losing season alive … but never elevated the Steelers to lofty Super Bowl contention.
Not sure Wilson was the answer, the Steelers also brought in another quarterback with some promise, Justin Fields. They got the one-time first round draft choice from Chicago for almost nothing while the Bears transitioned to first player in the draft Caleb Williams.
While neither Wilson nor Fields shined in the Steelers three game preseason schedule, Fields got the starting job by default when Wilson suffered a minor injury. Fields took full advantage of his opportunity, leading Pittsburgh to four wins in six starts and to the top of the AFC North Division standings.
Fields' success with Pittsburgh contrasts to his career in Chicago, where he won only ten games in three seasons while collecting 28 losses. His, and the Steelers success, had some advising head coach Mike Tomlin to stick with him. Tomlin hasn’t recorded a record 17 straight winning campaigns without ever suffering a losing season by taking other people’s advice.
His decision to start Wilson last week against the Jets appears to have been a good one. After a slow start, Wilson found his stride with his new team while running the Jets out of the building, 37-15.
Off that success, and with a chance to pick up a game on both the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals this week in their highly competitive division race, the Steelers are favored by a touchdown over the visiting Giants.
New York comes to town with injuries to their best players on both sides of the ball. One of those injuries has caused a hole in their offensive line which has made it impossible for New York Quarterback Daniel Jones to get a health insurance policy. If one was to wager on the Giants tonight it might be best not to watch.
Last Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles sacked the overmatched New York quarterbacks eight times in a win at MetLife Stadium by 25 points. Tonight, the fate could be similar for the overmatched visitors.
Despite this obvious physical advantage for the home team in this Monday Night Football primetime telecast, we have trouble advising a wager laying the points here.
The Steelers record is a notch ahead of their actual talent. Wilson’s success last week was achieved as a home team underdog in his first start against a hugely overrated Jets team. Pittsburgh wins this year, all five, have come when Pittsburgh has been in a good situation on both the motivational and point spread price charts.
Tonight, they aren’t in a good spot by either of those calculations.
No, don’t want to lay the six points here and assume that Wilcon truly has found his career fountain of youth behind the Steelers offensive line. And, with even more emphasis, don’t want the Giants.