Coming off of a tough showing against the Dallas Cowboys in primetime on Sunday Night Football in Week 5, Justin Fields now finds himself facing additional pressure entering Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders on the road.
Not only does he need to play well to help stop a two-game losing streak, he also needs to play well to potentially hang onto the starting job for the Black and Gold as veteran quarterback Russell Wilson — who was named the starting quarterback ahead of the season — is finally healthy and will be active this week as the No. 2 behind Fields, for the time being.
After being able to play freely in the first five weeks of the season, there’s no added pressure with Wilson healthy and looking over his shoulder, itching to get onto the field for the Steelers under head coach Mike Tomlin.
So, Fields needs to play well. For former Steelers’ head coach and Hall of Famer Bill Cowher, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith needs to help Fields out by opening up the offense and letting the young quarterback have the chance to grow and make plays.
Appearing on NFL Today on CBS Sunday morning, Cowher said he would implore Smith to open up the offense for the young quarterback, rather than being conservative in an effort to not make mistakes and hurt the team.
“Last thing I would say, Arthur Smith, open this offense up,” Cowher said of Smith and the Steelers’ offense with Fields under center, according to video via CBS. “I think give him a chance to start spreading out the field. Go empty, go no huddle. Use him now and give him a chance to grow as a quarterback.”
At times this season, Fields has taken the restrictions off of Fields and let him play. The second half of the game against the Indianapolis Colts, Smith opened things up for Fields as the Steelers needed to mount a comeback. Fields impressed, especially after an ugly fumble on a third down play in which he passed up a hot read and tried to make something happen with his legs.
After that mistake, Fields was an entirely different quarterback — in a good way. He made some great throws, utilized his legs and made a bunch of plays for the Steelers, nearly dragging them back for the comeback. But since then, he hasn’t had the opportunity to play like that.
That’s been the case much of the season, too. It lines up with the way the Steelers want to play football, which is run the ball on offense, hit some shots downfield, avoid the mistakes and the turnovers, and lean on the defense to carry the load and win low-scoring games.
The last two weeks, that hasn’t worked. Fields put the Steelers in a position to win Week 5 against Dallas with a late touchdown drive, but the defense didn’t uphold its end of the bargain late in the game, giving up a fourth-down touchdown.
Now, entering a pivotal Week 6 matchup against the Raiders, a number of talking heads are pounding the table for Smith and the Steelers to open up the offense and let Fields be Fields. Seems unlikely that’ll happen, especially with the Steelers riding a two-game losing streak and needing to get back on track on the road in a tough West Coast trip to take on the Raiders in Sin City.
But it’s certainly a great point from Cowher. With Wilson breathing down Fields’ neck, the Steelers have to open the playbook for the young quarterback and find out what they have, good or bad. Let Fields play with confidence and let his talents take over, much like they did against the Colts.
