Why The Pittsburgh Steelers Could Go With Russell Wilson At Quarterback Over Justin Fields

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation will be a point of contention moving forward after Sunday night’s showing against the Dallas Cowboys.

A game that was delayed well over an hour due to weather in Pittsburgh concluded with the Steelers falling by the score of 20-17.

Dak Prescott led the Cowboys down the field on a game-winning drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert. This came after Prescott committed three giveaways earlier in the game.

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Despite yielding that 70-yard game-winning touchdown drive, Pittsburgh’s defense was not to blame for this loss. It was all about the lack of offense led by quarterback Justin Fields.

The former Chicago Bears first-round pick just did not have it in his fifth start as a member of the Steelers. Fields completed 15-of-27 passes for 131 yards with two touchdowns. He added a mere 27 yards on six rush attempts.

This performance come amid the likely return of fellow quarterback Russell Wilson next week. The free-agent signing missed the first five games due to a calf injury he suffered during the summer. Wilson was surprisingly the emergency No. 3 quarterback Sunday night after ramping up practice activity during the week.

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Acquired this past offseason to revamp the Steelers’ quarterback room, Fields and Wilson were involved in a training camp battle before the latter suffered the aforementioned Calf injury. It led to Fields getting the QB1 job heading into the season.

Fast forward more than a month, and the 3-2 Steelers might now be back at the drawing board when it comes to this position. Fields had led them to a 3-0 record before struggling during their current two-game losing streak.

Russell Wilson Return Renews Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Competition

The 35-year-old Wilson signed a mere one-year, $1.21 million contract back in March following a failed two-year run with the Denver Broncos. For Pittsburgh, the hope was that he could rekindle his days with the Seattle Seahawks in which Wilson led them to two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi Trophy.

Obviously, Wilson’s injury impacted things on this front. It led to Fields “earning” the starting gig by default. Heading into Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, attention in Pittsburgh will now turn to what head coach Mike Tomlin has planned at quarterback. He has yet to give an indication one way or another less than 24 hours after a second consecutive defeat.

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As for Fields, he knows full well that Sunday’s performance just was not enough.

“We just missed shots and shot ourselves in the foot again,” Fields told reporters, via the Steelers’ official website. “So I don’t think we are one of those teams looking for identity. I think we know who we are. We’re a team that predicates on running the football and staying on schedule in first and second down and then executing on third down, but we just didn’t get the job done.”

Pittsburgh’s biggest plays on offense were a 28-yard pass from Fields to George Pickens and a 20-yard screen to running back Najee Harris. Outside of that, Fields continued to struggle getting the ball down the field. It’s been a continued issue for the former Ohio State star since Chicago made him the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

From a broader perspective, down and distance played a role in Pittsburgh’s shortcomings on offense Sunday night. It converted on just 3-of-12 third-down opportunities while averaging a mere 4.0 yards per play. That’s just not going to cut it in today’s NFL.

This is where Wilson’s likely return comes into play. His veteran experience would change the dynamics when it comes to pre-snap penalties, working the down and distance issues and finding better opportunities on third down.

Pittsburgh Steelers Have No Quick Fix At Quarterback

Pundits can put most of the blame on Fields for Pittsburgh’s performance Sunday night. He’s the quarterback. It comes with the job title.

However, there is a lot more in play here. This offense lacks elite skill-position talent. And when someone like the aforementioned Pickens disengages during a game, that’s magnified further. The young wide receiver was benched at times Sunday night, which is a clear indication something is just not right on that front.

“You know, we just wanted to kind of minimize his reps in an effort to get more productivity,” Tomlin said of Pickens after the loss.

Will things magically change should Tomlin opt to start Wilson over Fields in Week 6? The indicators above seem to paint a skeptical picture in that regard.

Wilson came to Pittsburgh after he was benched late last season in Denver. He has not looked like a starter-caliber quarterback after departing Seattle following 10 brilliant seasons in the Pacific Northwest. During that two-year run with the Broncos, he put up an 11-19 record with 42 touchdown passes in 30 games.

For the Steelers, it’s going to be all about whether they believe playoff contention is the name of the game moving forward. If so, starting a more seasoned Wilson makes sense. If not, going the youth route with the 25-year-old Fields should be in the cards.

For now, we wait and see what Tomlin has planned. But what I do know is that the status quo is not working.