Russell Wilson: Steelers Offense Succeeded in Shutting Out Noise
DETROIT — The Pittsburgh Steelers first-team offense scored zero points in the first two preseason games, and panic was starting to rumble in Steelers Nation and in the media. The Steelers were not wavered by the outside noise, however, and Russell Wilson said that’s what made Saturday success against the Detroit Lions so satisfying.
Wilson and Justin Fields both had solid outings in Saturday’s preseason finale against the Detroit Lions. Wilson looked poised and accurate in his only series against Detroit, while Fields made some impressive throws over the middle and led the offense to a touchdown drive.
“The best thing we did this week, with all the noise and the mess and everything else, was really just staying focus,” Wilson said. “Everybody did a tremendous job of being laser-focused. Not wavering, knowing that sometimes in a game you may not score right away in the first quarter or whatever it might be. That’s football, it’s a four-quarter game for a reason. I think guys responded extremely well.
Steelers running back Cordarrelle Patterson capped the opening drive with a 31-yard touchdown run up the middle.
“To be able to go up and down the field, get third down conversions, run the ball well. To see CP (Cordarrelle Patterson) get in there and score that touchdown. Great job by the offensive line. He made a great cut to get into the end zone,” Wilson said.
Russell Wilson hit George Pickens for a huge third-down conversion to keep the first drive alive. His only other completion was to Pickens on a screen that lost yardage.
“They matched him up man-to-man. He did a great job of winning,” Wilson said of Pickens. “The protection and time I had on the play was really good by guys up front. And, you know, GP is one of the best in the game. He’s hard to cover. He did a great route, got some extra yards. His yards after the catch is phenomenal, too. Best in the league. Just a playmaker.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said following Saturday’s preseason finale loss to the Lions that he’s not going to name a starting quarterback until the “end of this work week.” Even though Tomlin hasn’t revealed the starter, it’s pretty much certain that it’s going to be Wilson. That has been the plan all along, and Wilson hasn’t done anything to lose the starting role.
The Steelers are one of just two teams around the NFL that have not named their starting quarterback yet. The New England Patriots are continuing their battle between first-round pick Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett.
“I’m just focused on being the best teammate I can be,” Wilson said when asked if thinks he made a case to be the starter. “Preparing every day, being professional how we go about the approach. Our room is a talented room, and the best thing that we’ve done is get better every day. … For me, personally, I want to help this team win. We got a mission. We got goals, we got big ones. We got to take one week at a time and, hopefully, at the end of it all, it’s all worth it.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Detroit.
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