Justin Fields is 4-2 as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback. Fields and the Steelers halted their two-game slide by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, 32-13, on Sunday. Despite the final score, it wasn’t an offensive clinic for the Steelers. Fields only threw for 145 yards (but did not officially turn the ball over). He did find the end zone twice on the ground as the running game was by far its most effective so far this season.
So, despite the win, there are those who are calling for head coach Mike Tomlin to make the switch to QB Russell Wilson. Even Steeler Depot’s Ross McCorkle thinks the Steelers should start Wilson in Week 7. And I don’t think anyone disagrees that the offense needs to improve for the Steelers to reach the playoffs this year. But the question is whether Wilson can overcome the offensive issues better than Fields can.
“Have people watched the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line?” former NFL G Damien Woody asked on Monday’s episode of Get Up on ESPN. “They are atrocious. For anyone to call for Russell Wilson to be the quarterback playing behind that line, it would be a big mistake. That offensive line is pathetic.”
The Steelers’ reality right now is that their offensive line has issues all over the place. To most people’s surprise, that doesn’t include LT Dan Moore Jr. very often this season. But the Steelers have been plagued by both injuries and poor play. Sunday marked the first time the Steelers had the same starting offensive line for two weeks in row this season. Only Moore and rookie C Zach Frazier have started all six games this season.
And two of the Steelers’ ideal starting linemen won’t be back this season. G James Daniels suffered a torn Achilles during the Steelers’ loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. And rookie OT Troy Fautanu suffered a knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers.
That second injury has kept OT Broderick Jones at right tackle for most of this season. And the results have not been pretty.
Broderick Jones was like, something ain’t right here #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/fkRgEF8Gwv
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) October 14, 2024
It’s plays like this that weigh on people’s minds when talking about Fields versus Wilson. Fields was able to turn a situation with an unexpected free rusher into a first down with his legs. Can Wilson still do that at almost 36 years old?
The reality is that Fields, even with all that athleticism, has been sacked 16 times through six games. He’s on pace to be sacked 45 times through a full 17-game season. Do we think that Wilson would fare better behind this offensive line than Fields at this point?
Woody doesn’t think so. And if the answer is no, the Steelers are actually making things worse for their offense. And while I understand McCorkle’s argument that the Steelers want to find out exactly what they have in Wilson, I do think they would find out pretty quickly that Wilson is on the ground in the backfield more than Fields. We even saw that in the preseason when Wilson made his first start. The Buffalo Bills sacked Wilson three times in fives drives.
I know it was only preseason, but have we seen anything to be certain that the Steelers’ offensive line is more effective at pass blocking? Then, factor in the lack of quality playmakers on the offensive side of the ball.
Fields is better suited to overcoming the issues on the offensive line than Wilson. His ability to turn negative plays into positive ones with his legs is something that Wilson can’t do at the same level. I understand wanting to know what Wilson can do.
But if the Steelers want to give their offense the best chance at sustaining drives, Fields is the answer right now. And by continuing to work with Fields, the Steelers also give themselves more information on whether he can be a long-term answer, too.
