Mike Tomlin refuses to point finger at Russell Wilson after Steelers preseason loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked downright putrid on offense Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills. I would know, I was there. While too much can often be made of preseason results, this is (by and large) the offense the Steelers will roll out Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. Thus, fans are right to be a little worried about what they witness on Saturday.

Namely, Russell Wilson and the Steelers starting offense managed zero points against the Bills defense. The only points Pittsburgh scored in the first half were in the two-minute drill, when Justin Fields was inserted as the quarterback. Fields escapability came in handy on Saturday, but only because it was his only option. The pocket closed quickly on both Wilson and Fields. Anyone with eyes can see the Steelers offensive line is worrisome, which is exactly what Mike Tomlin noted postgame.

“We’ve got to do a better job in pass protection than we did, not only in possession downs but just in general,” Tomlin said. “And I was really up front with the group about it in that regard. That can’t be a problem for us. We’ve got to be better than we were tonight in that area.”

Mike Tomlin points finger at Steelers offensive line, rather than Russell Wilson

Tomlin called Wilson's performance an "incomplete study" in his first game in black and gold, and in many ways he's correct to make that assumption. Wilson missed most of training camp in Latrobe with a calf injury. He's still getting up to speed in Arthur Smith's offense. However, many of the same issues that plagued Wilson in Denver aren't going anywhere.

Wilson doesn't turn the ball over much, sure, but he's often too quick to take the check down, cannot or will not escape the pocket when it's breaking down, and takes far too many sacks. All of that occurred on Saturday against a Buffalo pass rush that's hungry to prove itself.

The Steelers feature a young and rapidly-evolving offensive line headlined by Zach Frazier, Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. Jones was Pittsburgh's first-round pick last season, and while he performed admirably when given the chance in 2023, he gave up multiple sacks on Saturday.

Jones is a natural left tackle who has spent much of his time out of position at right tackle. Perhaps the Steelers view his long-term future on the right-hand side, but it's not working right now, period.

Pittsburgh's rushing attack didn't look much better beyond Fields, who had 42 yards on his own accord on the ground. Najee Harris had just 17 yards on four carries, and Jaylen Warren left the game with an injury.

Again, it's only the preseason, but there is cause for concern in Pittsburgh.