It wasn’t flashy on Sunday in Atlanta, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ did enough to pick up an 18-10 win over the Falcons, all while starting a backup quarterback in Justin Fields, who found out late in the week he might be playing due to Russell Wilson’s calf injury.
Against the Falcons, the Steelers gained 276 yards of total offense and leaned heavily on their running game, which accounted for 141 yards. In that win over the Falcons, Fields threw for 156 yards and ran for 47, playing relatively well overall by avoiding the killer mistakes, making the throws that were there, and really just being a steady presence while piloting Steelers to six scoring drives.
For The Athletic’s Robert Mays, who had an up-close-and-personal look at Fields for three seasons in Chicago, the formula the Steelers had Sunday in Atlanta offensively under coordinator Arthur Smith with Fields at the helm is one that Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin could — and probably should — buy into moving forward.
“We saw what the formula could look like with Justin Fields, so we’re just continuing to run out of reasons for why Russell Wilson is going to potentially get this job when he’s healthy,” Mays said of the Steelers’ quarterback situation, according to video via The Athletic on YouTube. “And I think it’s exactly right, what you said. Like, if as long as Justin Fields is keeping the ball outta harm’s way, as long as they’re not turning the ball over, if he can have one or two, three splash plays per game, whether that’s on the ground or his willingness to push the ball down the field, that’s enough.
“Like, that is enough of a formula for this team with what it has on defense for at least Mike Tomlin to get on board with what the Justin Fields version of this looks like.”
For one week, at least, it was a good enough formula. Fields and the Steelers’ offense didn’t turn the ball over. Fields didn’t have a single turnover-worthy throw on the day, either, and the Steelers made just enough plays offensively.
The Steelers didn’t target the middle of the field at all in the passing game, instead keeping almost everything outside of the numbers, scheming up easy, safe throws for Fields built largely around rollouts.
There was also the designed-run element that Fields brought on Sunday, which helped the Steelers keep the Falcons off-balance in the run game. That allowed the Steelers to have some success hammering away on the ground, draining the clock and putting the game away late.
Based on how things looked Sunday, there is a formula for success there with Fields as the quarterback, though the middle of the field will need to be utilized much more moving forward if the Steelers want to sustain that style of football.
We’ll see what happens in Denver on Sunday. If Pittsburgh wins another football game and Fields avoids the big mistakes for a second straight week, it might be tough for Tomlin and the Steelers to go back to Wilson if he’s healthy.
