On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that quarterback Russell Wilson is “in consideration” to start over Justin Fields in Week 7.
As the week has progressed, it seems more and more likely that will be the case when Pittsburgh hosts the New York Jets (2-4) on “Sunday Night Football.”
While Fields has led the Steelers to a 4-2 record, he admits he hasn’t played his best football.
“I don’t think I played good enough, to be real with you,” Fields told reporters. “If I’m being real with myself, if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of, ‘Who should be playing? Who should not?'”
It sounds like Fields is confirming the rumors that he will be Wilson’s backup this week, but that could turn out to be a costly mistake by Tomlin.
The Jets are entering this week tied for the third-most sacks (20) in the league, while Pittsburgh continues to deal with injuries along its offensive line. The Steelers lost yet another starter on their offensive line in Week 6. Rookie center Zach Frazier suffered an ankle injury and has already been ruled out this week.
That’s why utilizing Fields’ dual-threat ability could be much more beneficial this week compared to the 35-year-old Wilson.
Starting left tackle Dan Moore Jr. seems to think so.
“It’s huge for us. When you got a guy like that, that can make plays with his feet, it takes pressure off of us,” Moore said. “We give up pressures and sack situations that he can get out of, and not only extend plays, but make plays out of it. So it helps us out tremendously.”
However, it seems like Wilson will make his regular-season debut on Sunday night, leaving when Fields will return as the starter up in the air.
In the meantime, Fields is focused on doing whatever it takes to improve his game with the hope of getting another shot at being Pittsburgh’s starter.
“At the end of the day, we got a few wins,” Fields concluded. “Of course, I’m glad about that, but there’s areas that I can be better at, and I’m just going to continue to work on those areas to get better.”
The 25-year-old has thrown for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception while also rushing for 231 yards and another five scores this season.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
