Justin Fields didn’t have the start to his NFL career that many people thought he would. At times, he looked electric with the Chicago Bears, but ultimately, he made too many mistakes. Because of that, when he got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for just a conditional sixth-round pick, many people doubted that he would ever be a successful quarterback. Colin Cowherd was one of those people, but it seems he is second-guessing himself.
“I didn’t think you could win with one touchdown a week, but I was wrong on Justin Fields,” Cowherd said Monday on The Herd. “Arthur Smith, he’s coached out the reckless in him. Justin’s still, he’s not a guy that’s sitting in the pocket and gonna throw you four touchdown passes, but he’s had only one turnover all season.”
Credit to Cowherd, he was willing to concede that Fields has played better than he expected him to. It still might be a little early to say that Fields is a superstar or franchise quarterback, but he’s definitely earned the starting job. The Steelers started slowly on offense in Week 3, but Fields had them cooking with gas in the second half.
The Los Angeles Chargers have one of the best defenses in the NFL, which makes Fields’ performance even more impressive. They did lose star pass rusher Joey Bosa early in the game, but they have other players who are just as talented. The Steelers won because of Fields, which seems to be enough to make Cowherd admit he was wrong.
Cowherd had made it clear that he didn’t think the Steelers were a very good team. He’s also been low on Fields, but it’s tough to argue that point when they’re 3-0. They haven’t looked perfect, and there’s still a lot that can happen this season, but they look like a team that can make a playoff push.
Saying Smith coached the recklessness out of Fields could be true, but a larger sample size may be needed to confirm that. Fields’ style of play before this year could be labeled as reckless because of all the turnovers and sacks he produced. Those were drive killers when he was with the Bears, but with the Steelers, he looks more decisive and confident.
Part of what makes Fields’ play so impressive is how smart he’s been with the football. He did throw an interception against the Chargers, but it sounds like he’s intent on not letting a mistake like that happen again. Otherwise, he’s been turnover-free, which will do nothing but help his chances of remaining the starter.
This week, Fields will probably start against the Indianapolis Colts, and hopefully he can put forth another strong performance. It still feels like the dam hasn’t totally broken for the Steelers’ offense, but that seems close. If this week is another step forward, the Steelers may prove they can be one of the most formidable teams in the league.
