For the first half of 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers went through a quarterback controversy with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. But Wilson won six of his first seven starts, including each of his first four games, seemingly ending the controversy.
With Wilson losing four straight to end the regular season, though, the quarterback controversy has returned on social media.
It’s back in the press room too.
After the 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor asked Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin if he considered replacing Wilson with Fields. Tomlin said he didn’t but offered a longer explanation than he typically gives to potentially controversial postgame topics.
“Not really, no. Because our failures were collective,” Tomlin responded. “I just think, at this juncture, the most prudent thing for us to do is to stick with those who were on the field and work through it.”
The Steelers offense had one of his worst performances of the season versus the Bengals, who entered Week 18 ranked 24th in passing yards allowed. Wilson completed 17 of 31 passes for 148 yards with 1 touchdown. He didn’t throw an interception but took 4 sacks.
The Bengals held the Steelers offense to under 120 yards in both halves.
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The Steelers turned in a slow start in Week 18, which has become more than customary in recent years under Tomlin. The Bengals scored a touchdown on their first drive while the Steelers offense went 3-and-out on its first possession.
At the end of the first quarter, the Steelers trailed 10-0.
The defense adjusted, not giving up another touchdown after the first possession. But that wasn’t enough for Wilson to erase the deficit.
The Steelers went the entire 2024 season without scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. In eight of their 17 games, the offense went 3-and-out on its first drive.
Of course, Fields started six of those games. But Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wondered if the Steelers offense starts slowly in the playoffs whether they could make a quarterback change.
Other X (formerly Twitter) users called for the Steelers to make a quarterback change before the game. At the very least, Steelers fans on X want to see the Fields package.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith deployed Fields in a reserve role multiple times in November. But Fields hasn’t received a snap over the past three games.
Fields went through an abdominal injury during that stretch. But Fields fully practiced ahead of Week 18 and didn’t carry an injury designation against the Bengals.
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