In a much-anticipated debut to open his Pittsburgh Steelers tenure, there was much to be desired for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.
Much of which was entirely out of his control due to the rather horrid showing from the offense as a whole, specifically from a protection and execution standpoint.
For head coach Mike Tomlin following the 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills Saturday at Acrisure Stadium in the second preseason game for the Black and Gold, Wilson’s first action in the preseason was an “incomplete study” as there wasn’t enough to formulate an opinion due to the struggles around Wilson.
“Again, it is somewhat of an incomplete study, because you just don’t get a chance to see ’em operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs,” Tomlin said to reporters following the loss on Wilson’s performance, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “And we weren’t the first three or so series of the game. It was three and out and that’s…you’re not gonna get an opportunity to establish rhythm or play the way that you would like as an individual or a collective.”
On the night, Wilson attempted 10 passes, completing eight of them for just 47 yards. He did have a nice 11-yard completion over the middle to Van Jefferson to convert a first down, but overall it was a lot of checkdowns and trying to get the ball out quickly because the offensive line was a mess.
Wilson was sacked three times for a loss of 21 yards, and that really hindered the Steelers being able to get into rhythm offensively and stay ahead of schedule.
For the second straight week, that was the case for the Steelers’ offense, though this time it was with Wilson under center and not Justin Fields.
Coming out of the loss to the Bills, it’s a bit concerning that the Steelers’ offense is having these issues. Right now is the best time to have the issues and correct them rather than looking unbeatable in the preseason like last year and then falling flat on their faces.
With just one preseason game left next Saturday against the Detroit Lions on the road, it remains to be seen if Wilson will get another look in-stadium with the Steelers’ first-team offense ahead of the regular season opener Sept. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Based on what the Steelers have shown offensively, they need all the reps they can get on the field.
