Just days after unveiling the Justin Fields package on three snaps, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed just how often they were willing to go to the well. Partly driven by impact, he doubled his snap count to six, though it felt like more. He even saw multiple snaps in a row—and indeed even attempted a pass.
But as like the week before, Fields knows that he could have done more, especially with his legs. Against the Ravens, Fields prematurely slid before gaining a game-sealing first down. At the time, he said he would have felt sick if the Steelers hadn’t gotten the first down.
Now he does feel sick, for yet another thing he believes he failed to do. Only this one wasn’t nearly as bad—or even bad at all. On his second snap of the game, two plays into a fourth-quarter drive prior to which the Steelers fell behind 18-6, Fields provided that spark.
On 2nd and 6, he found the right sideline, winning the edge and running down the field for 30 yards. But that wasn’t enough—he wanted more. “I should have scored”, Fields said, via Brooke Pryor. “I’m sick, but I just got to make sure I’m warm on the sideline at all times. I kind of felt stiff on that one. On the second one, I felt a little bit looser”.
While Fields played his first three seasons with the Bears, he never got used to the inclement weather. Just last year, he admitted that he hoped Chicago would eventually add a dome to its stadium. So it’s not surprise that the Georgia native might have struggled to stay warm in near-whiteout conditions while not playing.
Justin Fields stayed in the game for the next two plays after his long gain, but things didn’t go so well. The Browns stopped him for a two-yard loss on the next play, and then he threw incomplete to George Pickens. Fortunately, a roughing the passer penalty saved the Steelers, giving them a new set of downs. They ultimately found the end zone, making it a one-score game again.
All in all, Fields finished the game with 26 rushing yards on three attempts—losing two yards apiece on his other two runs. He went 0-for-1 passing but drew the aforementioned roughing the passer penalty. Most importantly, he did provide the Steelers a spark, and that’s what he was there for.
Who know what the Justin Fields package will look moving forward. The Steelers obviously like to use him, and they seemed to use him in a way that indicated they felt they needed something different last night.
They also showed that they are willing to keep him in the game for extended sequences, not just one play at a time. At what point do we approach a “hot hand” situation? Granted, we have a long way to go before there is a quarterback controversy between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. But with the Steelers committed to neither beyond this season, anything is possible.
