While Justin Fields was trending toward opening this season as the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ backup quarterback, Russell Wilson’s calf injury flareup allowed Fields to take the reins in Week 1.
Fields guided the Steelers to a season-opening victory against the Atlanta Falcons and, with Wilson still recovering, is on track to start again when Pittsburgh faces the Denver Broncos in Week 2.
Steelers Planning To Start Justin Fields in Week 2
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Pittsburgh is preparing for Fields to be its starting quarterback on Sunday. Although Fields probably did enough to hold onto the Steelers’ starting QB job regardless of Wilson’s health (we’ll get into that shortly), Tomlin framed his decision as based on the elder quarterback’s inability to practice.
Tomlin said Wilson “feels better today than he did over the weekend” but will not practice until at least Thursday.
“I know that we’re going to take the same approach that we take with a lot of people in terms of injury,” Tomlin said. “We’ll first start with his participation and his level of participation, his quality of participation. Over the course of the week, we’ll be analyzing whether he’s capable of protecting himself, whether he’s capable of being productive.
“When we get to those points, that’s when we’ll ponder his inclusion or not, and when that happens, we’ll probably be a component of that equation. But as I sit here today, we’re preparing as if Justin is going to be our quarterback. I think that’s the appropriate way to do it. Speculation is a waste of time. Russell’s hurt. He’s not available to us.”
Wilson’s calf injury cost him two weeks of training camp, but he returned for the Steelers’ second preseason game and was named the club’s starting quarterback for Week 1. However, he reported tightness in his calf on Thursday, forcing Pittsburgh to roll with Fields.
Why Fields Is the Steelers’ Best Option at QB
Fields didn’t lead the Steelers on any touchdown drives, but he consistently put Pittsburgh in position to pick up points. The former first-round pick made enough explosive plays to impress, but even more importantly, didn’t turn the ball over and took only two sacks.
Fields missed on just six of his 23 attempts while averaging 6.8 yards per pass. While he fumbled his first snap of the game (and had another bad quarterback-center exchange on the same drive), Fields appeared far calmer and less frantic than he did during his time with the Chicago Bears.
Fields’ more relaxed demeanor was at least partially due to Pittsburgh’s offensive line, which allowed him to be pressured on just 20% of his dropbacks, the third-best rate for any quarterback in Week 1, per TruMedia.
The Steelers’ O-line ranked fourth in pass-block win rate on Sunday, while the Falcons finished 29th in pass-rush win rate.
Of course, part of Fields’ selling point is his ability to create off-script. He finished 11th in EPA dropback when under pressure in Week 1. Fields ranked eighth in EPA per dropback from outside the pocket (minimum five attempts) but was just 24th from inside the pocket.
New Steelers OC Arthur Smith’s system has traditionally been built around throws to the middle of the field, but Fields has always preferred to attack the boundary. As evidenced by Fields’ passing chart, the quarterback didn’t change his stripes in Week 1.
Although Fields mostly stuck to short passes (his six-yard average depth of target ranked 25th on Sunday), he hit a few deep shots to WR George Pickens, who tracks the ball about as well as any NFL pass catcher.
Smith did get his way with play-action, though. His offenses in Atlanta and Tennessee featured heavy use of play fakes, and Fields was immediately immersed in the play-action lifestyle on Sunday.
Per TruMedia, Fields used play-action on 38.5% of his dropbacks in Week 1, tied for the NFL’s third-highest rate.
That represented a significant change for Fields, who ranked 19th of 41 qualifying QBs in PA rate since entering the league in 2021. It was also a new way of thinking for the Steelers, who ranked 31st in play-action rate last season (8.6%).
Fields completed eight of 12 attempts for 41 yards when using play-action. Pittsburgh needs better production from those plays; Fields ranked just 23rd in EPA per dropback with play fakes. But the idea is correct, and Fields could improve in this area in the coming weeks.
Of course, we haven’t even mentioned Fields’ ability as a rusher, which should give him another advantage over Wilson in the Steelers’ QB hierarchy.
Fields’ nine designed rushing attempts and 14 total rushes (scrambles included) both ranked second among quarterbacks in Week 1. While Fields only generated 0.01 EPA per play on designed rushing attempts, he helped Pittsburgh bleed the clock near the end of their victory over the Falcons.
Wilson may eventually work himself back into the Steelers’ quarterback mix, but for now, Tomlin has an easy choice — stick with Fields and run Pittsburgh’s offense through his strengths.