PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Thinking the Steelers are getting a break by facing the Vikings back-up quarterback, an unprompted Mike Tomlin reminded all of recent history.
“We were in a similar situation a year ago,” the Steelers head coach said Tuesday. “We were playing in Indianapolis, and I commented to the guys to keep [Anthony] Richardson upright. Don't put [Joe] Flacco in the game, and Flacco ended up in the game.”
Flacco entered for the Colts with 5:26 to play in the first quarter after Richardson was injured on a hit by safety DeShon Elliott. Flacco’s first throw was a completion for a first down, his second resulted in a touchdown. One of two he would throw on the day in a 27-24 Indianapolis win.
The point is obvious that sometimes, especially with a young starting quarterback, the veteran can be a tougher challenge.
“The veteran guy oftentimes does the intangible components of the job very well,” Tomlin said. “They communicate and articulate the schematics and the plans to others. They uplift guys and get people lined up. They oftentimes are able to carry more schematic responsibility and so forth at the line of scrimmage. So, I don't necessarily view it as a negative thing for the Minnesota Vikings, at least in the short-term, that Carson is playing for them.”
No team took more advantage of it than the Vikings last year. Rookie first-round pick JJ McCarthy went down and journeyman quarterback Sam Darnold led Minnesota to 14 wins and was rewarded by Seattle with a three-year, $100.5 million contract with Seattle.
Wentz went 14-20 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and no mistakes in a blowout win against Cincinnati on Sunday. Tomlin might also remember Wentz from September 25, 2016 as the then Eagles quarterback led a 34-3 win over the Steelers going 23-31 for 301 yards and two touchdowns. The first 300-yard game of his career. In his other game against the Steelers in 2020, Eagles lost 38-29 and Wentz was 20-35 for 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Tomlin said he has a lot of respect for Wentz and his journey as the Vikings are his sixth NFL team. He called the 32-year-old a grisly veteran and acknowledged what Wentz had what Darnold had, two great tackles, two great receivers and a line that can run block with the best.
Even with a few injuries, the Vikings get Pitt Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison back from suspension along with Justin Jefferson who already has 200 yards, plus they traded for Adam Thielen and have tight end TJ Hockenson. Running back Aaron Jones is injured, that’s ok, Jordan Mason took over and ran for 116 yards on only 16 carries and a pair of touchdowns against the Bengals.
Now the last time Wentz made back-to-back starts was in 2022 and after 359 yards in the first game, in the second, just 12-22 for 99 yards and no scores. You can play the numbers however you want, but Mike Tomlin says the Steelers remember too well facing a back-up quarterback may be a worse scenario.