The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to face their AFC North foe Baltimore Ravens for the third time this season as they travel to Baltimore for the Wild Card Round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs. The teams have split their matchups this season 1-1, but this is the most important one to see who will move on to the AFC Divisional Round. As the Ravens got hot towards the end of the season, the Steelers faltered, dropping their last four games to end the regular season. Although the defense hasn't played well, all eyes were on the offense in Week 18's loss.
When Russell Wilson became the starter in Week 7 and went on a four-game winning streak, it seemed as if Head Coach Mike Tomlin made the correct decision in putting Wilson in when Justin Fields was getting more comfortable and playing well with the offense. Fields led the team to a 4-2 record and added a dual-threat component to the offense, which made opposing defenses worry about both his throwing and running abilities.
Towards the end of the season, Wilson started to make costly mistakes and regressed. Fields hasn't been utilized as much since he got moved to the backup position, but fans have slowly started to call for Fields to go in instead of Wilson. Tomlin addressed this situation on Monday during his weekly press conference and revealed his plans for using both quarterbacks Saturday.
"Certainly open to utilizing Justin, he has an awesome skill set," Tomlin said. "We’ve done some of that in the past. We’ve done less of it in recent weeks. He experienced an injury a couple of weeks back, it slowed some of that. But certainly in an effort to win this game. I am open to any combination or combinations of the division of labor in an effort to do so. So I’m certainly open to that as we develop plans this week."
Tomlin seems to have realized this offense needs a spark after Wilson hasn't provided that the last few games. The offensive line has also had a problem blocking and there are many factors fans can blame for Wilson not playing well, but he does have some blame in this when watching games back.
Fields hasn't been seen in recent games, but this was mostly due to his injury against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. He missed the next game, but Tomlin seemed to be in no rush to put him back in. During the Cincinnati Bengals game in Week 18, the offense wasn't moving the ball well and Wilson was underperforming. Fields could've possibly created a spark for the offense, but Tomlin revealed after the game he never thought about putting Fields in.
Clearly, Tomlin has changed his mind about using Fields. He seems to be considering anything to win against the Ravens and rightfully so. Tomlin's playoff record isn't promising as he hasn't won since January 2017 and Steeler Nation in hungry to move on past the Wild Card Round. Hopefully, Tomlin holds true to his word and plays Fields Saturday. The mobile quarterback would be perfect for third down situations and the red zone.
Steelers' Justin Fields Wants To Be In Pittsburgh Next Season
The Steelers have a big decision this offseason as they decide which quarterback to keep and how much to sign either one or both of them to deals. Wilson seemed most likely to come back, but lately his future seems uncertain. If he completely fails Saturday against the Ravens, it'll raise a big question on if Wilson should re-sign with the team.
Fields' name hasn't been thrown around as much, but Ben Roethlisberger stated on his Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger podcast that he wants to see Fields for another year. In a Trib Live article, Fields revealed himself he would like to be in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season. Going with the younger quarterback is the best answer for long-term, but Pittsburgh will have a lot of decisions to make after this season ends.
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