The other side: Seattle basks in Russell Wilson's winning performance vs. Steelers

It was Russell Wilson to the rescue.

That’s how news outlets on the Pacific coast saw it.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Steelers, 28-26, on Sunday at Heinz Field, and their six-time Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-champion quarterback engineered just enough to get them to that victory.

The Steelers sacked Wilson four times in the first quarter and a half, but Wilson bounced back, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote that Wilson “showed why he’s worth every bit of the $35 million a year the Seahawks are paying him.” That’s the most of any player in NFL history.

His 29-for-35 passing performance — which helped him to a 131 passer rating — earned him SeahawksWire’s No. 1 stud of the week.

Aside from Wilson, Seahawks running back Chris Carson also made his presence felt as Seattle’s No. 1 back.

Gregg Bell of The (Tacoma) News Tribune wrote about Carson’s up-and-down day at Heinz Field, first losing two fumbles that led directly to Steelers touchdowns and then sealing the game with a late fourth-quarter run that moved the chains and allowed the Seahawks the kneel down and end the game.

“After that second turnover, Carson stood on the sidelines and watched Rashaad Penny get the first three carries of the Seahawks’ decisive drive to win the game in the final 5 1/2 minutes. It looked like a changing of the guard in Seattle’s run game. … But then Carroll reconsidered, maybe for the long haul of the final 14 games of this regular season, and beyond,” Bell recounted, going over head coach Pete Carroll’s decision to go back to Carson to try to seal the game.

The win not only vaulted the Seahawks to 2-0, but it also earned Carroll his 100th NFL victory. That’s among the most important big-picture takeaways of a game this early in the season, Ben Arthur of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer wrote.

“It was a win on Carroll’s birthday — he turned 68 — and it marked his 100th combined win between the regular season and playoffs,” Arthur wrote. “He’s now just the fifth active head coach to accomplish the feat, joining Bill Belichick (Patriots), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Sean Payton (Saints) and John Harbaugh (Ravens).”