Steelers Read & React: Has Russell Wilson revived his Hall of Fame chances?

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Ryan Parish and Ryland Bickley discuss the week’s hottest topics. Is Russell Wilson back in the Canton conversation? What did Week 13 teach us? Also, previewing Steelers-Browns part two.

A lot can change in a week.

This time seven days ago, we were talking about the panic surrounding the Steelers’ loss to the Browns: Is the offense broken? Is T.J. Watt washed? You get the idea.

Following Sunday’s win over the Bengals, which included the Steelers scoring over 40 points and Watt recording two sacks, the vibes are much better. Now, another matchup against Cleveland is on the horizon. Can Pittsburgh right its Week 12 loss and repeat its success from the Cincinnati game?

Has Russell Wilson revived his Hall of Fame case during his time in Pittsburgh?

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

RB: I think this conversation heavily depends on what you thought of Wilson’s time in Seattle. If you thought he was a candidate then, he probably still is now. If not, a somewhat successful age-36 season won’t move the needle much.

But let’s recap the history: Wilson led the Seahawks to two Super Bowls, winning one, and had his team as a playoff contender throughout most of the 2010s.

While Wilson is generally remembered as one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks during his prime — which included nine Pro Bowl nods — he’s never received a single MVP vote over his career. (Granted, the same can be said of many great quarterbacks, including Ben Roethlisberger). Wilson has received votes for Offensive Player of the Year multiple times throughout his career, although he’s never won.

The case for being one of the best of his era is there, but not bulletproof. Wilson has played alongside the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Phillip Rivers, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, and Matthew Stafford — it’s a glut of talented, productive quarterbacks — was Wilson really in the upper echelon of that group?

Wilson’s numbers are very good as well, but not sure-fire Hall of Fame good. He currently ranks 17th all-time in passing yards (just one spot ahead of Joe Flacco) and 12th all-time in passing touchdowns (just behind Eli Manning). Depending on how many more years he plays, he’ll likely move up in both rankings, even if making either top 10 will require multiple seasons of quality play to reach.

With quarterbacks, even “OK” ones, often putting up good production in this era of the NFL, the pure numbers argument isn’t enough anymore — especially as Wilson’s best season for passing yards (4,219) is only the 150th best all-time.

Wilson’s one Super Bowl ring looks good although it doesn’t separate him from the pack; his 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year award, 2019 second-team All-Pro, and 2017 passing touchdowns crown don’t hurt, but aren’t enough to truly cement him as an all-time great, either.

But it’s easy to forget that there’s a reason why Denver essentially mortgaged two future drafts and traded a handful of players to acquire Wilson in 2022. And don’t forget the five-year, $245 million deal. He had that impressive of a legacy.

Of course, Wilson’s time with the Broncos was an absolute disaster that damaged the perception of him across the league. He wasn’t playing well, his public image was under fire, and Denver paid him $39 million to play for a different team in 2024.

In my opinion, Wilson was on the brink of Hall of Fame candidacy pre-Denver, but his 2022 and 2023 seasons killed most of that momentum for a player who wasn’t a shoe-in in the first place. Wilson also plays at one of the most loaded positions there is when it comes to Hall of Fame cases.

As a result, I do think Wilson’s success in Pittsburgh is reviving his gold jacket chances. The narrative is positive once again, and he’s showing the late-career productivity needed to beef up his career statistics and wins — if he can get a few more postseason victories before he retires, that would be a massive boost for his Canton resumé.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves; Wilson’s time with the Steelers has been impressive, but he’s not substantially closer to being a Hall of Famer after just six games in the black and gold. However, his recent play has re-opened the door for those discussions, and if Wilson does eventually make the Hall of Fame, it’ll be due to his late-career renaissance that started in the Steel City.

RP: What a difference a week makes, huh? Last week it seemed folks were ready to pack it in on the season — this week we’re ready to elect Hall of Famers. Realistically, I’d say it’s far too early to have those conversations for Russ. A six-game sample is a stepping stone to those types of discussions, but time and consistency will be key for Wilson as he enters the back half of his 30s. Conventional wisdom says Russ will neither get a second Super Bowl ring or another productive string of years to make it in.

I think it will be fascinating to see what voters for the Hall do when deciding on the quarterbacks of the 2010s. If I were to tell you Russ is 12th all-time in passing touchdowns, that sounds like he’d be a lock with another good season or two. But the waters get murky when you consider Philip Rivers (6th), Matt Ryan (9th), Matthew Stafford (10th), and Eli Manning (11th) are ahead of him and not all of them are considered locks for the Hall.

All-time numbers truly highlight the difference in eras when you realize guys like Carson Palmer (15th), Kirk Cousins (18th), Derek Carr (22nd), Joe Flacco (24th) and Andy Dalton (26th) are among the all-time leaders. For now. I think most people would agree Joe Flacco is not a Hall of Famer, but I’ll point out to our ring-counting crowd that he has just as many as Russ.

Can Russ cement a Hall of Fame career with the Steelers? Certainly, anything is possible and the AFC feels wide open this year. If the Steelers have a miraculous run, he could. But for now? Let’s relax and enjoy the moment.

Did Sunday’s win tell us more about the Steelers or the Bengals?

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

RP: The real answer is both, but I’ll play along. Ryland can tell us what we learned about the Steelers, but I think the win reinforces a point I made in last week’s column. This game was a huge moment for the Steelers to prove that they are what their record says they are, and show who the Bengals are as well.

We knew the Bengals’ offense was legit, but we also knew their defense has been historically bad at supporting their star quarterback. We can objectively say Burrow played phenomenally Sunday, but the Bengals proved they are just as inept at protecting a lead as we thought they would be.

As we highlighted in last week’s preview, the Bengals have had a talent drain, especially on the defense, in recent years. Cincinnati will always be dangerous in a game because of Burrow, but they’re seeing the results of their roster management and those doubting the Black & Gold last week need to have a little more faith.

RB: What Ryan said, honestly. Having success against the Cincinnati defense is far from unique in the NFL this year. We’ll need to see more consistent success from Russell Wilson, Arthur Smith, and co. before heralding the Pittsburgh offense as fixed.

That being said, the Steelers were playing legitimately well on Sunday even if the Bengals defense wasn’t exactly a great opponent. I’ll link a QB School video I enjoyed earlier to break down Russell Wilson’s excellent performance, and as for my own observations, I’ll refer back to my postgame column that noted some new wrinkles from Arthur Smith’s gameplan in Week 13: namely an emphasis on the middle of the field and throwing to the running backs.

If Pittsburgh’s success against Cincinnati had come from the usual offensive combination of sideline deep throws and a stubborn run game, I would’ve been inclined to chalk it up solely to the Bengals’ defense being bad. Instead, the Steelers showed some actual offensive growth on Sunday, and going up against an underperforming defense just eased that transition. Maybe those improvements will stick around for the tougher matchups later this season.

On the other side of the ball, we didn’t learn much. The Steelers defense isn’t immune to bad days, and Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ passing attack is elite. Groundbreaking analysis, I know. The game raised some concerns about the Pittsburgh secondary, but the Steelers are going to struggle against the NFL’s top offenses just like every other team. If Jameis Winston manages another 497-yard game against Pittsburgh on Sunday, then we can start officially worrying.

Game notes: Steelers vs. Browns

Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

Read & React already previewed the Cleveland Browns this season — you can read that article HERE. As a result, we’ll be providing some up-to-date thoughts on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent instead of another preview, showing what’s changed since the last time the two teams met.

RB (offense):

• Speaking of the Browns’ quarterback, he had the quintessential Jameis Winston game on Monday night, throwing for nearly 500 yards along with four touchdowns and three interceptions against the Broncos. If this Sunday is a non-snowy game, expect gunslinger Jameis at Acrisure — there will be lots of deep throws, and plenty of turnover opportunities as well. It’ll be a good test for a Pittsburgh secondary that struggled last week.
• Jerry Jeudy is putting up WR1 numbers for Cleveland, coming off five straight games with over 70 yards, including a monster 235-yard performance last week in Denver. He’s a big, athletic target who needs to be taken seriously.
• Nick Chubb still hasn’t broken out yet post-injury, with nine carries for just 21 yards last week. He did have a receiving touchdown.
• On the injury front, there’s a chance the Browns could get offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. back this week. He’s missed the last month with a knee injury, including the Browns and Steelers’ Week 12 matchup. Wide receiver Cedric Tillman’s status is also up in the air for the upcoming game after he missed last week with a concussion.
• Pittsburgh’s defense struggled in the snow last time the two teams met, with the Steelers’ defensive backs and speed rushers especially struggling to find their footing. This week should be an entirely different game, even if the Cleveland offense is starting to find its stride late in the season.

RP (defense):

• In the snow game, Myles Garrett went crazy for three sacks. Making sure there is always chip help or Darnell Washington with the blocker assigned to Garrett on a play should be a priority.
• Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit both left the game against the Broncos and returned by the end of the game. They should be good to go, but it’s worth monitoring Cleveland’s injury report this week.
• Pittsburgh ran for 120 yards in the snow game against Cleveland. That wasn’t the best game for the Steelers offensive line or for Arthur Smith. We can chalk some of that up to the short week. The Steelers would be wise to continue to attack the Browns on the ground as that is Cleveland’s weakness and their secondary is their strength.
• I think Russell Wilson would benefit from some designed rollouts in the passing game. Last week, we saw what he could do outside of the pocket when he was calm and decisive. Wilson has a tendency to drift in the pocket, so why not help him out and use that to try to counter Cleveland’s aggressive tendencies?

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. Is Russ going to be a Hall of Famer because of his time with the Steelers? Who proved what they are more: The Steelers or Bengals? What are your expectations in the Browns rematch? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section, on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or via email at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.