The Pittsburgh Steelers will be on their toes when they take on the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Mike Tomlin is ready to use Justin Fields and regular starting QB Russell Wilson and knows what to expect from both quarterbacks on the field.
The pressure is big for the Steelers, who enter the game against Baltimore on a four-game losing streak and looking to cut off eight years without a postseason win. Both Wilson and Fields are available to take the field in an attempt to defeat the Ravens.
Tomlin has stated that he wants to use different combinations in the game against the Ravens of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, an opponent that clinched the AFC North down the final stretch of the regular season and that the Steelers will face for the third time this season. Pittsburgh’s head coach knows that now is the time to demand more from his quarterbacks.
Tomlin explained what he needs from Wilson and Fields against Ravens
“I need more of the same, obviously at a higher level intensity and with better execution. We’ve got to be our best selves. That’s how I talk to the quarterback, or the quarterbacks. My job and the quarterbacks’ job obviously have some similarities in terms of the attention and responsibility. I expect them to be themselves, but I expect them to be their best selves, because the guys get a feel for that. It’s not a time to get new or brand new”, Tomlin said in an interview with reporter Bob Labriola for the Steelers‘ official site before the game against the Ravens.
On Wilson’s role as starting quarterback, Tomlin responded that this is the ideal time to see the former Seattle Seahawks QB shine. “There’s no substitute for life experience. And he’s a guy who’s been there and done that. And there’s value in it, not only for him, but also what he can extend to those that he works with”, Tomlin explained about Russ.
Tomlin reviews defensive plan to stop Jackson and Henry’s Ravens
The Steelers’ head coach knows that both quarterback Jackson and running back Henry are two stars that are difficult to defend. “The defense has to choose between prioritizing the minimization of one or the other. In some cases you have to be prepared to deal with both. They make you play 11-on-11 football. There’s a real black-and-white math component to playing a quarterback with that type of mobility,” declared Tomlin.