Russell Wilson leads the Steelers to a touchdown in the second preseason game and seems to have secured a regular spot

Russell Wilson played just one series for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his second start of the preseason, but he performed better in the limited playing time than he did in his debut last week.

Since he has only played one series, the Steelers coaching staff seems to have decided that he will be the starting quarterback in Week 1.

On his first drive against the Detroit Lions on Saturday, Wilson completed both passes for 26 yards. The highlight was a 32-yard pass along the left sideline to George Pickens. Cordarelle Patterson finished the drive with a 31-yard run into the middle for a touchdown.

Wilson completed 2 of 2 passes for 26 yards. That was apparently all the Steelers coaches needed to see before taking him out of the game. Had he been ineffective, Wilson might have played more. But perhaps the plan was to have him play for just one series regardless of his performance.

Justin Fields took Pittsburgh's second series of the game and clearly opened up more opportunities with his agility. He rolled out of the pocket, ran past the right tackle for a first down and ran around the left end at the goal line.

Fields also completed two of two on his first drive, throwing short passes that the receivers converted into longer gains. After a fumble by Detroit's Hendon Hooker, he finally scored a touchdown on a short 35-yard drive.

The Steelers failed to advance on Fields' second possession, largely due to center Zach Frazier taking a mistimed snap on the third attempt while the quarterback was looking to his right. Fields recovered the fumble but was sacked for a 4-yard loss.

Fields completed 3 of 4 passes for 40 yards and was sacked twice. Kyle Allen took over with 9:37 left in the second quarter and stayed with the team for the rest of the first half.

The Lions mostly played with reserves on defense, which must be taken into account when evaluating the performance of Wilson and Fields. Pittsburgh seemed more dynamic with Fields at quarterback, moving the pocket to take advantage of his ability to throw on the run and threaten Detroit with his running talent. However, Fields was inaccurate from the pocket and missed some open passes, while the Steelers' offensive line quickly broke down on some plays.

Some Steelers fans might object to Wilson apparently being the starting quarterback despite seeing so little playing time in the preseason. But Pittsburgh likely didn't sign him as a backup, even after trading for Fields and despite head coach Mike Tomlin saying there would be competition for the position.

Tomlin will likely favor Wilson's veteran experience — and perhaps his calmer demeanor — over Fields' ability as a dual-threat early in the season. But if Wilson plays as poorly as he did last season with the Denver Broncos, the Steelers have a strong alternative to try.