The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback position has been quite a rollercoaster ride over the last few years. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers have struggled to find a long-term answer, bouncing between young quarterbacks in recent years. This year, the combination of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson was introduced to hopefully fix that issue.
Fields started the first six games of the year while Wilson was out with a calf injury. Wilson returned in Week 7 and has been the starter since then. The Steelers have gotten some solid play out of each of them at times this year. However, they’ve each struggled as well.
Most recently, Wilson has been struggling. On Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Kyle Long even suggested Pittsburgh turn to Fields against the Baltimore Ravens.
“Who do you play, Russell Wilson or Justin Fields? Put Justin Fields in there, man,” Long said. “Get the dynamic guy out there. Get the guy who can extend plays… It would be fun… If the moon ball is out the window, the offense for the Pittsburgh Steelers is non-existent. If you have Justin Fields in there, it adds another blocker. It adds another level of explosiveness to this offense… I’ve seen Justin Fields have huge games before.”
Wilson did manage to win six of his first seven games as the starter. Now, he’s in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Wilson has looked especially rough during those losses, and the offense has cratered in almost every way possible.
With that in mind, Wilson is starting to hear it from the media. After being glorified during his first successful stretch with the team, it seemed like a lock that Wilson would be back in Pittsburgh next year. That conversation devolved over the past few weeks, with many questioning whether the two sides would be a good fit anymore. Now, analysts like Long are even calling for Justin Fields to play in the playoffs this week instead of Wilson.
Being realistic, there’s an extremely small likelihood that Long’s wish will come true. Even when Justin Fields was winning to start the year, Mike Tomlin still replaced him with Wilson, who was a question mark at the time. It would be extremely shocking if Tomlin decided to make a move like this in the week leading up to the biggest game of the year.
However, that doesn’t mean Fields is out of the game plan. Earlier this week, Tomlin stated he’s open to using Fields more against Baltimore. The Steelers are utilizing him sparingly, with Wilson as the starter. However, given Wilson’s recent struggles, Fields could take on a larger role. Still, expect Wilson to be the one throwing the ball around on Saturday.
