Russell Wilson's usage in preseason finale hints at winner of Steelers QB1 competition

From a neutral perspective, it felt as if Week 3 of the preseason was going to be huge for the Pittsburgh Steelers in particular. It felt as if neither Russell Wilson nor Justin Fields had earned the QB1 nod yet.

Based on how their game against the Detroit Lions actually shaped out, it might now be safe to proclaim Wilson as the victor in the QB1 competition. He played well in his lone drive, but the fact that he was only on for one series tells you all you need to know about the competition. It might've even been over before it began.

Just take a look at the comments from Steelers reporters Mark Kaboly and Gerry Dulac.

All signs point to Russell Wilson winning Steelers QB1 competition

The Steelers drove right down the field on their first drive of the game with Wilson under center and scored a touchdown. This throw from Wilson to George Pickens was the highlight of that drive, and potentially of the preseason for the Steelers. He turned a third and long into a first down and a massive gain.

No, one throw is not enough to earn a quarterback the starting nod, but the fact that the Steelers took him out after that suggests that the job was already won. If there was a true competition, wouldn't the Steelers want to see more than one throw for positive yardage from Wilson in their final preseason game? The fact that they took him out suggests they'd like to shield him from potential injury and have him ready to go for their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

This was always the expected outcome for the Steelers. Ever since Wilson signed his one-year deal to join the team over the offseason, the job was his to lose. Whether Fields actually had a chance to take it away from Wilson or not is unclear, but Wilson appears to have won it.

Is this the right move? That remains to be seen. Wilson looked mostly awful in his first preseason action with Pittsburgh last week. His throw to Pickens early in this game was a good sign, but again, one good throw can't be enough to earn someone a starting job. While Fields likely has more upside, the Steelers have seen the cons that would come with playing him too.

One drive after matching Wilson with a touchdown of his own, Fields threw an incompletion and fumbled a snap, resulting in a sack and a quick 3-and-out.

If we're being completely honest, neither one of these options is ideal. There's every chance that even with all of the changes Pittsburgh made on the offensive side of the ball, their offense will be what holds them back from being a true playoff threat.

Whether Wilson or Fields should start can be debated. Wilson probably has the higher floor, but lower ceiling compared to Fields. When it comes to who will be starting, it's hard to see how that can be debated anymore. If this was still a competition, Wilson would've needed to play more than one drive. His limited usage hints at the fact that he had nothing more to prove and had the starting job already locked down.