The Steelers wanted to see it, and Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium was the right time because it was the first time the opportunity had presented itself. And as time ran out for a 37-15 win over the New York Jets, they had to be happy with what they saw.

As the 2024 offseason began, the Steelers were presented with a path forward after two years of wandering through the quarterback wilderness following Ben Roethlisberger's retirement. The working relationship between Russell Wilson and Broncos coach Sean Payton had deteriorated beyond repair, and the Steelers saw a commercial opportunity to add a nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback to the mix who had played in two Super Bowls and won one. This action sparked an unforeseen reaction and over a two-week period they had rebuilt their entire depth chart at quarterback.

And that was okay, because the theme of the 2024 season was set by Steelers president Art Rooney II a few months earlier when he said in late January that it was time for this group to win some playoff games. The word “now” was never spoken, but the tone was unmistakable because Rooney always treated “rebuild” as a four-letter word.

But the linchpin of the quarterback makeover was Wilson, and by the time the offseason program was set to begin, coach Mike Tomlin had him rated in “pole position” for the starting job. As is often the case, things went well during the football-in-shorts period, and on the eve of training camp, Wilson became for the Steelers what he had been in his last twelve seasons in the NFL.

All that hope, all the sense of well-being that had come from the aggressive approach to a football team's most important position was dashed by a calf injury Wilson suffered during conditioning testing on the first day of the team's summer vacation at Saint Vincent College. Wilson was little more than an interested spectator as Tomlin did the on-field work that always serves as the foundation for this year's team.

As the preseason ended, Wilson made guest appearances in two games, played 26 snaps, completed 13 of 19 for 118 yards, and the only touchdown in that time came when he handed the ball to Cordarrelle Patterson for a 31-yard touchdown start running. Nevertheless, Wilson retained pole position and the race was about to begin in earnest. But a correction to his calf injury just days before the opener in Atlanta turned the offense over to Justin Fields and the focus was on winning games using his unique skill set.

Six weeks later, the Steelers were 4-2 and Fields was giving them everything they asked of him. He used his legs as a weapon. Protected the football. Played within itself. He was a hard worker, diligent and focused. And he was a teammate. But what was seen on the video was a passing attack that was below the finish line, with the line being what was needed to handle the final 11 opponents on their schedule, including all dates with the AFC North opponent.

There were some sparks and some flashes, but as Tomlin said during a press conference five days before the appointment with Aaron Rodgers and the Jets, “Justin (Fields) was really good, and we were really good at times, but not to be confused with.” great. We're trying to position ourselves as that team and we have a player with talent who hasn't had a chance to play yet, so we may explore those things. Sometimes it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with what Justin did or didn't do… but we look at all the people that are available to us the same way. Do it at any position… That's what you do in this thing. You should always keep your foot on the accelerator. You'd better pay attention to dividing the work in the most appropriate way depending on who's available to you and who's healthy, and that's simply what we're going to do.

And so it was that the guy who had been in the pole position in March finally got the keys to the car after the Jets won the toss and decided to defer. One of the qualities Wilson brought to the job was the ability to cope with adversity, and he certainly demonstrated that in his debut in 2024.

Fields had become a fan favorite, and so they interpreted Tomlin's decision as a transfer of Fields rather than giving Wilson a chance to take the offense to another level. And so there was some grumbling among the 66,956 customers as the Steelers went three-and-out on three of their first four possessions, with Wilson completing 2-of-8 for 19 yards and the offense going 0-for-4 on third downs .

But by halftime, Wilson had improved his numbers to 8 of 17 for 145 yards, with a touchdown that came with the catchphrase “great NFL quarterback.” The decision was made before the snap and the throw was timely and perfectly placed, giving George Pickens a chance to win his 1-on-1 matchup with the cornerback. A shot like this matters more than the points it scores because it gives a teammate a chance to shine and feel included, which has carryover value.

Then, in the second half, Wilson was exactly what he was advertised to be. He completed 8 of 12 for 119 yards, passing for a touchdown and rushing for another. The Steelers scored on each of their four possessions – a field goal and three touchdowns – and turned that halftime deficit into a 37-15 TKO.

And the dagger came in the form of a 13-play, 75-yard drive that started with 7:53 left in a game with the Steelers leading 30-15 and ended with 26 seconds left with the Steelers leading 37-15 led. Twelve of the 13 plays were runs, and Wilson made sure to run the game clock down to 5 seconds before taking the snap. Tick, tick, tick. He only passed once, but it was a targeted strike downfield but to Calvin Austin III instead of Pickens for a 36-yard gain. Tick, tick, tick. One third down was converted and the other two were converted on fourth down. Tick, tick, tick.

On the surface, it looked like the offensive line took care of business and Wilson handed the ball off to the running back, whose number was called by coordinator Arthur Smith. What it did mean was that the quarterback acted as the field general. He took snapshots from below or with the shotgun without mistakes. Milked the clock. No administrative issues with communicating from the sidelines or getting calls out to the rest of the unit. Protected the lead and ultimately extended it. And rendered Aaron Rodgers harmless by keeping him on the sideline.

When time expired and the Steelers were officially 5-2, the players and coaches met in the middle of the field and exchanged the usual congratulations and congratulations with their opponents. As usual, there was a duel between the two quarterbacks.

It was obvious who played better, and it was clear the Steelers saw what they needed to see.