Category: 2024 preseason Week 3 – Steelers vs Lions

Mike Tomlin publicly non-committal on starting quarterback

Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to announce his starting quarterback yet.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 loss the Detroit Lions on Saturday, the big question for head coach Mike Tomlin was related to who would be the team’s starting quarterback in Week One versus the Atlanta Falcons.

Tomlin was not ready to publicly name Russell Wilson the starting quarterback and said he would wait until later in the week, noting that it would somehow minimize the Steelers versus Steelers work this week.

How exactly? No one on the team thinks Justin Fields is going to be the starter, especially after how quickly Tomlin was willing to sit Wilson on Saturday after only one drive. Maybe Tomlin is just angling to just the best effort out of Fields by stringing him on for a few more practices before letting him know this was never a quarterback competition at all.

Wilson played four drives in the preseason and threw for a whopping 73 yards and threw for no touchdowns.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

1 good drive was enough for Steelers HC Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin only needed one scoring drive from Russell Wilson before moving on to Justin Fields.

I guess Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t learn his lesson from last preseason. In 2023, then-starting quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Steelers starters came out and put together quick scoring drives in multiple preseason games, prompting Tomlin to pull Pickett and the starters thinking everything was good.

Spoiler: Everything was not good. Not at all.

Tomlin took a similar approach on Saturday with starting quarterback Russell Wilson. After just three drives with no touchdowns the week before, Tomlin felt like he saw enough out of Wilson on Saturday with one touchdown drive to start the game versus the Detroit Lions.

“We just needed results that are indicative of how we’ve worked,” said Tomlin. “They were able to put together a scoring drive and really just provided an opportunity to get Justin (Fields) in there sooner. So, that’s why we did it.”

Now the Steelers have less than a day to cut their roster down to 53 and then begin preparations for their Week One showdown with the improved Atlanta Falcons.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers QB Russell Wilson politics for the offensive improvements after final preseason game

Russell Wilson made it seem as if the Steelers offense is all fixed after Saturday’s loss.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up an 0-3 preseason with a loss to the Detroit Lions. The starting offense was only on the field for one drive as a unit but they were able to march down the field and score a touchdown before quarterback Russell Wilson promptly left the game.

After the game, Wilson addressed the media and did his best to make the case that the single touchdown drive erased all the struggles this unit had through the first two games. Even in the second game when Wilson played multiple series, the offense was completely out of sorts.

This didn’t stop Wilson from doing the veteran thing and working hard to spin it all positive.

Wilson and the Steelers have to turn their attention to the the Atlanta Falcons in Week One of the regular season. We still have no idea how the new-look Steelers offense will perform this season and how long it will take for them to get going.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers rookie Payton Wilson to play vs. Lions after injury scare

Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson has cleared concussion protocol and will play in preseason finale versus Detroit Lions.

Rookie inside linebacker Payton Wilson exited early from the Pittsburgh Steelers preseason matchup with the Buffalo Bills and was evaluated for a concussion.

The Steelers got a bit of good news with Wilson having cleared protocol. Per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, Wilson will play in Pittsburgh’s preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

Wilson said the preseason has benefited him coming from college in adjusting to the speed of the NFL.

“I’ve really enjoyed the preseason because it’s slowing the game down a lot,” Wilson told Steelers media on Thursday. “It’s not like we’re just jumping right into week one, and then you have to adjust on the fly.”

Given the injury scare, the Steelers would be wise to limit Wilson to a drive or two. While it was never disclosed whether he suffered a concussion, it’s an injury that can’t be taken lightly.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin not ready to make play time vs. Lions public

News of exactly who will play in the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 preseason finale versus the Detroit Lions will have to wait.

News of exactly who will play in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 2024 preseason finale versus the Detroit Lions will have to wait.

On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin told Steelers media he’ll address the playing time plan on Thursday after practice.

Pregame weather played a factor in Tomlin sitting T.J. Watt and others he’d planned to start in Pittsburgh’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills. And the offense sputtering for the second consecutive week left many to wonder if Tomlin would start players in Detroit that he’d normally sit this late in the preseason.

Typically, it would be the Kyle Allen and John Rhys Plumlee show for the final game of the preseason. However, Tomlin might like to see how Russell Wilson and Justin Fields operate a drive that actually results in a touchdown.

Or will Tomlin accept it is what it is and roll with the back end of the QB depth chart? Answers to these questions — and others — will be revealed on Thursday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Steelers OC Arthur Smith doesn’t have the ‘burden’ of naming starting QB for final preseason game

We don’t know who will get the start in the Steelers final preseason game.

With just one preseason game left to go, there is no clarity on which of the Pittsburgh Steelers potential starting quarterbacks will start this week’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions much less which of them will be under center in Week One against the Atlanta Falcons.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith addressed the media on Tuesday and was asked if he thought Russell Wilson should get another start this week against the Lions and he noted the team won’t rush to make that call but when it comes to who will be the preseason or regular-season starter.

“Those are decisions that are going to be made at the end of the week — [we can] argue every coach and player, we want to play as many live reps as you can get,” Smith said. “And there’s no consequences. A preseason doesn’t go on your permanent record.”

The Steelers offense has been dreadful, regardless of whether it’s Wilson or Justin Fields running it. The Steelers coaches have gotten a better look at Fields but just barely. We expect Fields to get the start this week with the two of them splitting the game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]