Russell Wilson makes critics eat crow in Steelers' blowout win over the Jets

The biggest storyline of the week for the Pittsburgh Steelers was Mike Tomlin's decision to pull the cord on Justin Fields and insert Russell Wilson as the team's starting quarterback in Week 7. The plan all along was for Wilson to start, but with the Fields executing the game plan, a switch came with loads of controversy.

In the first six games of the season, Fields combined for 10 total touchdowns while throwing just one interception. Combining this with the damage he did with his legs, the 25-year-old quarterback aided the Steelers to a 4-2 record entering Week 7.

When the Steelers made the move to Wilson, the fanbase was torn. Wilson turns 36 years old next month and doesn't offer much hope of a future.

But Tomlin's decision may not have been as foolish as we initially thought.

Despite coming off a calf injury that held him back since the start of training camp, Wilson took the stage for the first time on Sunday Night Football against the New York Jets. His debut performance wasn't without its hiccups, but it proved to be more than enough.

While Wilson didn't resemble anything close to Fields when it came to escaping the pocket, he threw a beautiful moonball down the sidelines while connecting with receivers for a handful of big plays. By the end of the game, Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns. Though his completion percentage left some to be desired, Wilson's 9.1 yards per attempt is a number we have barely seen in recent years, as is his 109.0 passer rating.

Steelers justify decision to move to Russell Wilson

Regardless of which side of the fence you were on, it's hard to say Russell Wilson's debut performance with the Steelers was a failure. While Pittsburgh can thank the key plays of the special teams and defense for shifting the momentum, we have to give credit where credit is due: Wilson had a solid performance against the Jets.

The veteran quarterback missed some easy passes, but he showed touch on the football we haven't seen in a long time. This helped George Pickens cruise to 111 yards and a touchdown while Pat Freiermuth, Calvin Austin, and Darnell Washington each earned over 35 yards in this contest.

By the end of the game, it's hard to look at a 37-15 win without thinking that something was going well for the offense. Though Pittsburgh stalled at times, Wilson was responsible for three scores,as he chipped in a one-yard rushing touchdown to go with two passing scores.

This doesn't mean that Wilson is guaranteed to look good the rest of the way or even that Justin Fields won't return at some point. But all things considered, this was a very respectable debut performance from Russell Wilson.

With the win on Sunday Night Football, the Steelers advance to 5-2 on the season. Now it's time to see if Wilson can build on this momentum against the New York Giants in Week 8.