Mike Tomlin Gives Telling Reaction When Asked If Russell Wilson Will Start vs. Giants

Wilson made his Steelers debut on Sunday night, beating the Jets 37–15.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin high fives his quarterback Russell Wilson during a game.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin high fives his quarterback Russell Wilson during a game. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In this story:

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made the decision by himself to start Russell Wilson against the New York Jets on Sunday night, and it worked out in his favor.

The Steelers trailed 15–13 at halftime, but dominated in the second half to win 37–15. Wilson completed 16 of 29 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for three yards to score a touchdown of his own.

So, the next question surrounding the Steelers is whether the team will start Wilson for a second consecutive week? Before his Sunday night start, many fans hoped the Steelers would stick with Justin Fields, who led the team to a 4–2 start. Acrisure Stadium booed Wilson in the first half of Sunday's game, too. But, it seems that mindset has shifted after the win.

On Tuesday, Tomlin was asked if Wilson will be starting on Monday night vs. the New York Giants by the Associated Press's Will Graves, and while he didn't give a clear answer, his reaction was pretty telling.

"He's scheduled to take first-team reps tomorrow and we'll see where the week leads us," Tomlin said after smiling wide and laughing.

It seems that Tomlin will stick with Wilson for this week's primetime game.

However, Tomlin acknowledged that Fields will be ready to go this week, too.

"We’re building a plan to beat the New York Football Giants," Tomlin said. "This week, we’ve got two capable guys. We’re going to ready them. They both need to be ready to work."

We will see if Tomlin decides to start Wilson for the remainder of the 2024 season or revert back to Fields at some point.


More of the Latest Around the NFL

feed


Published
Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.