Justin Fields hasn’t looked electrifying to begin the season, but he also hasn’t cost the Pittsburgh Steelers any games. He’s been very up and down, despite the flashes of brilliance. For his efforts, Fields is still ranked fairly low on NFL.com’s quarterback index. In the latest rankings posted Thursday, Fields came in as the NFL’s 26th-best quarterback.
“The Steelers play an ugly brand of football, but it’s been a winning brand through two weeks, and Fields once again didn’t hurt them,” NFL.com analyst Nick Shook wrote. “If he settles into his role as a passer, watch out.”
It is an improvement over last week but only by one spot. That’s fair because Fields didn’t put together a consistent performance in Week 2. He and the offense really struggled in the second half. Even though the Steelers scored a touchdown in Denver, penalties kept them off-balance in the first half as well. It was a clunky game overall.
However, when looking at the players ranked above him, it becomes a little head-scratching. Players like Jacoby Brissett and Deshaun Watson are right above him even though Fields arguably has the best numbers out of the three. Watson looked terrible in Week 1, and although he was better in Week 2, he still wasn’t perfect.
Fields, meanwhile, has been mistake-free. His yards might not be the best and he might only have one touchdown pass, but he’s been smart with the football. Also, some of his best plays won’t appear on any stat sheet because they were wiped out by penalties. He’s commanded the Steelers’ offense well, doing everything that they ask of him.
His legs have been dynamic. There’s an argument to be made that, even though he’s low on this list overall, he would be closer to the top of a list of current mobile quarterbacks. It feels like that ability should separate him from some of these other players, but that is not the case.
The argument could be made that the Steelers aren’t winning because of Fields, and therefore he can’t be higher on this list, but they also have yet to lose with him under center. He’s even making a strong push to keep the job once Russell Wilson is healthy. This week, against a very good Los Angeles Chargers defense, he’ll have a chance to prove that he should be higher on this list next week.
