Justin Fields led the Pittsburgh Steelers to an 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. And while some could argue Fields did not actually lead the way, he earned his 11th career win as an NFL quarterback nonetheless.
Fields’ detractors might say kicker Chris Boswell’s leg and Pittsburgh’s defense won the game for the Steelers and they aren’t necessarily wrong, but Fields showed enough to warrant continuing on the Steelers’ starter immaterial of Russell Wilson’s health.
Even though some tried to sell a quarterback competition throughout training camp, most in the know expected Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin to name the veteran Wilson the starter, which he did. But a calf injury sidelined Wilson early and forced Tomlin to go to Plan B.
As the Plan B, Fields completed an efficient 17-of-23 passes (granted for just 156 yards) through the air. He tallied 57 yards on the ground as well. Fields averaged 6.8 yards per pass and finished the game with a 91.9 quarterback rating despite failing the get the offense into the end zone. As mentioned above, Boswell bailed out the offense and connecting on six field goals to account for all 18 points, including a 57-yarder.
Is it possible Wilson could have put together a similar game against Atlanta? Sure. It’s also possible Wilson may have found the end zone given that he did account for 29 total touchdowns in 2023 to Fields’ 20.
But Fields, who built chemistry with star wide receiver George Pickens on Sunday to the tune of six catches for 85 yards, did show flashes of the first-round talent the Chicago Bears once believed in. In fact, his athleticism — something Wilson no longer possess at this point in his career — was on full display.
Fields actually joined some elite company, becoming only the third quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger to post a completion percentage over 70 while rushing for 50 or more yards in their team debut.
“I’m definitely gassed to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” Fields told Fox’s Pam Oliver on the field after the game.
Fields provides reason for optimism about the offense, but beyond that, Tomlin can’t afford to continually waffle at quarterback, especially with a rookie in Zach Frazier starting at center and needing continuity to have success. The NFL is a tough business and players lose their jobs to injury all the time.
Fields is also much more likely to be part of the Steelers’ future, if only due to his age alone. Obviously, Tomlin isn’t concerned about 2025 in 2024, but the benefit of evaluating the younger Fields serves as a nice benefit to playing him, too.
Knowing Tomlin, a healthy Wilson reclaiming the starting role is very much in play. And Tomlin told the media to ask him again on Tuesday when faced with a question about the quarterback position moving forward.
At this point, the safer bet and the move that will likely see him criticized less no matter what happens is to stick with Fields as long as the team is winning.
