Two weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were flying high at 3-0 with QB Justin Fields. Fast forward two weeks and the Steelers are 3-2, having dropped back-to-back one-score games. The latest was a 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night and into Monday morning, in which the Steelers’ offense floundered for vast stretches. Do back-t0-back losses open the door for QB Russell Wilson to reclaim the starting spot?
“The repetitive thing is it’s not connecting, like there are not enough big plays,” said Ray Fittipaldo on Monday’s episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast. “There was not enough scoring with Justin Fields at quarterback. And we’ll see where Russell Wilson is next week. I think, Chris, this is a good time to make that move. You brought Russell Wilson in to be the starter, you’re coming off a loss. And if things go bad with Russell Wilson at any point during the season, you know for a fact that you can go back to Justin Fields and he can help you win games. So think this is the perfect spot to make that move. We’ll see if Mike Tomlin pulls the trigger.”
This is the scenario that’s been looming over the Steelers ever since Wilson strained his calf on the eve of training camp practices. Fields was the beneficiary of the extra reps in training camp and showed improvement. And when Wilson was healthy, he was named the starter. Then he injured his calf before the start of the regular season, and Fields has started all five games.
But the prospect of Wilson coming back once fully healthy has been in the background of every game. Fields hasn’t blown anyone away with his stats, which has certainly left the door open. But it was hard to fathom that Tomlin and the Steelers would yank him if he kept winning.
Now that the Steelers have lost two straight games, the topic becomes much easier to broach. The argument can be made that Fields played quite well against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend and was a big part of the reason the team even had a chance at the end to win.
However, Fields was less effective against the Cowboys. He only completed 15 of his 27 passing attempts for 131 yards. He did throw for 2 touchdowns and gave the Steelers the lead late in the contest. He also carried the ball 6 times for 27 yards.
Now, the Steelers and Tomlin have to ask if Fields is the reason the offense is struggling. The offensive line is banged up with both OT Troy Fautanu and G James Daniels on injured reserve. And no one is stepping up as a reliable receiving option opposite WR George Pickens. And even he hasn’t been the most reliable and was on a snap count for some reason against the Cowboys.
And if they believe Fields is the biggest issue, do they believe Wilson can overcome the other issues? Because regardless of the other issues, Fields has been better running the ball than RB Najee Harris. Harris has nearly double the rushing attempts, but Fields averages over half a yard more per carry than Harris. Harris is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry while Fields averages 3.9. And with the injuries at the running back position in the early going, Fields has 44 rushing attempts through five games. He’s an integral part of the rushing attack and arguably the most effective part right now.
So the Steelers need to figure this out: Does Wilson improve the passing game so much that it overcomes the loss of Fields’ ability to generate yards on the ground and overcome issues on the offensive line? If Wilson can elevate the passing game, that will make the Steelers a much more dangerous team than they are right now.
Or will the Steelers simply turn to Wilson because they previously named him the starter? Playing games with who’s the starting quarterback isn’t going to really help anyone long-term. The Steelers are trying to be competitive this season, which is why they would contemplate a move. But yo-yoing Fields as the starter isn’t going to benefit him or the team long-term.
