Steelers' Russell Wilson Received A Special Message From Ben Roethlisberger Following Big Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed a big win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 on the road, and fans got to see an offensive explosion from the Steelers and Russell Wilson. Wilson started the game off in a bad way by throwing a pick-six on the team’s opening possession, but he bounced back and seemed to be in the zone for the remainder of the game. The quarterback found 10 different receivers throughout the contest, and he was a big reason the Steelers were able to win in a shootout.

Wilson is the best player the Steelers have had at the quarterback position since franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, and the organization has been looking for their next great quarterback ever since. The Kenny Pickett experiment didn't work out, and the Steelers looked towards Wilson as they signed him to a one-year deal at the start of free agency during the 2024 offseason. Wilson has seemed to reignite his career in Pittsburgh, and Roethlisberger shared on the most recent episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger that he texted with Wilson following the win over Cincinnati.

"Offensively, that was unbelievable," Roethlisberger said. "I texted Russ and said, 'Russ, great game, like way to play. Career game.' That was so much fun to watch. It looked like he was just doing whatever he wanted to."

Roethlisberger knows a thing or two about lighting up divisional opponents, and fans haven't seen an offensive explosion like that since he was at the helm of the offense. Many people in the NFL world doubted Wilson going into the 2024 season due to the last two seasons and how things went while he was with the Denver Broncos. Wilson struggled in Denver and it looked like his career was nearing its end, but the quarterback has flipped the script and turned back into a Pro Bowl level player.

In the win over the Bengals, Wilson completed 29 of his 38 passes and threw for 414 yards and three touchdowns. Every single drive it felt like the offense was going to score, and the quarterback had his best game with the Steelers by far. In recent weeks Wilson had some trouble with hanging on to the ball for too long and taking unnecessary sacks, but that wasn't the case on Sunday. He looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket and got the ball out fast. 

The 44-38 victory was the highest scoring game for the Steelers since the 2018 season, and the offense looks completely rejuvenated and ready to go on a run. If the offense can continue to play like it has, the Steelers have a chance to make some noise once the postseason rolls around, and they should be viewed as serious contenders in the AFC. If Wilson had played the entire season, there is even the chance that he would be in some MVP conversations. 

Steelers' Russell Wilson Took Advantage Of A Bad Defense

It is important to note that the Bengals have one of the worst defenses in the league, and the Steelers did exactly what they were supposed to do. Cincinnati is ranked near the bottom of the league defensively in yards given up and points allowed, but hopefully this performance is able to give Pittsburgh's offensive unit some confidence moving forward.

Wilson accredited his success against Cincinnati's defense to his experience in the NFL, citing that he was able to pick apart their defense because every look he saw was something he has seen before. The quarterback almost looks like he is back in his prime, and he should be able to lead the Steelers to great playoff positioning so that they can go on a deep playoff run.

What do you think about Roethlisberger's message to Wilson following the big win? Let us know in the comments below!

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