Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin still isn’t ready to name his starting quarterback for the upcoming season.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both led touchdown drives for the Steelers, who lost 24-17 to the Detroit Lions on Saturday in their preseason finale.
Jermar Jefferson scored two touchdowns for the Lions, including a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter that put them ahead.
“It didn’t start pretty, but we finished strong,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said.
Tomlin has said many times that Wilson is in the “pole position” for the starting role, and the 35-year-old veteran did nothing in Detroit to suggest he won’t start when the season begins in two weeks. However, Tomlin would not make a decision yet.
“We’ll make a decision at the end of our work week,” he said.
Wilson completed both of his pass attempts, including a 32-yard throw to George Pickens. Two plays later, Cordarrelle Patterson scored on a 31-yard run to finish the game-opening drive.
Wilson spent the rest of the game on the bench while Fields had three drives to show his skills. His performance was mixed.
Fields converted a third down with a run and then threw a 22-yard pass to MyCole Pruitt, setting up La’Mical Perine’s 1-yard touchdown run.
In the previous two preseason games, neither Wilson nor Fields had led Pittsburgh to a touchdown.
“We’ve had a really great training camp and OTAs and we finally put it on the field,” Wilson said.
Fields’ second drive ended when he fumbled the snap while looking to the right in the shotgun formation. He recovered the ball but was then sacked. His third drive also ended with a sack.
