The Pittsburgh Steelers might have unexpectedly found the quarterback of their future in Justin Fields. When Pittsburgh made a trade for the fourth-year, former first-round draft pick, they planned to have him sit behind an aging Russell Wilson, at least for part of the season. However, Wilson suffered a calf injury well before the season even started, keeping him sidelined through at least the first four games.
Fields has performed well through the first four games; he may be even playing better ball than Patrick Mahomes so far this season. He has shown maturity and poise under pressure and most importantly, he has done a solid job protecting the ball.
He struggled with that during his time with the Chicago Bears. Chicago's situation was not ideal for the young quarterback. The franchise did not seem to provide the structure or coaching he needed to maximize his God-given talent. According to Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, he is now getting that from Pittsburgh's head coach, Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.
Parsons recently spoke about Fields on his show, The Edge with Micah Parsons. These two historic franchises, with one of the longest-running rivalries in the NFL, will face off on Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium. Parsons said he is glad to hear that Fields is still the starter while Wilson is recovering and thinks he will stay the starter.
"I think Justin won the team over," Parsons said. "I'm not surprised at all. Right now, Justin's 3-1, he almost had a complete comeback against the Indianapolis Colts. We play them [in Week 5] and he's been playing at a really high level. Justin is really, really good. I think he's proven himself, that he belongs in this league. I'm glad that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin [have] been able to get his confidence back because the Bears probably stripped him of it. They kinda said we don't need you anymore, you're less viable. They kinda shipped him off. I thought the Bears should have kept him. I thought Justin was a legit talent and now he's somewhere else flourishing. You can't be more happy for him."
In four games, Fields has performed better than many expected. He has thrown for 830 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. He has completed 70.6% of his passes. His quarterback rating for the Colts game was a remarkable 104.0, and overall, it is 98.0. However, Fields is best known for his legs and athleticism, so it isn't surprising that he has rushed for another 145 yards on 38 carries. This makes Fields solely responsible for all six of the touchdowns the Steelers have scored so far - three in the air and three on the ground.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys will be without their All-Pro linebacker for the Sunday night showdown. Parsons has been battling an ankle injury since they defeated the New York Giants in Week 4. Parsons, one of the most formidable defenders in the league, next to T.J. Watt, of course, has never missed a game due to injury in his three-plus years. Not having Parsons bringing his unique brand of pressure should definitely open the offense up for Fields and the Steelers.
Steelers’ Russell Wilson Getting Impatient?
So far, Wilson has been a consummate professional while waiting for his opportunity to get on the field. He has been supporting Fields and the offense at every turn, but people wonder how long that will last.
Wilson, like Fields, is here trying to resurrect his career and prove that he can still play professional football. However, unlike Fields, Wilson is on borrowed time at age 35. Recently, NFL General Manager Doug Whaley said that he expects Wilson to get fed up. He won't be unprofessional enough to voice that; he will remain supportive in public, but he will unleash his powerful PR team and go "all scorched earth."
Tomlin has not officially named Fields as the starting quarterback. With Wilson still on the injury reports, he doesn't have to. Tomlin has also said that Wilson needs to prove himself on the practice field and not just get a clean bill of health.
