New report proves that Mike Tomlin fumbled the Steelers season away by sticking with Russell Wilson in the playoffs
When the Steelers went into Wildcard Weekend against the Baltimore Ravens as losers of four straight, many pondered if a QB change was on the horizon. Instead, Mike Tomlin stayed true to form and stuck with the man that he single handily brought in to be his starting QB instead of turning to Justin Fields, […]
When the Steelers went into Wildcard Weekend against the Baltimore Ravens as losers of four straight, many pondered if a QB change was on the horizon.
Instead, Mike Tomlin stayed true to form and stuck with the man that he single handily brought in to be his starting QB instead of turning to Justin Fields, who was benched earlier in the season despite a 4-2 start.
And following a new report from Brooke Pryor of ESPN, that decision looks even more damning…
Russell Wilson struggled in practice leading into the playoffs
"Every single waking moment is practice and it is practicing in front of people, but towards the end of the season, the practices at Acrisure Stadium before the playoff game, I just remember watching Russ and thinking, this is not good," Pryor told Shek Show hosted by Dave Dameshek.
It's not a surprising report, even if Wilson making the Pro Bowl sure was. His stats may not have looked half bad, and yes he didn't have a lot surrounding him, but it was everything upstairs that plagued his final five games of the season.
Wilson was signed to be a point guard. You knew he would take care of the ball, make the right decision, and lift the others around him. But by the end of the 2024 season, he was often fumbling or throwing interceptions, taking bad sacks, and most concerningly, he wasn't seeing the field well.
And the last part was the most damning, and why the Steelers should have thought long and hard about moving to Fields, and it's probably why he's the leader in terms of who's on pace to be brought back in 25.
Because not only is 10 years Wison's junior and coming a 6-game stretch with the Steelers where he played some of his best ball, but if all else fails, you know Fields will tuck it and run and pick up the first, something that eludes Wilson at this point in his career.
Maybe things could have been different, but we'll never know.
