The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for their second preseason matchup in 2024 at Acrisure Stadium after losing their first one last week to the Houston Texans. They will host the Buffalo Bills Saturday night at 7:00 PM ET and Russell Wilson is set to make his first start in black and gold. Wilson's workload has been limited ever since his calf injury at the start of training camp, which gave Justin Fields a chance to prove his capabilities. On Friday morning's episode of Good Morning Football, Kyle Brandt told Steeler Nation why this game is much bigger for Wilson than it may seem.
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Steelers' quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields run on the field before a preseason game.
As the Steelers' starting QB in their first preseason duel against the Texans, Fields completed 5 out of 6 passes for over 60 yards and finished with a passer rating of 113. Even though he and center Nate Herbig had some snap miscues which resulted in fumbles, Fields showed promise. Now, Wilson has to show Head Coach Mike Tomlin why he was given "pole position" to start during the offseason.
On Friday's episode of Good Morning Football, Brandt made the Steelers-Bills headline all about Wilson and the importance of Saturday night. Brandt argued why this preseason game means so much more for Wilson than any other in the past, and that his time in the NFL could be over if it doesn't go well.
"I think this is actually a really, really big night for Russell Wilson. Not just because its the preseason game and he's trying to get this start," Brandt told the show. "What if it doesn't go well or if he actually re-injures himself and misses the Week 1 start? Then it's Justin Fields and I don't know where we're going for Russell Wilson then for the rest of his career. This is the last stop here. As far as August 16th, it is right now, and the game is tomorrow night, this is kind of as big as it gets when we have a potential future Hall of Fame quarterback fighting for a job in the preseason on his third team, and I think he needs to have a big night."
It was revealed by Tomlin and the Steelers this week that the plan for Wilson and the starters will be about four series versus the Bills. That should be plenty of snaps for Wilson to get comfortable in his new home stadium in front of Steeler Nation.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson warms up before a preseason game against the Houston Texans.
As Brandt mentions, if Wilson ends up losing the starting job to Fields at any point this season, his starting days in the league are likely over. It would also put a huge dent in his case for the Hall of Fame, which seemed like a guarantee when he made nine Pro-Bowls in his first 10 seasons.
Steelers' Justin Fields Has To Create More Splash Plays Versus The Bills To Make His Case For QB1
It seems inevitable that the Steelers will be putting Wilson out on the field as the starter versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Wilson's experience and resume puts him ahead of Fields on the depth chart, so what does the young QB need to do to take the job? Though he passed the ball well in his first stint against the Texans, he and the starting offense couldn't score any points. Fields will likely be with the two's on Saturday in Pittsburgh, so scoring points with them would grab Tomlin's attention.
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Steelers' Justin Fields and George Pickens before their first preseason game together.
On top of that, Fields needs to create more explosive plays when the opportunities come, whether it's through the air or on the ground. He wasn't able to use his greatest weapon in his legs last week, so the fan base is hoping to see more of that on Saturday night.
What do you think about the importance of Wilson's performance versus the Bills? Will his play have any affect on his future, or will he be the starter Week 1 regardless? Let us know in the comments.
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