The Pittsburgh Steelers got their last preseason looks at quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the finale on Saturday against the Detroit Lions and it's safe to say both signal-callers had more success this time around.
After neither quarterback led a touchdown drive over the first two preseason games, they both had one in the exhibition finale.
Wilson started the game, going 2-for-2 for 26 yards in his lone series that ended with a rushing touchdown by running back Cordarrelle Patterson. You can check out our assessment of Wilson's day right here. In short, it was a positive one.
Fields came in after Wilson's only drive and played about a quarter, giving way to Kyle Allen in the second. Fields finished after completing 3-of-4 passes for 40 yards and rushing for four yards on two attempts.
While he didn't throw for a touchdown, his first series was a six-play 35-yard drive that ended with a La'Mical Perine rushing score. Fields connected on a five-yard pass to wide receiver Van Jefferson before hitting tight end MyCole Pruitt for his longest gain of the day, which went for 22 yards.
Great drive from Justin Fields ends in a La’Mical Perine touchdown 👀 pic.twitter.com/3waT8WhHAN
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) August 24, 2024
Fields failed to get anything going on his final two drives and was sacked twice and fumbled once (recovered by PIT), but his protection wasn't great. He did look more confident than last week, though, and was letting it rip.
Unfortunately for Fields, the fact that Wilson started, had a good day and only saw one series before being pulled fully suggests he is indeed the starter for Week 1, which was expected.
All that said, both Steelers quarterbacks ended the preseason on a positive note, which is just about all fans could ask for after what we saw last week. Now, the Steelers will turn their attention to final cuts and the start of the regular season.
