Justin Fields’ first start with the Pittsburgh Steelers was uneventful but victorious. As his replacement in Chicago, Caleb Williams, started his Bears career with a dramatic win over the Tennessee Titans, Fields also did his job in an 18-10 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
If this is the usual performance that the Steelers can expect from Fields, then Mike Tomlin hopes Russell Wilson’s bum calf heals sooner than later.
When it was discovered two days ago that Fields would have to start in place of Wilson who is nursing a bad calf, that news hit Steelers Nation to mixed reviews.
As Fields struggled to get the offense going early, the chat room on YouTube started heating up.
Sky Bortz: “As always Boswell offensive MVP”
This was in reference to Pittsburgh Steelers marksman Chris Boswell, who booted six field goals – further proof of Fields’ ineptitude with the ball in scoring territory.
Bryden Watts said: “let Russ cook”
Double Antondre: “When does Russell Wilson come back?
Justin Fields Threw For 157 Yards In Steelers’ Opener
It’s clear that Fields (17-for-23, 156 yards passing) can make some plays, but for the Steelers to compete week in and week out they need a quarterback who can complete more passes and put more points on the board.
He didn’t use his legs to generate any scores but did rush for 57 yards. He didn’t throw any TD passes, which is what quarterbacks are paid to do. Fields completed some key passes to his receivers down the stretch, so he has to be credited for that.
Game manager at his best, but it probably won’t be enough to get the most out of this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Won With Same Old Recipe: Defense, Special Teams, Coaching, Run
Fields was largely carried by a ferocious defense led by TJ Watt and a ground game led by Najee Harris (70 yards). Which means not much has changed in Steeltown under Mike Tomlin.
Six field goals and two crucial interceptions off Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins were the difference for the Steelers.
Justin Fields Was Best Of Worst Quarterbacks On Sunday
Fortunately, Fields was up against an older quarterback in Kirk Cousins who is coming off an Achilles injury and looked worse than Fields did. Cousins’ 155 passing yards was a futile effort from a guy with over 39,500 in his career.
There were plenty of Steelers fans who craved and predicted Fields as the starter, some even proclaiming that he was a better passer than Wilson at this point. A better option to move the offense. The verdict is still out on that, but if Russ’ troublesome calf continues to be a problem, then Fields will get several more cracks at it.
Let’s not act like the Steelers aren’t used to winning games 18-10. Mike Tomlin always has his team prepared. The defense rarely makes mistakes, and the offense has been wildly inconsistent and unintimidating for years now.
Throwing a few deep balls that don’t result in scores isn’t going to translate against the elite AFC teams. Atlanta isn’t even one of the more formidable teams in the NFC.
Every win counts, so Tomlin isn’t going to complain about the victory. They are too hard to come by in the NFL. But you would be mistaken if you think if he left the field thinking he found his quarterback of the future. Or even for the next game against Denver.
Russell Wilson Is Still The Answer At Quarterback For Pittsburgh
Justin Fields showed some guts in Week 1 and he’s probably a top 3 backup and stopgap to have in the pinch. But do you want him running your offense against some of the offensive powerhouses in the AFC?
Steelers have no choice for now, but it always seems that the public optimism for Fields to one day put it all together on a consistent basis is higher than for any other quarterback. When he fails, they blame the offensive coordinator. When he has flashes of excellence, he’s the next coming.
Mike Tomlin is the one consistent in these Steelers teams. He’s always going to try and grind a win out. Having two options at QB is better than one, but big-time passing games don’t appear to be in Fields’ future. So with the exception of his legs, not much has changed for Pittsburgh at the quarterback position.
