Justin Fields had some issues early against the Atlanta Falcons, but he eventually got untracked and helped the Pittsburgh Steelers capture an 18-10 victory. He struggled in some areas throwing the ball, but he was as dynamic as advertised running the football. Falcons edge rusher Matt Judon seemed very impressed with Fields.
“That’s a mobile quarterback,” Judon told reporters after the game via the Falcons’ YouTube channel. “Justin Fields is probably one of the fastest quarterbacks in the league. What he lack in his arm, which I don’t think he lacking arm talent, he excels with his feet. It is difficult to stop him.”
The Falcons almost stopped Fields before he even got started, but he shook off the early nerves and played well. He did miss some throws, but he didn’t turn the ball over. That was the key to the Steelers winning. They won the turnover battle and generally played mistake-free football on offense.
Fields gave the Falcons fits with his legs too. Fields ran for first downs multiple times during the game, which had to frustrate the Falcons. While he didn’t break off any big runs or score a touchdown, Fields had some timely usage of his best skill.
Like Judon said, Fields wasn’t lacking when throwing the ball either. He had a huge completion to George Pickens to set up a field goal at the end of the first half. He had another great pass to Pickens that was called back due to a penalty. His talents were on full display even though he didn’t get a full work week as the starter.
If Fields starts next week, maybe a more complete week of work as the starter would help him perform even better. If Russell Wilson’s calf injury continues to linger, or gets any worse, the Steelers seem to be in good hands with Fields starting. The offense still needs to finish better, but as long as Fields doesn’t turn the ball over, the Steelers offense should be fine.
