The Pittsburgh Steelers looked awful in their preseason game on Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills, with tons of blame coming from the team’s fan base upon Russell Wilson.
Wilson will be the Steelers starting quarterback this season, a decade removed from winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and after a tumultuous two seasons with the Broncos.
The now-35-year-old Wilson had a horrible stat-line from the game with 47 passing yards, three sacks taken, and six check-down passes, all leading to no points scored.
Wilson’s backup, Justin Fields, did not do much better, but at least led Pittsburgh to points in the 9-3 defeat.
Here is some of the reaction to Wilson’s disastrous performance.
Russell Wilson is getting a majority of the blame from Steelers fans for Saturday night’s loss
Wilson finished the game with 47 passing yards, three sacks taken, and six check-down passes
‘I’m starting to think Russell Wilson was the problem,’ one football fan said.
‘Russell Wilson in 5 drives vs. Buffalo: 47 yards, 3 sacks, 6 checkdowns, 0 points. MISSION FAILED WE’LL GET EM NEXT TIME BOYS,’ another Steelers fan stated.
‘I’m sure Russell Wilson steps up into a clean pocket and doesn’t try to scramble out of the pocket at the age of 35,’ a Pittsburgh fan added.
‘Russell Wilson was sacked 3 times for 21 yards in losses. His four completions were for 16 yards. Thus, minus-5 passing yards. The sacks — often on the QB — were part of what drove Sean Payton batty and why the Broncos absorbed $85M in dead cap over two years to move on,’ another person concluded.
A collection of social-media messages from Steelers fans upset with Wilson’s performance
Wilson is one of the oldest starting quarterbacks in the NFL, in arguably the toughest division to win in the NFL.
The AFC North also has the Super Bowl-contender Baltimore Ravens, a Cincinnati Bengals team with a healthy Joe Burrow, and the Cleveland Browns, who made the playoffs last season.
The Steelers do have one more preseason game next weekend against the Detroit Lions.
To begin the season, Pittsburgh faces a team with another among the oldest starting quarterbacks in the league in the Kirk Cousins-led Atlanta Falcons.