Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers’ mammoth-sized questions at quarterback, the team is only one of a few undefeated teams remaining in the NFL. They have beaten Kirk Cousins, Bo Nix, and Jim Harbaugh. As such, many are bought in, at least for the regular season. However, one analyst remains skeptical. Writing in a September 27 article for Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Brad Gagnon expressed why.
“I still don’t know how sustainable this is. They have a bottom-10 scoring offense despite overachieving play at quarterback, which doesn’t bode well. Really looking forward to seeing them against Dallas in two weeks’ time,” he wrote.
Dallas, however, is only 2-2 and barely survived the New York Giants, a franchise not many had put much stock in going into the season. That said, the Steelers are one of the most consistent franchises in football on a perennial basis. It doesn’t matter whether it is Ben Roethlisberger, Justin Fields, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, or a mix of any combination. Mike Tomlin has not finished under .500 since he took over for Bill Cowher in 2007.
Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation is potential time-bomb
Of course, at the center of the team might be their biggest ticking time bomb. Justin Fields has yet to officially earn the starting job. Mike Tomlin has been hesitant to do so, which leaves Russell Wilson as the technical starting quarterback. Tomlin has maintained that once Wilson is healthy, the team can make a call on who will start for the team.
As such, Fields, who has losing seasons every year of his NFL career, is a rookie when it comes to managing wins. That, plus a future time in which Wilson will be breathing down his neck, could potentially cause Fields to press with his decision-making. If he does this, it could land him in hot water and cost the team some wins in the process.
Sensing this, Tomlin could hand the keys to Wilson, which could also create losses for the Pittsburgh Steelers as he warms up. Put simply, no lead in the race for the playoffs is safe this early in the year.
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