Justin Fields has been improving each week during his four games under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the team lost their first game of the season in a close game on Sunday in Indianapolis, Fields showed why Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin wanted to get the talented player out of Chicago.
In his best game so far for the Black and Yellow, Fields threw for 312 yards and 1 TD and also rushed for 55 yards and 2 TDs.
Justin Fields vs. the Colts:
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) September 29, 2024
22-34, 312 yards, 1 TD
10 rushes for 55 yards, 2 TDs
Fields put Pittsburgh on his back and almost led the team to a come from behind win on the road. The Steelers officially have their QB1.#HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/PQlIdvwawr
It was the type of performance that should solidify his place as the team’s starting QB despite coach Tomlin refusing to name him such, which is part of the mind games Tomlin plays with players to keep them motivated and hungry.
And it usually works, too.
Fields is not only proving he can play, but he’s also giving new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith more reason to open up the playbook and let his arm loose.
Some doubters made fun of his week one passing chart, which solely focused on outside throws. But that was by design instead of Fields fearing to throw down the middle.
Against the Colts, Fields had more options and he took advantage of them, throwing deep passes to George Pickens and hitting players like tight end Pat Freiermuth, who scored his first TD of the season on a red zone bullet from Fields, in the middle of the field.
But after reading some of the ignorant comments about Fields after the game, one would think that Mitch Trubisky returned to Pittsburgh.
These fans are just haters of Fields, and bitter Chicago Bears fans who blame the still young QB for the last few years of futility.
Instead of blaming Fields, they should look at how Caleb Williams is performing under head coach Matt Eberflus, who was also Fields’ coach for two of the three years he was in the Windy City.
Both quarterbacks suffered/are suffering under Eberflus, and many have criticized him and management for keeping him as head coach.
But now that Fields has joined Tomlin and Smith in Pittsburgh, he’s becoming more comfortable in the new offense. And despite the costly fumble and bothched snap on Sunday, Fields carried a sleepy Pittsburgh defense in the second half and almost led the Steelers to a come-from-behind victory.
