PITTSBURGH — Without knowing it, Mike Tomlin pointed to one of the problems with his own offense when he described the probability of trying to stop a quarterback such as Dak Prescott in the closing seconds of Sunday night's 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

"When you're playing a good team and a guy like Dak Prescott, in a tight game, and he has the ball last, you got a chance to lose," Tomlin said after the game.

It's not something other NFL coaches have said about Justin Fields.

But they have about Russell Wilson.

He is a nine-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl-winning quarterback who has orchestrated 39 career game-winning touchdown drives, after all.

It was the reason the Steelers signed Wilson, 35, in free agency. They wanted a quarterback with a fearless reputation and a track record to match.

The Steelers wanted a quarterback the other team would fear when the game is on the line, the way Tomlin feared what might happen against Prescott.

Which is why, at some point soon, Tomlin will make the decision to switch to Wilson, who has been inactive as the emergency third quarterback since he had a recurrence of his calf injury the week of the season opener in Atlanta.

Wilson was cleared medically to return two weeks ago, but the Steelers have remained overly cautious because he was symptom-free when the injury flared up again Sept. 5 — three days before the game against the Falcons.

None of this is meant to denigrate Fields, who threw two touchdowns against the Cowboys, including a 6-yard shovel pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth with 4:56 remaining that gave the Steelers a 17-13 lead.

But, just like last week in Indy, the offense continues to show only intermittent flashes of competency, not consistency. The longest completion Sunday night was 21 yards. The longest run was 8 yards. The Cowboys had nearly twice as many yards (445 to 226). The Steelers converted just three of 12 third-down chances.

Afterward, Tomlin talked about self-inflicted wounds again and the Steelers getting off schedule because of penalties.

Well, if anyone wanted to bemoan self-inflicted wounds, it would be the Cowboys. They had two turnovers inside the red zone and nearly had another with 35 seconds remaining when running back Rico Dowdle fumbled at the 1 after a big hit from linebacker Elandon Roberts.

And penalties? The Cowboys had 11 for 87 yards, the Steelers had eight for 50 yards.

The difference was Prescott, who threw for 357 yards and led 15- and 16-play scoring drives in the fourth quarter. The winning drive was capped with his 4-yard touchdown to receiver Jalen Tolbert on fourth down.

That was the 23rd game-winning drive of Prescott's nine-year career, ranking ninth among active quarterbacks. Conversely, Wilson ranks second on that list with 39. Only Matthew Stafford (45) has more among active players.

Sometime soon, Tomlin will make the move that has been intended since free agency. It will not be a slap against Fields, who has performed better than even the Steelers imagined.

But, if they are determined to take a step in the postseason, they want a quarterback such as Wilson who, in a tight game, with the ball last, would be letting the other team know they have a chance to lose.

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