Their defense has been a big reason why they’re 2-0, but Justin Fields has been a good quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fields has had a rough career up to this point, filled with ups and downs, but he’s playing good football for the Steelers. Fields has been smart and efficient through two games. Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus believes this is the best version of Fields in the NFL.
“Is he a world-beater right now?” Sikkema asked on the Monday edition of PFF’s podcast. “No. Is he the best version of Justin Fields that we have seen in his NFL career? Yes, and it’s worth pointing out that he is that right now for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I do not care if Russell Wilson is healthy next week. No way I’m going back to Russell Wilson until Justin Fields gives me a reason to do that.”
It’s not like Fields has been a complete bust since being drafted with the 11th pick in the 2021 draft. He made some spectacular plays in three seasons with the Chicago Bears, even rushing for 1,000 yards in 2022. However, he’s previously struggled with turning the ball over and taking sacks. So far, those haven’t been issues with the Steelers.
There have been opportunities for Fields to turn the ball over, though. He had one particularly dangerous throw against the Denver Broncos and fumbled snaps have been a problem in both games this year. He’s only been sacked four times, though, and with the Steelers’ offensive line still going through some growing pains, it’s tough to blame those all on him.
Overall, Fields has been more impressive than his statistics would imply. He’s had numerous great plays wiped out due to penalties. He might have even made the best throw of his career against the Broncos, but it didn’t count because of a holding penalty. He’s playing very intelligently, though.
He’s doing a good job taking what the defense is giving him while allowing the Steelers rushing attack to carry the load. Their offensive struggles are not a direct result of his poor play. He’s used his legs on good occasions but hasn’t relied on them. He’s still had accuracy issues on shorter throws, but his deep ball has been money.
It seems like Wilson won’t be healthy enough to start this week, so Fields will probably be the starter by default once again. The Los Angeles Chargers will be a serious test for him, but if he performs well again, it will be hard for Mike Tomlin to return to Wilson. It’s an unfortunate situation for the veteran, but Sikkema is probably correct. Fields hasn’t done anything to lose the job yet.
