Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is likely feeling the heat.
His team remains winless in the NFL Preseason, with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of the Buffalo Bills.
The loss was particularly disheartening, given that neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields performed well against a Bills defense which was littered with backups.
The Steelers fell to 0-2 in the preseason following the 9-3 loss to Buffalo. Some might assume that the presence of Buffalo’s star quarterback, Josh Allen, was the cause of the defeat, but that wasn’t the case.
Instead, the Steelers’ quarterbacks went head-to-head against Mitch Trubisky and Ben DiNucci.
Despite having Wilson and Fields under center, Pittsburgh’s offense failed to gain any meaningful momentum. Tomlin, visibly frustrated, didn’t hold back in addressing the situation.
“I was really up-front with the group about it in that regard, that can’t be a problem for us. We’ve got to be better than we were tonight in that area. You know, still not what we’re looking for. It was better in some areas but still JV in too many others,” Tomlin stated.
In the game, Fields appeared to be the more dynamic of the two Steelers quarterbacks.
The polarizing signal-caller completed 11 of 17 passes, totaling 92 yards. Fields also showcased his exceptional rushing ability, carrying the ball eight times for an average gain of 5.2 yards per run.
His efforts helped keep the Steelers in the game, but they weren’t enough to find the end zone.
Meanwhile, Wilson showed flashes of his trademark arm strength but struggled to produce against a relentless Bills defense.
Wilson completed eight of 10 passes, managing just 47 yards as the pocket repeatedly collapsed around him.
Despite these challenges, Tomlin and his coaching staff appear reluctant to make any drastic changes just yet.
“It’s somewhat of an incomplete study because you just don’t get a chance to see them operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs. We weren’t,” Tomlin said.
“The first three or so series of the game, it was three and out, and you’re not going to get an opportunity to establish a rhythm or play the way you’d like as an individual or a collective.”
With the start of the regular season right around the corner, the million-dollar question in Pittsburgh is: Who will be the Week 1 starter at quarterback?
Most assume it will be Wilson – but has his inability to grab the starting job by the horns worried you?
Would the Steelers be better of going with Fields???