Justin Fields had a lot of momentum going into the game against the Dallas Cowboys, but a loss in primetime has left the door open for Russell Wilson to return as the starter. It wasn’t Fields’ fault that the Pittsburgh Steelers lost, but he also didn’t do anything spectacular to put them ahead. Former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi believes that Fields struggles as a passer in big moments, and that will lead to Wilson regaining the starting job.
“Justin Fields, when he has to be the thrower, when he has to make plays throwing the football, it’s just not good enough,” Lombardi said recently on his podcast, The GM Shuffle. “He missed some guys. He couldn’t make any plays. I wouldn’t be surprised if they went back to [Wilson] just to give some more constant flow to their offense.”
That’s mostly fair criticism from Lombardi. Fields didn’t have his best game on Sunday. He made a few poor reads, throwing to the wrong receiver. The entire offense was stagnant, though. The Cowboys have a bad rush defense and they were missing some key pieces and the Steelers still couldn’t run the ball well.
Fields wasn’t the reason the Steelers lost that game. It’s tough to say he was even the biggest problem on offense. His receivers weren’t doing him many favors. He did make a few great throws, but they ended up being dropped. His number one target, George Pickens, had his worst game of the season, getting frustrated throughout.
Lombardi can say Fields was part of the problem, but what will replacing him with Wilson do? At least Fields has more upside running the ball. He also had several games before this week where he looked fine as a passer. He almost brought the Steelers back against the Indianapolis Colts. Fields also made multiple timely plays against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This week, the Steelers play the Las Vegas Raiders, who have some weaknesses on defense. It feels like a good week to give a final evaluation on whether or not Fields should continue being the starter. If the Steelers lose this game and Fields once again doesn’t do enough to help them win, then maybe Lombardi’s perspective has more credence.
If Fields comes out and plays well, it would be hard to bench him. He has played well for the Steelers. He’s still done a good job not turning the ball over. The Steelers’ offensive pieces around him just haven’t supported him well lately. It’s tough to say he’s the problem when it looks like no one can do anything right.
