The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first loss of the season during their Week 4 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Both sides of the ball started the game off rough, but the Steelers managed to nearly mount a comeback in the second half. Pittsburgh was once down 17-0, but they found themselves with the ball in their hands down 27-24 with enough time to drive down the field. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh was unable to put any points on the board to tie the game or take the lead and left the state of Indiana with a loss for the second year in a row.
Pittsburgh now has a 3-1 record as Justin Fields suffered his first loss as the starter for the Steelers. Despite Fields playing a good game, there is a select group of fans clamoring to see Russell Wilson once he returns to full health. This argument grew even stronger after the loss, even though Fields played well (aside from a few mistakes). Former Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the future of the position after the game on his podcast, Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger.
"I wouldn't make a change. I don't think he did anything that warrants that. I thought he made plays with his feet, he made plays with his arm, he extended some things. Of course he had a silly play, but I've had those too. Every quarterback in the NFL today at some point probably had some sort of a play they probably want back. I would not make the change."
The play Roethlisberger is referring to is when Fields ran backwards, got sacked, and fumbled. It took the Steelers out of field goal range, and it was a reminder of one of the quarterback's biggest knocks so far in his career. Roethlisberger spoke out about how he believes Fields could be the next franchise quarterback for the Steelers following the team's Week 3 victory, and he still believes that is true after the loss.
Ultimately, any conversation about who should start at quarterback in Pittsburgh is pretty silly. Fields has played well in all four of his starts, and he keeps getting better and better. Wilson hasn't been able to stay on the field, and he nearly lost his job to Fields during training camp. It's understandable that some fans want to see the experienced veteran, but Fields raises the ceiling of the offense in a way that Wilson just can't.
Fields already has three rushing touchdowns on the season, and he was the team's leading rusher in the loss on Sunday. This is an area Wilson can't excel in at this point in his career. Pittsburgh's run game has struggled a bit during the 2024 season, and having Fields at quarterback to supplement that has done nothing but benefit the Steelers.
Steelers' Justin Fields Has Been One Of The Better Quarterbacks In The NFL In 2024
Many fans were worried when it was announced that Wilson would be missing the season opener and Fields would be starting. Fields quickly showed he had what it takes, and his play has been nothing but impressive. Through four starts, Fields ranks top-12 in quarterback rating, completion percentage, and yards per attempt. The quarterback also ranks seventh in completion percentage over what is expected from analytics, which shows that he has been elite with his ball placement.
As Pittsburgh's offense continues to open up, Fields should continue to look better. Through four games, it seems as though Fields has earned the right to be the starter for the foreseeable future. He still accounted for three touchdowns and 367 total yards in the loss, which is more than Pittsburgh could have asked from a quarterback in a losing effort over the last couple of seasons.
Fields will look to bounce back in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys and get his team back on the winning track.
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