Steelers' Russell Wilson quickly pulled after scoring drive - ESPN

DETROIT — Coach Mike Tomlin needed to see just five snaps from Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers' first team offense in the preseason finale Saturday.

Though the Steelers dropped the game, 24-17, to the Detroit Lions, Wilson's unit scored its first touchdown of the preseason in the quarterback's lone series. After that, Tomlin pulled Wilson in favor of Justin Fields, who played three series and led a scoring drive of his own behind the first-team offensive line.

«We just needed results that are indicative of how we've worked,» Tomlin said of his decision to remove Wilson after one series. «And so they were able to put together a score and drive and really just provided an opportunity to get Justin in there sooner, and so that's why we did it.»

After Fields exited, backups Kyle Allen and John Rhys Plumlee finished the game, playing more than two-and-a-half quarters. Though the preseason game action is complete, Tomlin said he's going to wait to officially name a starting quarterback, though Wilson's limited action Saturday and «pole position» to start the preseason suggests he's the heavy favorite. The Steelers are one of two teams, along with the New England Patriots, that have yet to name a Week 1 starter.

«We'll make a decision at the end of our work week,» Tomlin said. «This upcoming week we have three days of Steelers vs. Steelers work and why not do it then?

»It minimizes the Steelers versus Steelers work when we started making decisions prior to the completion of that. We've got ample time to prepare for Atlanta and make whatever decisions or announcements regarding divisional labor or pecking orders and so forth and so we'll do it at the end of the work week."

In his final preseason outing, Wilson needed