QB Justin Fields is all about the wins, not the stats. So far, he’s led the Pittsburgh Steelers to four victories and Sunday’s might’ve been the most critical one of the season. Staring down the possibility of losing three straight and falling to .500, Pittsburgh notched a big 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
While it wasn’t a perfect performance, Fields isn’t dwelling on the plays he missed.
“Everybody has missed throws. At the end of the day, nobody’s perfect,” Fields said postgame via the team’s website. “It’s not about to get in my head or anything. I’ve missed so many throws in my career so it’s nothing new. It’s not anything different. Like I said, everybody missed throws. Whether you’re Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or whoever.”
Fields rushed for two touchdowns, including one on a crucial 4th-and-goal run when play-action failed to fool the Raiders’ defense. That put Pittsburgh ahead 12-7 instead of leaving empty-handed. As a passer, Fields’ stats weren’t as pretty, going 14-of-24 for 145 yards and no touchdowns. The incompletions weren’t entirely his fault, WR George Pickens dropped at least two passes, but he had a string of misses. That included three-straight incompletions that forced the team to settle for a field goal.
His accuracy was spottier in this game than it had been in any other this season. He missed a swing pass high to RB Jaylen Warren that Warren somehow fell on to avoid a costly backwards pass and fumble. And he was picked over the middle in the red zone, never seeing the Raiders’ underneath defender, and was bailed out by a roughing-the-passer call that negated the turnover. Had that play stood, there would’ve been calls to switch to Russell Wilson, active for the first time this season, to jump-start an offense struggling in the first half.
Justin Fields’ short-term memory is key for any quarterback. Put the play behind you and move to the next one. To his credit, Fields and the offense finished the game strong and put up a season-high 32 points. But there will be a serious conversation about who will start in Week 7 Sunday night against the New York Jets, Fields or Wilson. Mike Tomlin should provide clarity Tuesday.
