All signs are pointing toward Russell Wilson starting at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers this week. Justin Fields hasn’t been incredible, but he did help the Steelers win four games. It seems like Mike Tomlin wants the offense to perform better, though, so Fields will likely go to the bench. Wilson won’t have an easy first test against the New York Jets, either. Their defense is legit. Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky believes Tomlin could lose the locker room if Wilson performs poorly and the Steelers lose this week.
“I think if they go to [Wilson] and they lose in Sunday Night Football to the Jets, it’s really hard to look at your locker room,” Orlovsky said Wednesday on ESPN’s NFL Live. “And I think the world of Mike Tomlin.”
That seems like an extreme take because no one has seen Wilson play in an actual game for the Steelers yet. Did Fields deserve to get benched? Probably not, but no one knows the situation better than Tomlin. If he thinks Wilson gives them a better chance at winning, then maybe it’s the truth.
It’s not like a loss would mean Wilson played poorly, either. When the Steelers lost to the Indianapolis Colts, Fields was the least of their problems. This week could be Wilson’s first start with a new team. He probably isn’t going to look like an All-Pro. The Jets have a great defense, and anyone expecting Wilson to look like a franchise quarterback needs to be more realistic.
The key will be if he doesn’t make many mistakes. Fields didn’t turn the ball over much, so if Wilson does, then maybe the conversation can start that Tomlin made the wrong decision. However, one game shouldn’t be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Also, if the Steelers lose, they’ll still be 4-3. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have been in far worse situations. He never really lost the locker room in any of those cases. They’ve been without a win for the first month of the season, and the players still didn’t give up on him. Losing one game and still having a winning record probably isn’t going to do it, either.
It’s okay to be frustrated with this decision. It does seem odd that Tomlin would turn to Wilson when Fields looked fine. However, to say that the team will start pointing fingers and blaming Tomlin after one loss under Wilson is ridiculous. Even if they lose this week, the Steelers still have a good chance of making the playoffs. There’s no reason to overreact when Wilson has yet to take a single snap.
