Russell Wilson made his preseason debut last weekend and he remained in the game longer than the Steelers intended to play him because the offense struggled to move the ball on their first two possessions.
Wilson started at quarterback and played five series, but couldn’t lead the team to a touchdown before giving way to Justin Fields. Wilson told reporters on Wednesday that he expects to be back in the lineup for Saturday’s preseason finale and is “excited to get back on the field” against the Lions.
The Steelers have not scored a touchdown with Fields at quarterback either, which is why offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said this week that the performance has not been up to the “standard” the team wants to set. Smith also said that he thinks “preseason can distort reality” and Wilson said he isn’t concerned about the state of the unit.
“Absolutely not,” Wilson said, via Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. “Because the reason being, as I told you guys, is the level of practices we’ve had against one of the best defenses every day. And how we’ve shown up there. So I think the best thing that we can do is just slow our minds down, play really clean football, and also to enjoy the process, man.”
A better outing against Detroit isn’t guaranteed to carry over into the regular season, but it would be a good shot of momentum for the team as they turn their attention toward facing the Falcons in Week One.