The Pittsburgh Steelers lost their second preseason game to the Buffalo Bills last Saturday, looking rather underwhelming on offense for a second-straight week. The stat lines by both quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields weren’t anything to write home about as neither could get into a rhythm (both struggled in part due to poor blocking up front).
Fields got into the game late in the second quarter after Wilson failed to put any points on the board in his Steelers debut, getting the rest of the snaps at quarterback for the contest. Fields would go on to complete 11-of-17 passes for 92 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions while chipping in another 42 yards on the ground on eight carries, finishing the game as Pittsburgh’s leading rusher.
The Film
When going through the tape of Fields’ performance against Buffalo, you saw some glimpses of the quarterback that made him a first-round pick coming out of Ohio State back in 2021. His mobility was on full display in OC Arthur Smith’s offense, executing play-action rollout passes throughout his exposure last Saturday in Acrisure Stadium.
Here are a couple examples of Fields throwing while on the move with the first clip showing a completion to TE Connor Heyward. After rolling out to his right, he gets the ball to Heyward in space where he hurdles a defender while picking up the first down. The second clips shows Fields again rolling out to his right and finding WR Dez Fitzpatrick for the first-down completion.
Fields showed his combination of mobility and athleticism on this play below, which was the highlight of his performance. He drops back to pass, having the pressure get to him almost immediately as the pocket collapses after the snap.
However, Fields is able to evade one defender and shrug off another, keeping his balance as he rolls out to his left with his eyes downfield. He locates Fitzpatrick and fires a pass while on the run, squaring up his shoulders and whipping the ball to Fitzpatrick. A defender manages to get a hand on the ball in the air, but it escapes his reach and falls right into Fitzpatrick’s hands as he tightropes the sideline to move the sticks.
Fields flashed as a runner as well against the Bills, using his legs to pick up yardage on both designed quarterback runs as well on extended passing plays. Watch this first clip below. Fields fakes the give to the running back on the RPO and keeps it himself off toward the left sideline. He reaches the first-down marker before getting tripped up by the defense.
The second rep shows Fields scanning the field from the pocket before deciding to tuck and run toward the left sideline for the first down. He doesn’t see WR Quez Watkins break free in the middle of the field as he escapes the pressure to his left, but he still manages to rip off an explosive play.
Fields managed to keep the play alive as a passer multiple times against Buffalo, using his legs to buy time for receivers to open up down the field. Check out this first clip as Fields stands in the pocket surveying the field. He steps up in the gap around the pressure to find his open receiver along the right sideline, getting it to him right at the sticks to get a fresh set of downs.
On the second clip, watch as Fields drops back to pass in and exits the pocket to his left to evade the pressure. He may have been able to hit Watkins streaking down the middle of the field, but he misses him as he scrambles. That does buy time for TE MyCole Pruitt to get open in the middle of the field, and Fields puts the ball on him for a short gain.
Still, there are a couple of plays looking back at the tape that Fields had the opportunity to make a big play as a passer but missed the mark. Alex Kozora did a great job of breaking down what should have been a touchdown pass by Fields in his own film room, but there were other opportunities Fields failed to capitalize on.
One comes on this play below where Fields fakes the handoff as he drops back to pass, having Watkins running open down the field. Fields evades a defender as he rolls to his left but still has an opportunity to throw it to Watkins, who adjusts toward the sideline. Fields pump fakes instead of throwing the ball on the run, getting tackled after picking up just a couple of yards on the play.
Fields’ other missed opportunity came on this play in the red zone. It’s an RPO where Fields fakes the give to the running back and keeps the ball as he runs to his left, looking as if he has the pass option to WR Scotty Miller along the left sideline on the screen. Fields commits to the run immediately after faking the give, tucking the ball while Miller works to get position while WR Dez Fitzpatrick throws a good block to get Miller open along the sideline.
Fields is quickly bottled up by Buffalo’s defense for a loss while Miller sits alone in the end zone. Now the offensive line may have gotten too far down field as LT Dylan Cook drives his man off the line of scrimmage, but it appeared as if Fields had the option to tuck and run or throw to Miller.
Conclusion
Justin Fields’ performance was nothing spectacular from the stat sheet, but it did tell a story that we have been hearing about the former Chicago Bear since Pittsburgh traded for him this spring. He has that athleticism you want in a quarterback to make plays on the move, execute play action rollout passes, and tuck the ball and run himself when the play breaks down. He has the arm talent to make impressive throws off platform as well as down the field, but it’s above the neck that needs to be more consistent for Fields as his execution in critical moments as a passer can improve.
As things stand, Fields hasn’t stood head and heels above Wilson to take the starting job away from the man in “pole position” and be Pittsburgh’s QB1 Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons. We still have one preseason game to further evaluate and see if Fields can make it more of a conversation, but it may be hard for the younger quarterback to unseat Wilson unless the older veteran falls flat on his face in the preseason finale. Either way, Fields has been showcasing tantalizing traits but needs to be more consistent in making decisions before being trusted with the starting quarterback role.
