Mike Tomlin was more than vindicated by his decision to start Russell Wilson in Week 7.

35-year-old Wilson, who missed the first six games of the season with a calf injury, started against the New York Jets on Sunday in place of Justin Fields who had begun the season solidly if not spectacularly.

Wilson’s performance vindicated Tomlin’s decision to start himGetty

Tomlin’s QB decision was widely criticized before the game, but the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach ultimately had the last laugh as Wilson ran for a touchdown and threw for two others in a 37-15 win on his debut in black and gold.

Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe was one of the people sceptical of Tomlin’s decision heading into Sunday’s game.

“Boy, Mike Tomlin, y’all better win this game,” Sharpe said on his Nightcap podcast with co-host Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson.

“You better win this game now. You’re making a very unpopular decision. Trust me.”

Fortunately for Tomlin he did just that, with Wilson in particular impressing after throwing for 264 yards on 16 of 29 pass attempts.

The Steelers moved to 5-2 with the victory. Afterwards, Sharpe sung the praises of Tomlin for making the bold decision to start Wilson in place of Fields.

“You know, give the Steelers credit,” Sharpe said on Nightcap.

“Mike Tomlin, he knows what was at stake. They needed to win this game. They had to win this game.

“He [Wilson] played well. Two touchdowns, no interceptions, a clean game.

“Give the Steelers credit. They have the same record as the Ravens.

Sharpe gave props to Wilson and Tomlin after calling the Jets game a must-winYouTube@NightcapShow_

Tomlin’s bold decision paid offGetty

Johnson was far more effusive with his praise, especially as it pertained to Wilson.

“I’m talking about motherf****** Russell Wilson,” he said.

“Let him cook. That’s what he was doing tonight, he was cooking. I told you.

“Listen, he should have been the starter. Justin Fields played well [so far this season]. Let me start with that, Justin Fields played extremely well.

“But tonight, the passing game looked very good. The little moon balls Russ kept throwing, the little floating balls. They looked really good on offense.

“I see you out there, Russ. I see you cooking, boy.”

Fields led the team to a 4-2 start in Wilson’s absence. During that time, he racked up 10 touchdowns (five passing, five rushing) against just one turnover.

Wilson gave praise to Fields after the gameX@JoriEpstein

Many expected the 25-year-old to retain his starting place against the Jets, but Tomlin named Wilson his QB1 before the season and the past six games have seemingly done little to change his mind.

Some have tried to pit Wilson and Fields against each other, however, the veteran was quick to praise the younger quarterback for getting them to 4-2.

“I also want to give credit to Justin, man,” Wilson said after the Jets win. “How he got us in this position. What a great player he is. Just this whole team, I really love it. I just really love being here.”

Wilson was met with loud boos inside Acrisure Stadium early in the second quarter after orchestrating three consecutive three-and-outs. 

Luckily for the Steelers he was able to navigate the early negativity and oversee an impressive victory.

“I thought he was excellent,” Tomlin said of Wilson after the game.

“I thought he got better as the game went on. But I’m not surprised by that. It has been a while since he’s played some ball, but I thought he settled in, knocked the rust off and distributed the ball around and played well.”

Next up for the Steelers is the New York Giants in the Monday Night Football game.

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