Another week, another Pittsburgh Steelers win. The Steelers have been excellent this year, sitting at 8-2 and on top of the AFC North. Their most recent win may have been their most impressive one too. The Baltimore Ravens are no pushover. Despite that, analyst Pete Prisco still doesn’t believe in the Steelers, even believing they’ll lose to the Cleveland Browns this week.
“Russell Wilson hasn’t played as good as people portray him as playing,” Prisco said recently on CBS Sports HQ. “He was bad last week. It was bad quarterback play. He made one throw down the field, and a dump-off to [Jaylen] Warren turned into a big gain.
“Other than that, he didn’t do anything. Terrible interception in the end zone. He left a lot of pockets with two hands on the ball. And I think he’s gonna struggle here against the Browns.”
If you’ve paid attention to Prisco this season, you’ll know he sounds like a broken record at this point. Before the year began, he picked the Steelers to finish last in the AFC North. He has admitted he was wrong about that, but since then, he’s also been extremely negative when talking about the Steelers. Russell Wilson in particular has gotten a lot of flak from Prisco.
At this point, it doesn’t seem like much is going to change Prisco’s mind. He is correct that Week 11 was Wilson’s worst outing with the Steelers, but he still did enough to help them win. In years past, the Steelers couldn’t even get that much from their quarterback. If they can still beat their biggest competition for the division on Wilson’s worst day, then they’re just fine.
The Browns’ defense does have some playmakers, but they haven’t been as good as they were last year. Sunday, they got crushed by the New Orleans Saints, allowing 35 points. The Saints aren’t exactly a powerhouse either. The Steelers are traveling to Cleveland on a short week, but they’ve been in worse spots this year.
There is now a four-game sample size off which to judge Wilson. In his first three games, he drove the Steelers’ offense to some of its greatest success this season. They averaged 30 points per game. The Ravens game was a step back, but it was also very intense.
The Steelers will probably need to win the Super Bowl by 50 points to change Prisco’s mind. And even if they lose to the Browns, it isn’t like their season is over. They’d still be 8-3 and fighting for the division crown. Outside noise shouldn’t matter. The Steelers aren’t perfect, but they continue to win. That’s what really matters.
