"Russell Wilson is the worst red zone quarterback": Analyst writes off Steelers' Super Bowl chances as playoff race heats up
Russell Wilson still hasn't managed to earn the trust of some observers regarding his abilities as a quarterback. Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers being 4-0 under him, NFL analyst and former quarterback Dan Orlovsky thinks he isn't capable of making the Steelers offense of Super Bowl-caliber.
During Thursday's episode of "Get Up," he acknowledged that Wilson has played well this season so far, but two issues are stopping him from truly being a great QB.
"But the two issues are, one, they're poor in the red zone. Statistically, Russell's the worst red zone quarterback in the NFL right now. That's not an opinion, it's statistics."
The second problem with Russell Wilson, according to Orlovsky, was him being prone to sacks. He highlighted that in the last three games he played, Wilson suffered 11 sacks. That made him the QB with the third most sacks in the last three weeks.
He used these two reasons to justify his claim that the Steelers wouldn't make it to the Super Bowl.
"Because of the lack of red zone performance and Russell holding on to the ball and not having those shots to take downfield, I don't think that offense is Super Bowl-caliber."
Chase Daniels guns for payday for Russell Wilson
It's not as if Russell Wilson does not have his fair share of supporters. During last week's episode of "Facility," former Super Bowl champion Chase Daniel said that the Steelers should ink a deal with him. He also said that they should go against their "dumb" rule of not signing contracts mid-season.
"If Russell Wilson keeps playing the way he's playing, the price is only going to go up," Daniel said. "So if, my opinion, if you're starting 4-and-0 with Russ, he's proven to you that he's the next quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for a few years to come, because he keeps his body in good shape."
He said this before the Steelers beat the formidable Baltimore Ravens. His rationale was if Wilson was going to continue on his upward trajectory, his price would only go up when the two parties sat for negotiation during the offseason. So, it was better for the team to stamp out a deal right away.
On Thursday Night Football, they're going to take on their divisional rivals, the Cleveland Browns, headed by Jameis Winston. Will Russell Wilson succeed in extending his winning streak to five and improve his red zone stats?