Mike Tomlin will have to swallow his pride and make a business decision to save the Steelers season
Russell Wilson was hand-picked by Mike Tomlin to be the starting QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite a preseason injury that lingered all the way until Week 6, Wilson supplanted Justin Fields despite a 4-2 start from the team, and some of the best football of Fields' career. And it went great, as the team […]
Russell Wilson was hand-picked by Mike Tomlin to be the starting QB of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Despite a preseason injury that lingered all the way until Week 6, Wilson supplanted Justin Fields despite a 4-2 start from the team, and some of the best football of Fields' career.
And it went great, as the team won six of seven games and had a shot at the number one overall seed in the AFC.
But after losing four straight, the clock may have struck midnight on Russell Wilson, making a switch back to Justin Fields the team's only option to save their season:
Steelers lose four straight as Russell Wilson regresses
Wilson had a valiant effort down the stretch of the game as the Steelers nearly clawed their way back into the contest. But on the final drive, it was as if Wilson and Mike Tomlin had never been in a late game scenario before, with a botching of the clock like no other.
A 36 year old veteran with a Super Bowl win on his resume, Wilson thought it would be smart to try and run over a defender rather than get out of bounds with one timeout and less than a minute remaining.
But it's not just that play that is cause for concern or in this case reasoning to go back to Justin Fields. Wilson has struggled to see the field the last four games, with missed reads all night against the Cincinnati Bengals, which was fresh off back-to-back games of multiple turnovers against the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
Oh, and let's not forget the missed throw to a wide open George Pickens that would have all but won the Steelers the game given the way Chris Boswell has kicked this season.
This team needs a spark and bad. They are already the first team to go into the playoffs on a four-game losing streak in over 25 years. Not to mention Wilson was named starter because of his ability to process and protect the ball, something he has done very little of in the last four weeks.
At least with Fields, we know the team has another element due to his scrambling ability. And sure, did Wilson "unlock' George Pickens after being inserted into the starting lineup? No doubt. But after one of the worst games of his career where he caught one pass for zero yards on six targets, that's not an excuse either.
It's time for Coach Tomlin to swallow his pride and make the right call.
