The starting quarterback job is Justin Fields’ to lose
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their first loss of the season, dropping to a 3-1 record following a 27-24 defeat to the previously 1-2 Indianapolis Colts.
The aftermath has fans, and critics, panicking about the Steelers’ future. Some of those same people have gone as far as to say that veteran Russell Wilson should replace current starting quarterback Justin Fields. However, that knee-jerk reaction could be a big mistake as the Steelers head into a key matchup this Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, where sites such as betway gh have Pittsburgh entering the week as a two-point favorite.
That’s not only due to a home-field advantage but also the complementary football being played by the Steelers’ offense and defense. While the Colts ran out to an early lead against the Steelers last Sunday, they barely hung onto their lead in the waning moments, with any number of plays that could’ve swayed the victory in Pittsburgh’s favor.
Of those plays, two may have been attributed to Justin Fields: a sack and a bad exchange of a snap from rookie center Zach Frazier. The sack, which led to a fumble and loss of possession, cost the Steelers a probably three points from being within the range of accurate kicker Chris Boswell. The snap, of course, occurred during the final offensive series where Fields led a comeback from being down 17 points.
It’s that comeback, in addition to the growth from week-to-week, that should have Steelers fans feeling more comfortable with Fields as the starter with each passing game. No one had the Steelers atop the AFC North with a 3-1 record to start the 2024 season, yet, that’s where they are after four games. Fields deserves as much credit as anyone, bringing some stability to the quarterback position following the rotation of Mitchell Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Mason Rudolph over the last two seasons.
With new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith drawing up game plans emphasizing Fields’ strengths, the former first round pick of the Chicago Bears is starting to show why he may have untapped potential from his poorly received, previous stint. Against one of the league’s top defenses in the Los Angeles Chargers, the Steelers offense finally scored multiple touchdowns on the season as Fields had maybe one of his top five games as a pro.
In the Chargers game, Fields completed 78.1% of his passes for 245 yards, a touchdown, and ran for another score.
Against the Colts, Fields threw for his second-most passing yards ever (315 yards) while rushing for 55 yards. He accounted for all three of the Steelers touchdowns, with one in the air and two using his legs.
The dynamic ability of the fourth-year pro has added a dimension the Steelers haven’t had under center in years. Fields is capable of airing the ball out, typically connecting with as many as seven or eight different receivers in a game, while extending plays his feet. In the new era of the NFL, mobile quarterbacks are important, but Fields has also shown a knack for completing passes from the pocket, while making progressions on his reads and finding players in the middle of the field and even deep for big plays.
In essence, while Fields made mistakes against the Colts, he was far from the sole reason the Steelers lost. If you were to ask most people on the street if 24 points were enough for the Steelers offense to win a game, the answer would be a resounding yes as the Steelers defense gave up a combined 26 in their first three games.
Penalties, such as a personal foul against S Minkah Fitzpatrick or a lost fumble near the goal line by WR George Pickens didn’t help in the team’s losing effort.
In addition, the Steelers offensive line has suffered a rash of injuries through four weeks. Rookie tackle Troy Fautanu, an expected starter, played one game in Week 2 before being placed on injured reserve. Joining him is starting guard James Daniels, who hurt has an Achilles injury and could miss the remainder of the season after leaving Sunday’s game in the first quarter. Center Nate Herbig was also lost for the season during training camp.
The injury toll has left Pittsburgh with two rookie starters and two second-year players with less than a season’s worth of starting experience as four of the five players atop the offensive line depth chart. It could remain that way if guard Isaac Seumalo remains sidelined due to injury as well.
The inexperience of the o-line, however, has been masked by Fields’ ability to scramble and extend plays. There’s a fear that if Russell Wilson takes over, and his calf injury isn’t 100%, that he may be unable to evade pressure the same way.
Also factor in that Wilson barely took reps during training camp or the preseason, and will need time to gel with his offensive weapons. Simply put, if Russ is rusty, that could be a setback the Steelers can ill afford as they begin to enter a tougher stretch of their schedule. Why risk sitting the surging Fields if Wilson isn’t a definite upgrade.
At this point, the Steelers are not only looking to win now but are searching for their franchise quarterback of the future. A 35-year-old Wilson has an excellent resume and arrived in Pittsburgh as the presumed starter, but he’s far from a long-term solution for an organization used to the the Hall of Fame caliber quarterback play of Ben Roethlisberger.
Fields may be no Roethlisberger, at least not yet, but could be on pace to fill the large void Big Ben left behind when he retired following the 2021 season. If you recall, Roethlisberger used to turn the ball over a lot – even leading the league with 23 interceptions in 2006, his third year in the league.
As Fields enters his fourth season in the NFL, his numbers are starting to climb as his mistakes are minimized. His game against the Colts represents one of the few quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards since Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004. Mason Rudolph hit the mark against the Cleveland Browns in the final game of the 2020 season (where many Steelers starters sat to rest for the playoffs) while Kenny Pickett topped 300 in his first pro start, by tossing 52 attempts as Pittsburgh got blown out by the Buffalo Bills.
Needless to say, Fields’ 300+ passing yards, 50+ rushing yards, and a touchdown passing and rushing is something no other quarterback in Steelers history, including Roethlisberger or the versatile, ahead of his time Kordell Stewart, were able to achieve.
That should at least consider Fields to continue along as the Steelers starter in the interim, as historic numbers should lead to W’s so long as the rest of the team compliments those efforts.
