It’s been a rough go at it for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense this preseason. The Steelers have scored just 15 points through two preseason games, with just three of those points taking place with Justin Fields on the field. Russell Wilson, who made his season debut on Saturday night against the Bills, was unable to lead a scoring drive during his five series of work.
When asked to assess his quarterbacks following Saturday’s 9-3 loss, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin essentially said that he was unable to.
“It’s somewhat of an incomplete study because you just don’t get a chance to see them operate or us operate or us establish rhythm and personality when you’re not winning possession downs,” Tomlin said, via NFL.com. “And we weren’t. The first three or so series of the game, it was three and out, and you’re not going to get an opportunity to establish rhythm or play the way you’d like as an individual or a collective.”
A lack of pass protection was the main reason why Tomlin was unable to get a better assessment of his quarterbacks. Wilson was sacked three times, with Greg Rousseau taking advantage of Broderick Jones, who moved over to right tackle on Saturday night as Pittsburgh continues to tinker with its offensive line.
Fields’ mobility is the reason why he was “only” sacked once during his time under center. But while Fields made several impressive plays via his feet, Pittsburgh’s lack of pass protection was ultimately too much for him to overcome.
“We’ve got to do a better job in pass protection than we did — not only in possession downs but just in general,” Tomlin said. “I was really upfront with the group about it in that regard, that can’t be a problem for us. We’ve got to be better than we were tonight in that area.”
Expect the Steelers to go with a more proven offensive line group when Pittsburgh’s first-team offense takes the field for its preseason finale against the Lions. The unit, though, will be without Nate Herbig, the team’s veteran center/guard who may miss the season after he tore his rotator during the final day of training camp. Rookie first-round pick Troy Fautanu is also currently dealing with an injury.
Rest assured that Tomlin will be keeping an eye on the unit this week as he decides which of his quarterbacks will start Pittsburgh’s final game of the preseason.