THE Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason has come to an underwhelming end.
Head coach Mike Tomlin’s team fell to a third successive loss on Saturday, beaten this time by the Detroit Lions, 24-17.
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The afternoon began positively for the Steelers who took an early lead thanks to a 31-yard touchdown run by Cordarrelle Patterson
On the drive, quarterback Russell Wilson furthered his claim for the starting job by going two of two for 26 yards.
Justin Fields took over on their second drive of the day, also going two for two for a total of 27 yards before La’Mical Perine ran it in for another score.
Former Chicago Bears starter Fields would lead two more drives, with both resulting in points before he too was pulled.
Fields wound up finishing the game having gone three of four for 40 yards before John Rhys Plumlee and Kyle Allen finished things off.
All in all, the Steelers’ quarterback committee totaled just 137 passing yards for no touchdowns or picks.
“We just needed results that are indicative of how we’ve worked,” Tomlin said when asked about benching Wilson after the first drive.
“And so they were able to put together a score and drive and really just provided an opportunity to get Justin in there sooner, and so that’s why we did it.”
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Tomlin then revealed that their plan is to decide on their starting quarterback “at the end of our work week.”
“This upcoming week we have three days of Steelers vs Steelers work and why not do it then?” he added.
“It minimizes the Steelers vs Steelers work when we started making decisions prior to the completion of that.
“We’ve got ample time to prepare for Atlanta and make whatever decisions or announcements regarding divisional labor or pecking orders and so forth and so we’ll do it at the end of the work week.”
Reviewing Wilson and Fields’ performances, Tomlin kept his cards close to his chest.
He praised them both for having “moved the ball,” adding, “They won possession downs. They were able to put the ball in the end zone.
“Things that we hadn’t done to this point sufficiently enough in the preseason.”
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After the game, Wilson was asked about Tomlin’s decision to wait so late to name a starting quarterback.
But as far as the former Super Bowl winner is concerned, there’s no reason to doubt Tomlin’s approach.
“Coach Tomlin’s one of the best coaches to ever coach the game – you don’t ever question him,” he told reporters.
“He knows what he’s doing and I’m just focused on what I can control and what I can do every day and that’s the approach, that’s the love, that’s the detail of the game.”
Wilson went on to add that “it’s not about me,” emphasizing that it’s all about the team before noting that he remains confident he can “help this football team win.”
Pittsburgh’s season will kick off on September 8 in Georgia when they face the Atlanta Falcons.
Week 2 will see Wilson return to his former team, the Denver Broncos, before the Steelers head back to Pennsylvania for their Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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