Despite throwing his first interception of the season on a tipped ball, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Justin Fields played his best game of the season in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Fields was 25-of-32 for 245 yards and a passing and rushing touchdown, and former NFL safety Devin McCourty said it’s clear there’s growth in Fields’ game. He pinpointed a throw to Pat Freiermuth at the end of the first half and the touchdown pass Fields threw to Calvin Austin III as examples.
“Especially when you go back and watch the tape, it’s not just the backyard, three plays, like Justin Fields, right before the half, he threw a ball to Freiermuth that Freiermuth dropped, but he threw it between two defenders right in the middle of the field that would’ve set up a field goal. And it was an unbelievable throw of anticipation, that throw right there to Austin. He’s hitting his back foot, he’s delivering the ball. It’s what they were hoping to see down the line from Justin Fields,” McCourty said on Pro Football Talk Live.
The throw to Freiermuth was a beauty, and it’s a ball Freiermuth should’ve caught. Fields stood in the pocket and waited for Freiermuth to clear one defender and fired it in the seam, but Freiermuth dropped it, and the Steelers ended up settling for a 62-yard Chris Boswell field-goal attempt that was no good.
Those are the throws a starting quarterback in the NFL makes, and Fields has progressed a lot this season in terms of making the smart read and going through his progressions from his time with the Chicago Bears. He’s playing smart football and not forcing the ball, staying patient and hitting the check down if needed.
As for the touchdown pass to Austin, Fields again stood tall in the pocket, waited for Austin to break into space, and threw a perfectly thrown ball that allowed Austin to use his speed to break away for the touchdown.
With the Steelers at 3-0 and Fields showing marked improvement as a passer, it’s going to be hard to turn away from him as Pittsburgh’s starter even when Russell Wilson is healthy. He adds another element with his legs, and if he can sling the rock he did against the Chargers while also being able to create with his legs, the Steelers’ offense is going to be tough to stop.
The Steelers aren’t putting up gaudy numbers, but they’re controlling the ball and wearing out defenses, and it’s been a winning formula so far. The run game wasn’t working for much of the first three quarters on Sunday, and in past seasons, that would be a death knell to Pittsburgh’s chances. But Fields kept them in the game, playing smart, situational football, and the Steelers were able to dominate in the second half and come away with a win over the previously unbeaten Chargers. It was really impressive, and right now, all signs point to Fields being the guy in Pittsburgh.
