Former Steelers QB Russell Wilson and HC Sean Payton have a not-so-great history, and yet Payton hoped to face Wilson this week. Not without good reason, as Wilson’s replacement, Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart, nearly beat Payton’s Broncos. In fact, it took a remarkable 33-point fourth quarter to claim a one-point victory.
The history between Russell Wilson and Sean Payton is not long, which is not by accident. In 2023, after taking over the Broncos job, he inherited Wilson, whom Denver acquired in a massive trade a year earlier. By all indications, Wilson did not seem to fit Payton’s offense, and he hasn’t seemed shy in taking shots at that since then.
Against the Broncos, Dart threw three touchdowns to one interception for 283 yards. He led what would have been a game-winning drive with under a minute to play, only to watch Payton’s Bo Nix respond in kind, setting up a game-winning field goal.
The Giants signed Russell Wilson this offseason after the Steelers turned down bringing him back. In hindsight, both Pittsburgh and Payton seem to have made the right decision. The latter expressed as much after beating the Giants.
“They found a little spark with that quarterback”, Payton said of Dart, via Pro Football Talk. “I was talking to John Mara not too long ago and I said we were hoping that that [quarterback] change would have happened long long after our game”. The change, of course, was benching Russell Wilson in favor of Dart.
Wilson only started the first three games of the season for the Giants before they pulled the plug. He had one good game against the Cowboys, only to blow the game in overtime. The following week, he went 18-for-32 for 160 yards and two interceptions.
Since benching Wilson, the Giants are 2-2 after an 0-3 start, and very nearly were 3-1 were it not for Payton’s Broncos storming back. One could hardly blame Dart, of course, for a defense that allowed 33 points in the fourth quarter. Bo Nix threw two touchdowns and ran for two others in the final 15 minutes—one final finger in Wilson’s face.
Of course, the Steelers share Payton’s hopes, as Wilson’s benching doesn’t help them. His compensatory value is tied to his playing time, and now that he’s on the bench, Pittsburgh is losing value. Meanwhile, their other compensatory quarterback, Justin Fields, may be facing a similar fate.
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