Despite Playing Both Russell Wilson & Justin Fields, Steelers Crash in Preseason Matchup Against Bills

Pittsburgh Steelers hoped to turn around their fortunes by hedging their bets and sending away Kenny Pickett. They got not one but two former starters, albeit with major issues, to bring in a new era in Pittsburgh. But their start has been far from ideal.

In fact, one X user called it “embarrassing” that even after playing both their quarterbacks in the pre-season game, the Steelers only managed to put up 3 points against the Bills. It was a gritty defensive pre-season game, so not much was expected of them, but the lack of a single touchdown is a little worrisome.

Pre-season games are meant to give teams a chance to try out their new offense since every off-season lot of teams go through severe changes. For the Steelers, this off-season saw them getting a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith, and two new quarterbacks, Wilson and Fields.

In the 9-3 loss against the Bills, Fields threw 17 passes, completing 11 out of them, for 92 yards. Wilson had a better completion percentage but most of his throws were short. He threw for only 47 yards on his 8 completed throws. One silver lining was Fields’ rushing, which will prove useful during the regular season.

It was not entirely on the quarterbacks how things went down though. The Steelers were not functioning well offensively and there were major gaps in the protection. Execution of the plays was done very poorly and they looked like they were all playing in a new offense.

There were sparks of brilliance from Fields, but too few and far between. Thus fans expect the team to regroup, check themselves, and prove to be a franchise worth supporting. Even though it was just a pre-season game, fans were not happy with what they saw.

Steeler Nation appalled at “embarrassing” display

The Steelers are a formidable franchise, however, it seems that ever since Ben Roethlisberger left, they’ve been more like Brady-less Patriots than Rodgers-less Packers.

After making the playoffs every year, and not getting anywhere, Pittsburgh fans have set expectations for this season. And this abysmal outing against the Bill angered and embarrassed Steeler nation:

Wilson had fans rooting for him but they aren’t seeing good things:

Some fans even invoked Brandon Aiyuk, who’s been rumored to join the Steelers, instead of staying with the 49ers:

Currently, the offense is not in shape to give a proper judgment about the quarterbacks. Maybe once the functionality of Arthur Smith’s playbook gets better, the two quarterbacks will be able to shine and showcase their talent. But until then, it will be a worrying few weeks for the Steelers as they navigate through these issues.