If there really is a quarterback competition for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it should be open after Saturday night.
Russell Wilson got his first preseason action with the Steelers after being waived last week. In this match Wilson fought.
The Steelers had four punts and a missed field goal on Wilson’s five drives against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday. Justin Fields took over before the two-minute warning of the first half. Wilson finished 8-of-10 for 47 yards, and many of those yards came on three third-down passes that were short of first downs. It was not a pretty excursion.
Wilson picked up a couple of third down sacks. One issue Wilson had with the Broncos was holding the ball too long and taking too many sacks. If it continues there, the Steelers staff will be disappointed. Both sacks ruined drives and led to punts. Through the Steelers’ first four drives, they had 12 net yards, one first down, four punts and never got past their own 34-yard line.
Fields takes too many sacks, but he can at least make up for it by rustling up for big gains. That was a big part of Wilson’s game, but it has diminished with age.
Fields immediately showed his rushing ability to get the Steelers their first points. He scampered 20 yards in the final minute of the half. After a 5-yard completion, Chris Boswell kicked a 43-yard field goal. That ended up being Pittsburgh’s only score in a 9-3 run.
Fields had seven straight completions and had a great tempo with him that game. It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than when Wilson was in the game. Let’s see if that matters to the Steelers coaching staff. Fields was 11 of 17 for 92 yards and had 42 yards rushing. He and Wilson combined for five drives.
One play got the Steelers crowd going. Fields was covered in a sack, somehow got out, adjusted his helmet as he rolled left, and hit Tess Fitzpatrick for 19 yards on the sideline. It was the Steelers’ most exciting offensive play of the night.
In the preseason opener, Wilson left with an injury suffered early in training camp. Fields played well, but two fumble snaps overshadowed his positive plays. The offense moved a bit in that game.
The Steelers did very little against the Bills’ defense with Wilson in the game. Wilson was content to check it every so often, or he took excuses. Three times on third-and-long he threw a short pass that ended up short of the first-down marker.
After an interception by Steelers safety Miles Killebrew, the offense showed a little life, but not enough. Wilson hit Van Jefferson on third-and-2 for an 11-yard gain. A deep pass down the sideline to George Pickens was almost hauled in, but he was out of bounds. On third down, it was another pass short of the sticks, but it got Boswell in great position for a field goal. Boswell misses it and hits it upright.
Wilson has been the favorite to start since signing with the Steelers. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin called it a matchup, but all signs point to Wilson being the Week 1 starter. It’s not an exciting proposition after what we saw in Wilson’s first season of snaps for the Steelers.