Two games, two wins for the Pittsburgh Steelers with Justin Fields as their starting quarterback.
There should be plenty more of those to come for the Steelers, too, as long as Fields is under center and playing the way he is: avoiding the killer turnovers, taking shots down the field, and generally playing within offensive coordinator’s Arthur Smith scheme.
At least, that’s what former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky believes.
Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show Tuesday, Orlovsky stated that he believes Fields is doing everything asked of him and that the Steelers are a real threat with him under center.
“I’ve said this, I think Justin should be their starter, and I think they could beat basically anybody with him,” Orlovsky said.
Through the first two games, Fields’ numbers haven’t been all that impressive. He’s thrown for just 276 yards across two games with just one touchdown. However, his completion rate is a career-high 69.8%. He’s playing well within the scheme, making all of the throws that are there, and most importantly is avoiding the killer mistakes.
He’s only been sacked four times, too.
But saying they could be “basically anybody” is a bit of a stretch, especially after the Steelers have scored just 31 points through two games.
The offense has looked better than it has in the past, just based on the design, the room the Steelers are operating with, and more. But they just aren’t scoring points, and to beat teams you have to score points. Granted, it helps that the Steelers have an elite-level defense opposite the offense that is still getting its legs underneath itself. But that’s a tough ask for the Steelers, especially against the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and more in the AFC alone.
Orlovsky wouldn’t go as far as saying the Steelers can win the Super Bowl with Fields, but he did say they can compete with those teams with Fields, adding he doesn’t think they could do that with Russell Wilson.
“I don’t think like they’re explosive enough to beat, you know, probably like your Houstons, your Kansas Citys. I think the Jets can get hot, Buffalo. So, my point in saying that is I don’t think they can do that with Russ,” Orlovsky said. “I just don’t. I don’t believe that they’re capable of doing that with Russ. I think if they continue to progress, I could see them becoming more explosive on offense.”
Fields is certainly the more dynamic player right now at this point in their respective careers. There is no denying that.
But it seems like a bit of a stretch to say that with the way Fields is playing right now that Wilson can’t do that, which is take some shots down the field, hit some rollout throws, utilize play-action and have some success. It’s not as if Fields is doing anything outlandish outside of his jaw-dropping throw on Sunday that was negated by a penalty.
The Steelers very clearly have a style they’re comfortable with right now on offense and as a team. They’re winning games and putting themselves in a good position.
Right now though it’s a stretch to say that they can beat anyone with Fields under center and that the same can’t be said for Wilson with the style of play.
