Week 6 didn’t do much to clear up the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation. Justin Fields once again had a middling day, not killing the team but also not looking amazing as a passer. His legs were once again his greatest weapon. It’s still unclear if he’s going to keep the starting quarterback job though.
“If you’re a Steelers fan, stick with this Justin Fields situation,” former NFL offensive lineman Kyle Long said Monday on his Pushing the Pile podcast. “He’s going to get better. He has gotten better as a player since the time he came into the league. I think he does give you the best chance to win in your locker room.”
Long’s point is an interesting one. It is good advice because Fields has gotten better. He might not be the franchise quarterback some people thought he could be, but he’s also not a complete bust. Even during his short time with the Steelers, he’s taken strides as a player. Most importantly, he’s done a great job protecting the football.
However, there’s no telling if the Steelers have time to be patient through Fields’ growing pains. He’s only signed through this season. He could always re-sign with them in the offseason, but that’s not guaranteed. Because the Steelers aren’t committed to him in the long-term, they may feel less inclined to stick by him if he really struggles.
Mike Tomlin has proven that he has no intentions of tanking or not competing. If he feels like Russell Wilson gives the Steelers a better chance at making some noise in the playoffs, then he’ll probably make the change. The Steelers have very little invested in Fields. They clearly like his potential, but there’s not a lot stopping them from benching him.
Fields has had some more alarming hiccups over the past few games. Against the Dallas Cowboys, he missed some throws, not doing enough to win the game for the Steelers. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, he almost dug them into a deep hole early.
He threw an ugly interception near the end of the first half, but thankfully, it was negated to a penalty. The play came when the Steelers were losing 7-6, so at that point, the momentum swing could’ve been huge. Instead, they scored a touchdown on that drive. Fields bounced back well, but he got bailed out.
This week might say a lot about how the Steelers feel about Fields. Wilson seems to finally be healthy, so if the team really does believe he gives them a better chance to win, he could replace Fields under center. However, they could still ride with the hot hand in Fields. That’s what Long wants them to do, and it’s hard to argue against it. Winning speaks for itself.
