Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson highlighted teammate Justin Fields' contributions on the field and behind the scenes in the battle for the starting job.

The nine-time Pro Bowler flatly denied the notion that he and Fields had any kind of rivalry or animosity toward one another.

“I have to give credit to Justin Fields, man, just everything he could do, how great he played, man, he inspires me every day,” Wilson told reporters after a 37-15 win over the New York Jets on Sunday night. “…He's a great quarterback, he's a franchise quarterback, he's a leader. He has all the intangibles and everything that I can give him and show him and just be around him, that’s part of my job.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin made the bold decision to bench Fields for Wilson in Week 7.

Fields apparently had done nothing to deserve the demotion. Pittsburgh was 4-2 in his six starts and had thrown for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.

However, Tomlin apparently knew what he was doing. Wilson finished the game 16 of 29 for 264 yards and two touchdowns through the air. There's no doubt the passing game looked better with him under center. George Pickens in particular benefited from the change, as he caught five passes for 111 yards and a score.

Of course, fans probably drew the same conclusions about Andy Dalton after the Carolina Panthers quarterback lit up the Las Vegas Raiders secondary in Week 3. Dalton has regressed sharply since then. He had just 93 passing yards in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Washington Commanders.

For now, Wilson has eliminated any doubt as to who will run the offense in Week 8 against the New York Giants. If his performance dips a bit, Tomlin could face the difficult decision of staying with Wilson or returning to Fields.