Tips, predictions and best bets for the second week of the NFL
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes is back with his best NFL picks for Week 2 of the NFL season.
One of the most eagerly awaited rematches in the 2024 NFL schedule will not take place.
When the league’s regular-season schedule was released in May, much of the buzz centered on the Week 2 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. The matchup was supposed to mark Russell Wilson’s return to face Sean Payton, just six months after he was unceremoniously fired to end a difficult two-year tenure with the franchise.
But after missing the Steelers’ season-opening win with a calf injury, Wilson is also unavailable for Sunday’s highly anticipated game.
Here’s what we know about Wilson’s status and the Steelers’ plans regarding the quarterback:
Russell Wilson injury updates: The latest on the QB prospect
Wilson will again serve as the team’s emergency quarterback, as he did in the opening game.
On Tuesday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin announced that his team is preparing as if Justin Fields were going to face the Broncos. Tomlin considered Wilson’s participation questionable on Friday, listing him as questionable. But his explanation for the rating underscored that Fields has the best chance to take the reins.
“So if his availability is questionable, he’s less likely to be in the starting lineup,” Tomlin told reporters. “But we’ve been in that mindset all week. Like I said, we’ve been focused on getting Justin (Fields) ready to play, and we’ll keep that mindset as we move toward game time.”
Wilson remained optimistic this week that he could soon be included in the team.
“I feel like I’m getting closer and closer,” Wilson said Thursday, according to ESPN. “I’m just trying to be smart and had to work a lot on the field and everything else today, throwing and stuff, so I’m just trying to be smart.”
Wilson served as the backup quarterback in the Steelers’ win over the Falcons and could take on that role again if he is not quite ready to play.
Against Atlanta, Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 153 yards, but Pittsburgh had to settle for six field goals in the 18-10 victory.
Russell Wilson’s Broncos breakup reconsidered
Wilson was released by Denver in March, just days before his $37 million salary for 2025 was set to become fully guaranteed. His $39 million salary for this season was already locked in.
By leaving Wilson, the Broncos incurred a record loss of $85 million.
Wilson joined the franchise in March 2022 to great acclaim after the Seattle Seahawks traded him for three players and a package of picks, including two first-round and two second-round picks. But his debut season proved disastrous from the start: The nine-time Pro Bowl player posted his worst passer rating of 84.4 and first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett was fired in December after a 4-11 record.
Payton took over the helm the following season and criticized the previous regime’s handling of the veteran playmaker. While Wilson’s play recovered, Payton benched him for the final two weeks of the season. The coach insisted the decision was driven solely by football considerations, although it was later revealed that the team contacted Wilson during a midseason off period to restructure his contract and delay the date at which his 2025 injury guarantee would be converted to a full guarantee.
