After Mike Tomlin insisted on Russell Wilson entering the starting lineup, the record through his first seven games had many believing he was a mad genius. However, since then, the team has looked far from its usual self, with the offense in particular sputtering. In a pivotal Week 18 game to knock the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs (and secure the fifth seed), the results were far from ideal.
As a result, theories are floating around of Wilson being on the hot seat. One key NFL insider even questioned whether he might be in danger of losing his starting QB role as soon as next week. Is there a possibility the team will return to Justin Fields? Let’s look at the numbers.
Could the Steelers Go Back to Justin Fields Over Russell Wilson?
The Steelers might once again have a quarterback dilemma on their hands. Before the year began, they picked up two QBs who had essentially been discarded by their previous teams, Wilson and Fields. Initially, the plan was for the former Super Bowl champion to start from Week 1.
But an injury forced a change in plans and Fields was named the starting quarterback to begin the year. Through six games, the Steelers unexpectedly jumped out to a 4-2 record, way above expectations for a team most had missing the playoffs entirely.
But, with Wilson returning from injury, Tomlin insisted on putting him back into the starter role despite the success Fields had. Now, however, Albert Breer, who’s been a long-trusted source for everything happening around the league, has some doubts about Wilson’s starter-role security.
I do wonder how quick a hook the Steelers might have with Russell Wilson next week if things start as slow as they did this week.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 5, 2025
“I do wonder how quick a hook the Steelers might have with Russell Wilson next week if things start as slow as they did this week,” the senior NFL reporter posted on X (formerly known as Twitter). Unfortunately for Wilson, the numbers aren’t in his favor.
According to PFN’s QB+ metric, Fields has been the better quarterback this season. With a 78.2 score and C+ grade, he ranks 14th among all quarterbacks. On the other hand, Wilson is at 75.9 and a C grade, good for 19th in the league.
To make matters worse, the graph for Wilson is trending downward, with the last five weeks far and away the worst stretch of his year. In that timeframe, he’s been among the worst QBs in the league, dropping steadily in the charts.
The offense, as a result, has continued to struggle. Even against the Bengals, as Breer mentioned, it took the Steelers over two quarters to score after Najee Harris ran for a touchdown midway through the second quarter.
With the Wild Card Round coming up, and Tomlin last winning a playoff game eight years ago in 2016, Wilson might quickly see time on the sideline if he can’t come out of this late-season slump.