'It's crazy:' Pat Freiermuth calls Russell Wilson's deep ball 'a completely different thing'

One of the main reasons Mike Tomlin likely chose to start QB Russell Wilson instead of Justin Fields is his arm talent and, in particular, Wilson's deep ball. Tight end Pat Freiermuth benefited from a well-thrown downfield shot from Wilson when he took a Wilson's throw was impressively handled and helped set up a field goal drive that gave the Steelers the lead against the New York Jets.

Freiermuth said Wilson told him on the sideline that he saw Jets S Jalen Mills grab his arm on his way in, which alerted Wilson that he needed to get a little more air on the ball to give Freiermuth a chance give.

“He even told me on the sidelines, he saw 35 grab my arm so he knew he had to do a little bit more and these little things are crazy.” “It's a whole different thing,” Freiermuth said on NBC's postgame show after Pittsburgh's 37-15 win over the Jets.

Watching the play, you can see Mills grabbing Freiermuth's arm as he goes to his right to try to get around him. Wilson recognized this and knew he needed to get a little more air under the ball to give Freiermuth time to adjust.

A veteran like Wilson simply understands the game and can see things better than many quarterbacks in the league, and in this situation his attention to detail and experience came into play. Freiermuth deserves credit for his great catch, but Wilson had the right amount of contact with the ball. That gave Freiermuth a chance to run underneath a little after Mills grabbed him at the start of his route. Had Wilson thrown the ball sooner or without as much contact, it could have been contested and Freiermuth might not have been able to recover it.

While Wilson and Freiermuth only scored twice, both balls were explosive plays as Freiermuth had a 30-yard catch and a 21-yard catch. It was nice to see him get involved in the offense and make some plays downfield, and with Wilson under center it seems like Pittsburgh's passing attack will be opened up a bit. Freiermuth is essentially the team's second-largest receiver right now, behind George Pickens, and allowing him to continue playing downfield will open up opportunities for the rest of the offense as well.

Freiermuth's role should expand with Wilson and his arm talent, and that should have a positive impact on Pittsburgh's offense. Wilson's arm talent was on display Sunday night after a shaky start to the game as he shook off some rust. If he can play like he did against the Jets over the next few weeks, the Steelers offense will be in good hands.