PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is taking the quarterback decision down to the 11th hour for Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets.
Tomlin said on Friday that he has a starting quarterback for Sunday, but is keeping that decision in-house. He also reiterated that it’s possible they will play both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
“I am, but I’m going to keep that in-house,” Tomlin said when asked if he’s ready to name a starter. “I thought [Wilson] was sharp, I thought Justin was sharp as well. I thought we had a highly productive week from both guys and from the unit as a whole.”
Wilson spent the Steelers’ first five games dressed as the emergency third quarterback after re-injuring his right calf in the week leading up to the season opener. Kyle Allen dressed as Fields’ backup for each of the first five weeks.
Wilson was cleared to practice last week and was a full participant, but worked with the second team, while Tomlin said he was working the rust off after five weeks of relative inactivity. Wilson dressed as the backup to Fields for the Steelers’ Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
“I’m more myself physically, being up and running and all that stuff, so I feel good,” Wilson said on Thursday.
“I’ve never really missed games before. That’s been a challenge in itself. That’s been disappointing, but also I’ve grown a lot, too. I’ve realized you continue to love every day. You continue to find ways to lead, to embrace the hard stuff, the obstacles in the way.”
After two tumultuous seasons in Denver, Wilson is out to prove that he’s still a capable starting NFL quarterback.
“I think every time you step between the white lines, you’re proving something,” Wilson said. “You’re proving who your team is as a group, who we are as a team. That’s the focal point.”
Fields struggled as a passer in the last two games, but he was impressive with his legs, recording two touchdown runs in Sunday’s win over Las Vegas. Overall, he has 10 touchdowns (five passing, five rushing) and just one interception. His one interception in six games ranks second-fewest in the NFL among QBs with at least 1,000 passing yards.
The Steelers rank 28th in the league in passing yards per game at 166.8, so that’s one area where Wilson could bolster the offense. Wilson is a better passer than Fields, but doesn’t have the same mobility. Wilson is also 10 years older than Fields. The experience factor and Wilson being a more advanced passer seems to be the reason for the change, which appears to be the case. Fields talked about the starting opportunity in the past tense on Thursday when speaking with the media.
“I think Justin’s done a great job,” Wilson said. “I think he’s a tremendous quarterback. I’ve fought against him over the years. He’s a tremendous football player, a great teammate and all that. And I think more importantly for us is we continue to go on through the season. We want to get better and continue to grow. That’s always the goal every year.”
Fields has been dynamic as a runner, leading all quarterbacks with five rushing touchdowns and is fourth among QBs with 231 rushing yards.
“Justin’s legs are an X-factor,” Tomlin said, expressing that there could be a special package for Fields on Sunday night.
Fields stated on Thursday that “he hasn’t played good enough” in his six starts to secure the starting position. Like Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, running back Najee Harris thinks Fields is being too hard on himself.
“So I saw some comments that Justin said about him not doing the best that he can, but I think he did the best he possibly can,” Harris said. “I think he did a really good job, and he shouldn’t, well I know what he was trying to do, but just, me saying publicly that we’re all proud of him. Don’t be so hard on yourself. We got your back. I got your back. But I think that all 11 of us got to pitch in and be in there. We need both of them for sure.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.