Russell Wilson won the starting quarterback job for the Pittsburgh Steelers before the season, and when an injury sidelined him to start the year, it left Justin Fields as QB1. Fields was solid, starting six games with a 4-2 record, but once Wilson was healthy, the Steelers went back to their original plan.
In seven games played this year, Fields has five passing touchdowns, one interception, 1,106 passing yards, 248 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
The Steelers’ decision to go back to their original starter it’s a move that worked for them. Pittsburgh went 4-0 with Wilson under center and sits atop the AFC North at 8-2.
Fields is now on the sideline as QB2, but the team is finding ways to use the former first-round pick. During the team’s Week 11 divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens, Fields took three snaps on offense. That marked the first time he hit the field since being benched.
He rushed the ball twice for 17 yards and helped set up a winning formation with a 9-yard rush on second-and-10 toward the end of the game. Running back Najee Harris got the extra yard, allowing the Steelers to take a knee and seal the 18-16 victory over the rival Ravens.
Will we see more Fields coming out for plays? Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said “there’s a fine line” with how they plan to use him. Smith appreciates Fields as a proper starter in the NFL and also knows that the 25-year-old can help the team keep winning.
“I don’t look at Justin as [being] in this role as a fixture,” Smith said, via the team. “Justin, to me, do we have two starting quarterbacks. He’s a hell of a football player, so if he can help the team, and is — [it’s a] fine line … So if you have the opportunity to finish things and just the way the game went, we thought we were going to throw something at him and put another dynamic football player out there, that definitely helped us, helped us win situational football.”
Smith had nothing but praise for his former starter, calling him “one of the better football players out there.”
“I still look at Justin and he’s, I think, [a] high-quality starter in this league, so it’s a fine line. You don’t want to be a fixture, but he can help the team,” Smith said.
last week, Smith gave some insight into the plans they have involving Fields.
“We had a package every week,” Smith said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It gets back to the flow of the game. It’ll be ready to go when we need it…”
The Steelers would be the #3 seed if the season ended today. The No. 1 spot is still not out of the question, with a tight race between the 9-1 Kansas City Chiefs and 9-2 Buffalo Bills.
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