For the second straight week, the overall numbers weren’t all that impressive from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, but the Black and Gold did the most important thing with him at the helm: win a football game.
After throwing for just 156 yards in Week 1 on the road in a win over Atlanta, Fields threw for just 117 yards and a touchdown on the road in a 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos, helping the Steelers get to 2-0 on the season. Those numbers — 13-of-20 passing for 117 yards and a touchdown — aren’t all that impressive.
But they don’t tell the full story, either.
Fields had a strong day overall against the Broncos and had a couple of big plays wiped off the board due to penalties, limiting his production on the day.
His performance, and the style in which the Steelers want to play, is good enough so far, which has former NFL tight end and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe questioning whether veteran quarterback Russell Wilson ever gets the starting quarterback job back.
Appearing on the Nightcap show Sunday night, Sharpe compared the situation to one that former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo and New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe experienced in their careers, leading to young quarterbacks behind them getting shots due to injury and never looking back.
That most famously involves Tom Brady.
“But as long as Justin Fields don’t resort back to the Justin Fields in Chicago, where he’s turning the ball over, he’ll be fine. I don’t see how Russell wrestles the job away from him,” Sharpe said on the Nightcap show, according to video via the show’s YouTube page.
Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson disagreed with him, stating that Wilson will get the job back due to what Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has said in the past about Wilson and him being the starting quarterback. But that led to Sharpe hitting him with the Romo and Bledsoe comparisons.
“I remember Jerry Jones said that about Tony Romo when he is healthy, getting that job back, tell the people at home that that wasn’t around then and didn’t follow Nightcap. When Tony Romo got healthy, what did he do?” Sharpe said of that situation in Dallas.
Ultimately, the Cowboys rolled with then-rookie Dak Prescott, which led to the end of Romo’s career. It was similar in New England, too, where Bledsoe got hurt early in the 2001 season after a hit from New York Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, giving Brady his shot that he very clearly took and ran with.
“What did Coach [Bill] Belichick do when Drew Bledsoe got hurt? Oh yeah. What was supposed to happen?” Sharpe added.
Brady stayed the starter that season and helped take New England to the Super Bowl, setting off a run of dominance.
Sharpe isn’t attempting to compare Fields to Brady or even Prescott, but the situations are similar. Injuries opened the door to opportunity, the young quarterbacks stepped in for the big names and played well, their team won, and things never went back to the way they were supposed to be.
That very well could be the situation in Pittsburgh as the Steelers are now 2-0 on the season. Again, Fields’ numbers aren’t all that impressive, but he’s playing well within the offense, making some key throws down the field, utilizing his legs, and avoiding the negative plays.
It might just be enough for him to keep the starting job moving forward, even when Wilson is healthy, whenever that might be. For now though, it is Fields’ job. The opportunity is there. Time to take advantage of it.
