Every week, it seems like Justin Fields earns more and more trust from the Pittsburgh Steelers. In their last game, they eventually turned to Fields and asked him to win them the game. That decision might have come too late, with the Steelers not being able to dig out of the hole they threw themselves into against the Colts. However, Fields showed a lot of promise. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark is pleading with Arthur Smith to let Fields cut loose from the start of a game.
“Here’s what makes me mad about Arthur Smith,” Clark said Thursday on ESPN’s NFL Live. “Why don’t we do it more? [Fields] has been so good with pushing the football down the field, hitting George Pickens in those one-on-one situations, getting outside the pocket, throwing in between the numbers, giving guys opportunities for yards after the catch.
“We act like we gotta wait until the game gets tight in the second half. Why not give him those opportunities to start?”
Clark is correct that Fields was lethal late in the game against the Indianapolis Colts. He made one boneheaded mistake scrambling backwards and fumbling the ball, but he made up for it with three straight touchdowns. The Steelers couldn’t get their run game going, but they probably stuck to their guns a little too long. Their offense looked much better when Fields was in control.
However, putting the ball in Fields’ hands more also gives him more opportunities to make mistakes. Part of the problem he had with the Chicago Bears was that too much was put on his plate. He was pushed to be their savior, when he still had flaws in his game. The Steelers offense puts him in a better position to succeed by providing support around him.
It’s a fine line to walk. Fields has still only played in four games with the Steelers, so it might be a little early to put him in the driver’s seat from the start. The Steelers could probably benefit from giving him the keys a little sooner in games when they can’t run the ball.
But this probably shouldn’t be the week that the Steelers unleash Fields. They’re playing the Dallas Cowboys, who have an awful run defense. This is not the game to stray away from running the ball. The Cowboys are also missing their top two edge rushers, which should make everything easier for the Steelers offense. In the future, this could be a good point to circle back on, though.
