The Pittsburgh Steelers did what they could to maximize the talent of quarterback Justin Fields in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns. Ultimately, it didn’t lead to the outcome the team desired, as they fell to the Browns 24-19.
But NFL insider Peter Schrager sees the ramifications of how the Steelers used Fields in Cleveland outlasting a single week. On NFL Network’s Good Morning, Football, on November 22, Schrager argued another quarterback debate between Fields and fellow signal caller Russell Wilson is coming to Pittsburgh.
“They put Fields in, and he ran for the first down, and he threw that big incompletion on third-and-4, and he threw the long one,” Schrager said, via Steeler Depot’s Joe Clark. “So it’s not like he’s not getting his opportunities. And I think this is gonna be quite a conundrum moving forward, this quarterback situation.
“For Russ to be yanked in and out of the game, in Baltimore too, it’s now become also is Russell Wilson our quarterback or is it that guy in the moments that matter most?”
Fields played 7 offensive snaps in Week 12 versus the Browns. Although that was only 10% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps, Fields often took the field on critical plays.
He received a snap on a fourth down in the first half. Then in the fourth quarter, Fields was on the field for a second and third-down play while trying to run the team’s 4-minute offense.
Fields finished the game with 26 rushing yards on 3 carries. He also threw 1 incomplete pass.
Russell Wilson, Justin Fields Are Pittsburgh’s ‘Two Starting QBs’
The Steelers believe in both Wilson and Fields. Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith made that clear, once again, when he spoke to reporters on November 19.
“I don’t view Justin [Fields] as a gadget guy. We have two starting quarterbacks,” Smith told reporters, via PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh. “I still view Justin as a premium starter.”
Schrager didn’t mention Smith’s quote in his argument. But one could argue this is part of what could lead to the conundrum Schrager alluded to.
If Fields isn’t simply a gadget guy, his presence on the field could be seen as a threat to Wilson’s job. That’s especially true when Fields is receiving opportunities in key moments.
During Week 12, the Steelers didn’t just insert Fields in short-yard, running situations to take advantage of his career 6 yards per carry average. With 3:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, he attempted a deep pass down the sideline on third-and-4.
The Steelers badly needed that conversion. Had Fields connected with George Pickens, who was single covered on the play, the Steelers could have continued bleeding the clock with another set of downs while clinging to a 1-point lead.
Instead, the pass fell incomplete, and the Steelers punted. Cleveland scored the game-winning touchdown on the ensuing possession.
One could argue that Pickens wouldn’t have seen single coverage down the sideline if Wilson was behind center on third-and-4. The Browns likely moved a safety closer to the line of scrimmage to stop a Fields run, which gave Pickens an opportunity for a play down the field.
Even still, it was a curious decision for the Steelers to have the backup quarterback attempt the most important pass of the game.
Weather Not a Factor in Fields’ Usage
It’s possible the Steelers turned to Fields a little more often in the second half because of the poor weather conditions. The Steelers and Browns finished Week 12 in a blizzard.
But Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters weather didn’t play a role in how the team deployed its quarterbacks.
“No, I don’t think the weather was a factor,” Tomlin said to the media after the game. “We had intentions on using him and we did. I don’t know that the weather conditions were a factor in that decision-making.”
Regardless of weather, it appears to be part of Pittsburgh’s game plan to use Fields.
Interestingly, even though it’s part of the game plan, Wilson explained after the Week 12 loss that he doesn’t “necessarily know when” Fields is going to replace him. Having said that, it doesn’t sound like Wilson is going to be the reason a quarterback conundrum starts in Pittsburgh.
“I think that we’re all, as a team, we’re trying to make plays,” Wilson told reporters. “We’re trying to do different things. Obviously, we have trust in Justin [Fields] too in what he can do, and what he’s capable of and everybody.
“Listen, I always want to be in there. That’s just the competitor in me. But at the same time, I think, like I said, we have great trust in Justin and our team and our coaches and everything we were doing.”
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NFL Insider Predicts Steelers QB ‘Conundrum’ With Russell Wilson, Justin Fields