Justin Fields will continue to run the Steelers’ first-team offense even with Russell Wilson returning to full practice. Until things change, they are working under the assumption that Fields is starting by virtue of health and preparation. But Charlie Batch can’t help but wonder if that isn’t changing sooner rather than later. He said as much on the DVE Morning Show, highlighting one key early play: a deep shot to Connor Heyward.
This is a play that we have talked about a lot this week, with a mixture of opinions. For example, Ben Roethlisberger, another former Steelers quarterback of some note, called it a “perfect pass”, which fell incomplete. Heyward did have Fields’ pass in both hands, albeit outstretched ones mid-dive, before the ground jarred it loose. That’s not how Batch saw the throw.
“This was the worst game that [Justin Fields has] played, only because there were a couple throws in there that he missed”, Batch said. “One specifically early with Connor Heyward down the left sideline. It was a little bit of pressure but he should’ve been able to make that throw. And if he makes that throw, then maybe he settles in and he’s able to go through the game and be able to push the football down the field”.
So was it a perfect pass or a miss, or somewhere in between? Opinions seem to be all over the place, but I think we all agree that it was catchable. Fields threw that pass under pressure, as Batch acknowledges, but he also failed to connect with 6-7 Darnell Washington down the field a few plays later. For what it’s worth, Fields himself said he was “six inches from a big play” in regard to Heyward, suggesting he put too much on it.
“When you miss that type of throw and you get behind the chains, sometimes it’s difficult for you to get in a rhythm because you don’t want to make another mistake”, Batch said, suggesting that the early misses affected Fields and what the Steelers called for him for the rest of the game. He did end up making a couple of turnover-worthy throws as the game wore on, which he previously had largely avoided.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stressed during his Tuesday press conference that chunk plays are crucial for their offense. They lack the consistency and polish to be free of reliance upon the splash plays that bridge those gaps. If you’re not playing clean football or getting reliable production, you’re going to need to move the ball 20, 30, 40 yards at a time in spots to reduce the number of successes you need to find the end zone.
It’s no surprise that the Steelers have the 26th-ranked scoring offense so far. They have the fourth-fewest touchdowns in the NFL, with Justin Fields accounting for all of them. He has five touchdown passes, all but one to tight ends, and three rushing touchdowns.
But five passing touchdowns in five games is not good. Three rushing touchdowns in five games is not good. There are six teams with twice as many touchdowns or better, and, you guessed it, that’s not good. The Steelers haven’t been good enough with Justin Fields at quarterback. Would they be any better with Russell Wilson at quarterback? I don’t know. Nor do I know if we will ever have the chance to find out.
