Russell Wilson does his best to make Broncos look bad in Steelers starting debut

The Denver Broncos didn't play on Sunday, so everyone in Broncos Country got to kick back, relax, and watch the drama unfold while still drinking in the sweet taste of victory from Thursday night. The Sunday nightcap involved a pair of former Broncos who aren't exactly the most beloved figures in franchise history...

Russell Wilson was making his starting debut for the Pittsburgh Steelers (still on the Broncos' dime, for the most part) while Nathaniel Hackett is still working things with the New York Jets. What does he do there now that he's not calling plays offensively? I guess Aaron Rodgers just needs as many of his pals as he can get.

Anyway, the matchup on Sunday night was super intriguing on paper because the Steelers were replacing starting QB Justin Fields despite the fact that they were 4-2 as a team and Fields had 10 total touchdowns with just one interception. The Jets had just acquired Davante Adams in a trade and he obviously made his debut.

But of course, most Broncos fans would be lying if they said they weren't at least a little bit curious about how Wilson would look in his Steelers debut, and frankly, I thought Russ really settled in and played well after a tough/slow start.

Russell Wilson came through with big debut for Steelers

Statistically speaking, Wilson was pretty darn good for the Steelers in this game, especially when you consider the final outcome. There were a handful of plays that he made that looked like "vintage" Russ, and that included some of his patented moon balls deep down the field.

I think it's easy to be dismissive of some of the throws Wilson made in this game because he just heaved the ball up in the direction of his receiver, and George Pickens came down with the ball by some miraculous stroke of fate, or Pat Freiermuth came up with a one-handed snag.

These plays weren't being made on a consistent basis by Denver Broncos receivers while Wilson was with the team, nor were the Broncos running the ball as well as we saw the Steelers run it on Sunday night. Pittsburgh's 149 yards rushing against the Jets on Sunday night was their second-highest total of the season so far. They set a season-high in total yards (409) and points scored (37) with Wilson at the helm.

And frankly, they kind of embarrassed Aaron Rodgers and the Jets on a national stage. That aspect of it was at least a little satisfying for Broncos Country to see, but there was something a little unsettling if not jealousy-inducing about seeing Russ excel and the Steelers really supporting him by making plays the way they did.

I won't go so far as to say the Broncos made a mistake by getting rid of Russ, but I think this one-game sample is at least a bit of evidence in favor of the idea that the Broncos weren't exactly great around Russ, either. We are seeing that this year as Broncos fans are still complaining about the talent around rookie QB Bo Nix and how guys aren't getting open or consistently making plays.

Even Sean Payton told Kirk Herbstreit before the Saints game that he doesn't have a "Joker" for his offense right now.

The Broncos made a long-term decision to go with a youth movement now, and I think there is reason to be excited about Bo Nix and the young core of players. But at least for one game, Russell Wilson's performance might have some in Broncos Country still wondering "what if"...