Just as the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a difficult stretch over the last four games, so too has QB Russell Wilson. He isn’t solely responsible for the losing streak, but he certainly hasn’t been a part of the solution. Many wondered if Justin Fields would see some snaps to help provide a change of pace Saturday night against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he once again received zero play.
Mike Tomlin told the media after the Steelers’ 19-17 loss that Fields was available after missing the last two games with an abdominal injury. He was then asked if they ever considered inserting Justin Fields with the offense struggling to put drives together.
“Not really, no,” Tomlin said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “Because our failures were collective, and I just think at this juncture the most prudent thing for us to do was to stick with those that were on the field and work through it.”
Fields wasn’t available for their previous two games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens due to the injury suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles on his lone snap.
Other than that, he only played in three-consecutive games from Week 11 to 13 with 12 total snaps on offense. His usage on offense produced varied results off the bench. In 13 plays while backing up Russell Wilson, he has seven rushing attempts for 58 yards and zero completions on one attempt. Most of his rushing yards were gained on just a couple of those attempts. Still, he seems like the better option in short-yardage situations when the offense is clearly struggling.
At the end of the first half, Pat Freiermuth picked up nine yards before going out of bounds on second down. The Steelers then ran two plays in which they failed to convert. The Bengals got the ball back to score one final field goal before the half. The Steelers lost by two points, so that short-yardage failure looms large. The third-down play was a QB sneak with Wilson that ultimately failed after replay assist got involved. That probably would have been a prime opportunity to get Fields into the game. Good luck stopping Fields two times in a row with less than a yard to go.
There are a couple things to consider, however, and Tomlin touched on one of them. The failures weren’t all on Wilson. He was sacked four times, and the offensive line did not hold up very well. There were drops by Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, and George Pickens. Wilson did not play great, but he also wasn’t the only reason for the issues.
With the playoffs starting next week, this was supposed to be the game for the Steelers to get back on track. That isn’t how it worked out, but Tomlin needed to give them opportunities to work through their issues in hopes of entering the playoffs in a better place.
The other thing to consider was the weather. The broadcast showed that it felt like 10 degrees with wind chill. For Fields to not participate all game and then come off the bench in critical moments may have been a bit much to ask. The Steelers needed to get him involved early, or perhaps right after halftime when he was warm from the locker room if they wanted to get him involved at all. You can only stay so warm on the sidelines in that wind.
Will Fields factor into their offense during the playoffs? The recent trend suggests no, but the recent results suggest that he should. Reports indicated earlier today that Fields would like to re-sign with the Steelers.
