Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson parlayed “pole position” into the starting job. The race apparently was closer than expected, with Justin Fields performing well enough in preseason games and practice to make coach Mike Tomlin strategize about his options.
Ultimately, Wilson makes sense, for now. He has the experience. He has thrived on a roster with a strong defense and a good running game. He doesn’t have to be Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, something Wilson might have wanted to become in Denver. By playing within the broader structure of a team that made the playoffs last year without consistently competent quarterback play, Wilson could thrive again.
He doesn’t need to make big plays on a regular basis. He just needs to extend drives with a good decision and a solid throw, like he did on third and 11 in Detroit, in front of Lions fans who sounded as loud as they were in the playoffs. He doesn’t need to do it all the time; he needs to do it sufficiently often to allow the Steelers to eventually end a given game with more points scored than the opponent.
As to the opponents, the first half of the schedule gives Wilson a chance to earn the ability to keep starting down the stretch. With three of the first six games against AFC West opponents — teams he knows better than Fields does, especially the Broncos in Week 2 — Wilson becomes the safer and more sensible choice. And with three prime-time games landing between Week 5 and Week 8 (Cowboys, Jets, at Giants), the Steelers will enter their bye with eight games played.
If they go 3-5 or worse, the weekend off gives them a chance to prepare Fields for the final nine games, which include (starting in Week 11) their six annual showdowns within the AFC North. And if the Fields package (if that’s what the Steelers use from time to time) is effective, that will give Tomlin more reason to think a shift to the more shifty Fields will make sense after Week 8.
Wilson has the higher floor. While the game seems less exciting with Fields playing quarterback, the offense could be more steady with Wilson. And the Steelers could end up at 4-4 or better at the break. If so, Wilson stays for the season-ending, seven-game murderer’s row of Baltimore, at Cleveland, at Cincinnati, Cleveland, at Philadelphia, at Baltimore, Kansas City, and Cincinnati.
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. He knows that there will be rough spots, and he knows how to recover from them. If the first half of the season has more struggles than successes, Fields will be ready to go, in theory.
If Wilson can parlay the Pittsburgh defense and running game into more wins than losses (or at least as many wins as losses) through eight games, Wilson will be well positioned to lead the team into the teeth of the schedule.
Fields might not like it for now, but the season is long. Chances are he’ll get a chance, in something more than spot duty or gadget plays. The best-case scenario would be for Wilson to turn the clock back to his pre-Denver days and tap into his experience and remaining skills to take the Steelers farther than they’ve been since Father Time started to slow Ben Roethsliberger down. The worst-case for Wilson could become the best-case for Fields, giving Pittsburgh what could be, as of Week 10, a much needed jolt for yet another effort to stay on the right side of .500 and crash the AFC playoff party.
Whether it’s Wilson or Fields if/when the postseason arrives for Pittsburgh, they’ll be better positioned than they’ve been in years to advance beyond the wild-card round. And if/when they get their first playoff win since 2016, who knows what might happen next?
The season isn’t just a marathon. It’s a triathlon. And the Steelers have two options to help them finish in the top seven spots among 16 AFC teams. The safer and smarter choice is to give Wilson the first crack. If it’s not going well, they’ll have a far better option than Mason Rudolph or Mitchell Trubisky to turn things around during the stretch where each regular-season game will come with playoff intensity.