The Pittsburgh Steelers had their best offensive day last Sunday in a 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. QB Justin Fields had three total touchdowns, threw for 312 yards, and rushed for 55 yards. But it wasn’t all pretty. The defense struggled early, and the Steelers fell behind 17-0 in the first half. And the offense turned the ball over twice on fumbles, wiping out scoring chances that could have made the difference in the game.
But the offensive process seems to be getting better in Pittsburgh. It’s why Seth Galina of Pro Football Focus thinks Sunday could be a breakout game for Fields and the Steelers.
Mina Kimes expects the same. She brought Benjamin Solak on The Mina Kimes Show’s Thursday episode to preview the Week 5 slate of games. Solak discussed the Cowboys’ defensive issues, and Kimes jumped right in on that.
“I think the Steelers are just like on the verge of breaking out, to your point, as a rushing team,” Kimes said. “That was my thing for the Steelers, just keep building on what you did last week. The big one is Justin Fields, man. ‘Cause he has been sort of restrained. He’s had a lot of carries, but we have not seen Chicago Justin Fields running the football. It’s been a very fascinating season thus far from him. You saw against Indianapolis a glimpse, I think, of what I think we’re going to see more of the rest of the year.”
Fields had the most carries (10) last Sunday he’s had since the season-opener against the Atlanta Falcons (14). He posted 5.1 yards per carry, his highest mark this season, and found the end zone twice.
Fields had the most rushing yardage by a Steelers player last Sunday. The second-most? Cordarrelle Patterson, who had 43 yards on six carries. RB Najee Harris had the most carries (13) but only had 19 yards, which continued his disappointing start to the season.
But the Steelers’ offense, and the run game in particular, could flourish against the Cowboys Sunday night. The Cowboys allow 4.6 yards per carry, tied for 10th-most in the league. And they’ll be missing DeMarcus Lawrence and likely Micah Parsons, who suffered a high ankle sprain last Thursday night.
As for Kimes’ comment about not seeing Fields’ rushing prowess that we saw while he was with the Bears, it’s true. Fields is only producing 3.8 yards per carry through his first four games in Pittsburgh. He registered 6.2 yards per carry during his three seasons in Chicago.
But last Sunday, we saw a glimpse of Fields’ rushing prowess. With the Steelers struggling to get their running game going early, and by extension the offense, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith might want to look at designing some more opportunities for Fields earlier in games.
And the Cowboys might be the prime target for that game plan. Kimes expects Fields to carry the ball a lot Sunday night, and Solak points out a potential mismatch in the Steelers’ favor.
“There isn’t a Cowboys linebacker who weighs as much as Justin Fields in this game,” Solak said “Ain’t one that weighs as much as Cordarrelle Patterson, Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward, Najee Harris. The Steelers are remarkably bigger in terms of the bodies in the core of the formation.”
The Steelers would be well-served to lean into that on Sunday. And that’s exactly what Smith wants to do. For the Steelers, getting G Isaac Seumalo back could be a big boost to their offensive line. And if that happens the Steelers and Justin Fields could have a, well, field day running the ball.
