Justin Fields got another start for the Steelers in Week 3 with Russell Wilson still recovering from his calf injury, and Fields put together his best performance of the season against his most difficult matchup, as the Steelers moved to 3-0 with a win over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers. On FS1’s The Facility, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel said that Fields did enough to show he should start the rest of the season.
“Absolutely,” Daniel said. “He played really well.”
Daniel was particularly impressed with Fields being able to execute the game plan against one of the top defenses in football.
“Let’s just remind the viewers who the Chargers were coming into the game defensively. They were second in total yards. They were sixth in passing, and they were first in scoring,” he said. “A really good top-three defense overall in all these categories. And Justin Fields was able to go out there and execute the game plan at a high level, and not just these bootlegs and nakeds and getting out of the pocket, like I’ve seen him in in the first two games.”
Daniel said that Arthur Smith wanted to give Fields a chance to “grow up” and he accomplished that against the Chargers.
Through the first two weeks, Fields took some shots downfield and had some plays wiped out by penalty, but by design, Pittsburgh didn’t often target the middle of the field, and we didn’t really see Fields pick apart a defense. That changed on Sunday. Fields targeted the middle, made smart throws against Los Angeles’ zone defense, took profit with check downs or by using his legs when needed, and kept moving the chains even with the Steelers’ ground game not working in the first half.
It was without a doubt the best game Fields has had as a passer in a Pittsburgh uniform, and that’s even with his first interception of the season. He looked calm and collected, and he sealed the game with a throw over the middle to WR Calvin Austin III that Austin turned into a 55-yard touchdown with his breakaway speed.
It’s hard to see the Steelers sending Fields to the bench with the team undefeated and his best performance coming against the best defense that he’s faced this season. He’s grown a lot even through three weeks, and if he continues on his upward trajectory, the Steelers could make a lot more noise than expected this season. They’re the only undefeated team in the AFC North, and they’ll have at least a two-game lead on the rest of the division after tonight, which is exactly the start Pittsburgh needed with six of its final eight games coming against division foes.
Fields leading the Steelers to their first three wins wasn’t what many expected heading into the season, but now that he has, it’s time to see just how far he can take this team.
