Given that we are basically seven months into the Justin Fields-Russell Wilson debate, certain media figures have planted their flag on one side or the other for who should be the Pittsburgh Steelers starter. Perhaps nobody in the media has been in Fields’ corner than ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky. Now that it seems the Steelers will turn to Wilson, he can hardly believe what he is hearing.
“I have absolutely no idea why, and I don’t think they’re going to,” Orlovsky said of benching Fields in favor of Wilson via ESPN’s NFL Live on Tuesday. “In my gut, I don’t think they’re going, this is the Pittsburgh Steelers. They care about one thing – winning. That’s all, and they’re winning. They’re 4-2. He is playing winning football. They scored on seven drives this past weekend. That’s their most since 2021. My question is this: What is Russell going to do better than Justin’s done that actually is going to equate to more wins.”
On one hand, the 4-2 record is very strong, and Fields’ play has probably been better than most expected. But on the other hand, the offense hasn’t really been the reason the team has won, and they haven’t been able to pick up the slack when the defense underperforms. There have been some solid quarters or even halves here and there, but they have yet to put up a complete performance.
You can point to several factors as to why the offense is inconsistent. The offensive line has been in constant flux, which will continue in Week 7 with Zach Frazier temporarily out of the lineup with an ankle injury. The wide receiver play hasn’t been great, with a drop percentage of 7.8. Too many plays have been left on the field, including some big plays negated by penalty. And the run game has been unable to get going other than the most recent game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
One way to ensure the run game gets going is to maximize the passing game. Then, the opposing defenses can’t stack the box, and the offense can find more balance. This is where I think Wilson can make a tangible difference. Even in his worst seasons, Wilson has been a better and more efficient passer than Fields at his best.
If he can make the passing game a threat, I think it could do wonders for the offense and what it can achieve, even if the run game is still the main focus.
If all else fails, it is also very easy to go back to Fields. If Wilson starts, I imagine they give him at least the next two games leading up to the bye to decide on the rest of the season.
