Steelers' Mike Tomlin Throws Wild Stray At NFL Quarterback While Discussing Week 4 Matchup

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for their contest against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. This game is a highly anticipated matchup as the contest will take place in Ireland and the Steelers have a strong fan base in that area of the world. It will be interesting as Pittsburgh will be facing a backup quarterback in Carson Wentz, who is coming off of a strong debut for the Vikings as they were able to beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 by a score of 48-17.

Wentz hasn't been the best player since suffering a serious injury with the Philadelphia Eagles back during the 2017 season. He has played for six different teams in the last six seasons, but his veteran presence is still an asset in a backup quarterback. Pittsburgh's Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Tuesday during his weekly press conference and he discussed playing against the veteran backup in Wentz. He related it to the 2024 season when Pittsburgh had to face Joe Flacco while he was with the Indianapolis Colts.

"We were in a similar situation a year ago when we were playing in Indianapolis man," Tomlin said. "I commented to the guys, you know, 'Keep [Anthony] Richardson upright. Don't put Flacco in the game.' You know, Flacco ended up in the game. I think that's often times some of the things that you can run into when you run into a veteran guy. At least from a short-term perspective."

Pittsburgh played the Colts in Week 4 of the 2024 season and lost the game by a score of 27-24. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson started the game with Flacco being his backup, but Richardson went down early on and Flacco filled in for the remainder of the contest. Flacco went on to play well while beating Pittsburgh.

The veteran quarterback threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns. This was a game that the Steelers were expected to win as they went into the matchup with a 3-0 record, but Flacco spoiled that. Tomlin and the Pittsburgh defense were prepared to take on a mobile and inexperienced player in Richardson, and they were not prepared to be playing against a veteran pocket-passer in Flacco.

Tomlin wanted his team to keep Richardson upright throughout the game, which is not something fans would expect to hear from a coach, but it shows that Tomlin didn't want to see Flacco enter the game. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh could not play well enough to win the matchup after Richardson went down. This is a recent display of the Steelers losing to a backup, and the team will look to avoid that while facing Minnesota. This situation is different as the defense will be preparing for Wentz throughout the week, so the group won't be caught by surprise.

Steelers Will Be Facing Carson Wentz With A Full Arsenal Of Weapons

The Vikings have one of the better rosters in the NFL when taking into account both sides of the ball. On offense, Wentz has one of the easier jobs as a backup due to the talent Minnesota has at the various skill positions. Justin Jefferson is one of the best wide receivers in the league, and he will be a tough matchup for whoever is lined up across from him. The Vikings will also be getting back Jordan Addison in Week 4 as he just finished serving his three-game suspension. The two are one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL, and TJ Hockenson is a more than serviceable tight end.

Pittsburgh has struggled on defense so far in 2025, and the group is going to have to turn things around in order to slow Minnesota down.

What do you think about Tomlin's comments about playing the Colts in 2024? Let us know below!

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