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The Pittsburgh Steelers have won two games with Justin Fields starting behind center. But Russell Wilson was supposed to start at quarterback for the Steelers to begin this season.
It’s still not clear when Wilson could make his return from his calf injury. Even if he is ready to play in Week 3, though, Fields might remain Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback.
That’s what ESPN’s Adam Schefter essentially predicted during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on September 16.
“The language [Mike Tomlin] used suggested, obviously, that he’s not worrying about Russell right now. Russell is not fully healthy. Russell is working his way back, and as long as that’s the case, Justin is the guy,” said Schefter. “Look, you’re not going to take the guy out of the lineup when you’re winning football games.
“I don’t care that he isn’t lighting it up with the numbers. They’re 2-0.”
The Steelers have won two games with Fields throwing just 273 yards and 1 touchdown this season. But the 25-year-old quarterback has been very efficient, completing 69.8% of his passes without any interceptions.
Fields has also not lost a fumble in the first two weeks of the season.
Steelers Staying With Justin Fields Regardless of Russell Wilson’s Health?
Schefter’s prediction is in line with what The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported ahead of the team’s matchup in Denver.
On September 13, Dulac wrote that the Steelers “plan to” start Fields in each of the next two games. Dulac added that the team constructed this plan so Wilson can continue to rest his calf.
But Dulac acknowledged that by then, the Steelers could be 3-0 with Fields behind center. That remains a possibility because of the team’s 13-6 Week 2 victory against the Denver Broncos.
Schefter argued there isn’t a sensible scenario where the Steelers bench Fields if the team improves to 3-0 or better.
“They are winning the way they should be winning. They are running the football; they are playing unbelievable defense. He’s played good, smart football,” Schefter said of Fields. “He is incredibly well liked in that organization, well respected. They’re not going to go away from that right now.
“Russell is getting healthy, but you’re not going to take a quarterback who is winning, I don’t think, and put him on the bench when Justin Fields is playing pretty well.”
Can the Steelers Offense Win Without Help From The Defense?
Schefter made more than a fair point. It doesn’t matter much that the Steelers offense has scored only one touchdown because the team has won its first two games.
But in the modern NFL, teams typically don’t win for long the way Pittsburgh is currently winning. And while the Steelers did open with two road games, they played two opponents who haven’t been to the postseason for a long time.
Will the Steelers defense be able to play this well against better quarterbacks? More importantly, will Fields be able to lead the Steelers offense to more points in games where they need to score?
Right now, Fields isn’t losing games for the Steelers. But he isn’t necessarily winning them either. He’s averaging career lows of 6.3 yards per pass, 136.5 passing yards per game and 3.8 yards per carry.
Fields could remain in the starting lineup as long as the Steelers are winning, regardless of Wilson’s health status. But if he wants to stay the team’s starter even after his first loss of 2024, then he probably has to move the ball with more consistency going forward.
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