Russell Wilson has done a great job starting for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but not everything has been sunshine and roses. The Steelers’ offense has been fine until they enter the red zone. Against the Baltimore Ravens, they were absolutely anemic once they got close to the red zone. The Steelers likely would’ve lost that game if not for Chris Boswell. They need to be better. Ben Roethlisberger believes Justin Fields could solve that issue.
“What about bringing Fields in in the red zone a little bit?” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “Let’s use some of the quarterback runs. I would love to see a changeup in the red zone just to utilize his legs. We know he had five touchdowns this year. Why not bring him into the red zone a little bit to mix it up?”
Roethlisberger does make a good point. Fields had his struggles as the Steelers’ starter, but in the red zone, his legs were an awesome weapon. He did record five rushing touchdowns. Wilson should remain the starter, but putting Fields in closer to the end zone could be an excellent strategy.
The Steelers did employ their Fields package on offense this past week. It saw moderate success. Fields was as athletic as ever, although he did have one gaffe that was almost very costly. With around a minute left in the game, Fields came in on a second-and-10. His number was called, and he could’ve picked up the first down to end the game. However, he slid too early, falling short.
Roethlisberger didn’t love that play from Fields either.
“I loved that they put Fields in. Bring a big guy in that can run, give you a read option, run it downhill, a little quarterback power. I know he had a run later in the game, which I thought was a great call, bringing him in. I hated that he slid early.”
Luckily, the Steelers still picked up the first down, winning the game. That doesn’t excuse Fields’ mistake. Thankfully, it sounds like he understands the rule better now, so he should be ready for next time.
On a short week on the road, the Steelers might want to use Fields early if they continue to struggle in the red zone. The Cleveland Browns will likely try to be prepared for it, but that kind of speed is tough to gameplan against. Roethlisberger could be on to something.
It’s not like last week was the first time the Steelers couldn’t finish in the red zone, either. This has been an ongoing problem with Wilson at quarterback. With the short field, Fields might allow Arthur Smith to be more creative. It’s not a knock on Wilson, but wasting Fields’ talents on the bench would probably be a mistake.
