Despite sitting on the bench due to injury, Russell Wilson still got payback over the his former team as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Sean Payton's Denver Broncos 13-6 in their Week 2 matchup on Sunday.
New Steelers starting quarterback Justin Fields went 13-for-20 with 117 passing yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Broncos QB Bo Nix continues his rookie slump, going 20-for-35 with two interceptions and 246 passing yards.
After the victory, Wilson went to X, formerly Twitter, to make his feelings known. What was his message?
“Team W!” Wilson said, quoting the Steelers' official account posting about the win.
Week 2: Steelers vs. Broncos
Moreover, after the win, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin even gave Wilson a “petty game ball,” which the coach routinely gives his players who beat their former teams.
Fields also gave his opinions about Wilson's forgettable two seasons with the Broncos.
“I think we all know Russ kinda got done dirty last year,” the QB said, as reported by Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, via Bleacher Report. “I know he wishes he could have played today's game, but it was awesome getting this win for him.”
A calf injury caused Russell Wilson to miss the chance to beat Sean Payton's Broncos team on the field. This injury has ailed the former Broncos QB since the Steelers' season opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
Due to the injury, the Steelers started Justin Fields in the last two games, who turned in solid performances that resulted in victories. Before the season, Tomlin faced a difficult choice between his two quarterbacks.
Even analysts like Robert Griffin III detailed a worst-case scenario had Fields played poorly after getting the starting nod, but thankfully that hasn't happened yet.
In Week 1, their new QB1 started, and they won 18-10. Despite the victory, Wilson continues his on-field return preparations as the Steelers play the Los Angeles Chargers. Both teams will try to give their opponents their first loss of the 2024 season.
Asked about his solid performance, Fields pointed out things they still need to fix.
“It's always hard to win in this league, so being able to start out 2-0 with two away games has been great. But we've got to be better. We've got to stop the penalties, stuff like that. We ought to be better, including me,” he said, via a report from Arnie Melendrez Stapleton of the Associated Press.
Grudges for Russell Wilson?
In the offseason, Russell Wilson signed with the Steelers to rejuvenate his career after a dismal tenure with the Broncos, who benched him in the last two games of the 2023 season.
After missing the playoffs, the Broncos released Wilson, absorbing $85 million in dead cap charges just to cut ties with him. They seem to have found his replacement in Bo Nix, who has struggled out of the gate as the team fell to a winless record in Week 2.
The Broncos hope to finally get a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.