Justin Fields hasn’t just improved his decision making and overall fundamentals of quarterback play. He’s also improving as a sideline passer. In a new metric created by Pro Football Focus, dubbed “sideline passing” that evaluates all throws within two yards of the sideline, Fields has taken a large jump from 2023 to 2024.
Per PFF data, Fields ranks seventh in sideline passing with a 77.4-grade. That’s only behind notable names like the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers, and Washington Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels. Fields has completed over 61 percent of his sideline passes with a pair of “big-time” throws.
The most interesting aspect is the improvement compared to 2023. Last year, Fields ranked 19th across the league. His completion percentage was nearly 20 points lower at 43 percent and he made only seven “big-time” throws all season.
Of course, having a sideline target like WR George Pickens is beneficial to any quarterback. His unique ability to make difficult and contested catches along the sideline is rare and gives a quarterback confidence and leeway to target him. Still, even QB Kenny Pickett rated lower than Fields last season, meaning that Pickens alone doesn’t make for a successful subset.
It’s just another number to show Fields’ progression. From the basic to advanced to the new, most have improved. His completion percentage is up nine points compared to a year ago. His interception rate has been cut by more than half. His pass-success rate has increased seven percentage points, and his sack rate is in single digits for the first time in his career, even after being taken down four times last Sunday in the Steeelers’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The sample size isn’t huge, but four games is nearly one-quarter of the season, meaning we’re beginning to get worthwhile data and not just the “noise” of an early season.
From an overall grade standpoint, Fields is PFF’s seventh-best passer this season and is doing laps around his previous numbers. His 78.1 passing grade in 2024 easily bests 2023, which already was a career-best at 67.2. Of course, Pro Football Focus isn’t the end-all and there are areas of Fields’ game he must improve, including selling the run with great play fakes, but in trying to quantify his play, the results have been positive.
