After a relatively strong start to the 2024 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, fourth-year quarterback Justin Fields is coming off his worst performance of the season in Week 5.
Fields threw for just 131 yards on 15-of-27 passing against the Dallas Cowboys in a 20-17 loss. While he threw for two touchdowns on the night and didn’t turn the football over, the performance simply wasn’t good enough as he struggled to throw the ball accurately and didn’t see the field all that well.
The struggles from the former first-round pick out of Ohio State come at an inopportune time for him as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. Russell Wilson is getting close to full health, having reportedly been medically cleared two weeks ago and telling the Sunday Night Football crew he’s hopeful to go in Week 6 against Las Vegas but is eyeing Week 7 against the New York Jets in primetime.
For former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel, who appeared on The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast with Dianna Russini, there’s no denying that Fields struggled against the Cowboys. And now, the Steelers have a full-on QB controversy entering Week 6.
“Yeah, I’m gonna keep it real. I’m gonna keep it real. He didn’t play well this game. Like, he didn’t play well. He was inaccurate, he got out of the pocket too early at times,” Daniel said of Fields, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “He held on [to] the ball too long. I mean, all things that Bears fans were like, ‘This is a Justin Field I know and love, and this is what we hate and this is why he is yada yada.’ Okay, I got that. This was the first game that I thought Justin looked a little outmatched and just wasn’t playing well.”
Fields certainly didn’t play well. It didn’t help that some playmakers like George Pickens, Van Jefferson and Connor Heyward had critical drops in big spots, not helping out their quarterback when he was accurate and trying to make plays through the air.
The four drops really hindered any sort of momentum as they played a key role in drives stalling. It was rather frustrating to watch, and I’m sure it was maddening for Fields, who certainly did his part with accurate throws that hit them in the hands.
But outside of the four drops, Fields just didn’t look all that good. He wasn’t comfortable from the jump and was bailing on the pocket. He threw into coverage when he should have run at times and ran into traffic when he should have thrown to a wide-open player.
It was as if he was second-guessing himself over and over again. That led to him not playing freely, and it led to a poor offensive showing.
So now, with Wilson nearing full health and aiming to get back onto the field, the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin have a decision on their hands: stick with Fields and continue to develop him or turn to Wilson for an offensive spark and get a look at a veteran QB who was expected to be the starter all along before an injury?
“I say all this, this opens the door to maybe, ‘Let’s try Russell out.’ And on the broadcast, they were saying that Russ is healthy,” Daniel added regarding Fields and Wilson. “This will be a big week for him in practice. So, it’s gonna be fascinating to see how Mike Tomlin sidesteps all the conversation because it’s gonna be talked about the entire week.”
Tuesday’s press conference with Tomlin will be key. He’ll undoubtedly be asked about the QB situation once again, and this time he seemingly can’t lean on the fact that Wilson isn’t healthy, because based on a report from the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, Wilson was medically cleared two weeks ago.
So, a tough decision will need to be made. To Tomlin’s credit, he knows how to manage these types of decisions and not rock the boat entirely. It will be fascinating to see how it plays out.
