Russell Wilson may not be QB1, but he’s set to serve as QB2 for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 6 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Following Friday’s practice, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Wilson — who does not have an injury designation for Sunday — is expected to be Pittsburgh’s No. 2 quarterback in Las Vegas, behind starter Justin Fields and ahead of Kyle Allen. Wilson was the emergency, No. 3 quarterback for Pittsburgh’s first five games.
Wilson’s expected promotion caps off what was a successful week for the veteran quarterback. He was a full participant during practice for the first time since aggravating his calf injury back in Week 1.
“Like what I’ve seen out here,” Tomlin said of Wilson’s week, via 93.7 The Fan. “I thought he had a good week displaying his health and his ability to protect himself. Now it’s just a process of getting reacclimated to the ball.”
Fields will start once again this week, but given Wilson’s elevated practice status, it’s safe to wonder whether or not his time as the Steelers’ starting quarterback may be coming to an end soon. At this very least, Fields’ opportunities to convince Tomlin that he should remain the team’s QB1 are running out.
Fields is coming off possibly his least impressive performance during Sunday night’s 20-17 loss to Dallas. But while he completed a season-low 55.65% of his attempts, Fields did engineer a scoring drive late in the game that ended with a touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth that gave Pittsburgh the lead. The Steelers defense, however, allowed the Cowboys to drive for the game-winning score after Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott hit wideout Jalen Tolbert in the end zone on fourth and goal in the final minute.
While Sunday night wasn’t his best showing, Fields’ overall body of work this season has been solid. He’s been largely accurate, has mostly taken care of the ball and has given the offense an added dimension with his running ability.
Fields has been solid, but the lack of overall success from Pittsburgh’s offense (the unit is currently 26th in the NFL in scoring) has largely contributed to the team’s two-game losing streak. It has also opened the door for Wilson to take over as QB1 when he is deemed healthy enough to do so.
Sunday’s game is a big one for the Steelers, who are now tied with Baltimore for first place in the AFC North. It’s also a big game for Fields as it could possible be his last chance to show what he can do as the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
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