Mike Tomlin decided against playing his ‘starter’ during the Steelers’ first playoff game because Russell Wilson is recovering from a calf injury. It was the perfect chance for Justin Fields to show off his playmaking abilities and utilize Russ’ absence as a chance to push Tomlin into devising a system that utilizes both QBs.
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But alas, the chips did not fall in Fields’ favor. And the production was not justified for Coach Tomlin to make any case for a rotation-based offense. This implies that, even though he might have the talent and the ability, Fields might not show his mettle when it truly matters. Maybe the next pre-season game he balls out, but that cannot be enough to instill confidence in him for the Steelers.
For now, he remains a load management backup QB in Pittsburgh. In the game against the Texans, Fields went for 5 of 6, for 67 yards. It was a decent outing if we just look at those and not the two fumbles that undid everything he’d built up to that point.
His 83% completion percentage was not enough to justify the fumbles. Even in Chicago, this was his biggest problem. But in Pittsburgh, ball security is priority number one for a coach like Mike Tomlin.
Wilson, on the other hand, has benefited from staying out. Allowing Fields to play and demonstrate his high potential with high risk makes Russ’ case fundamentally stronger. Wilson has built a safety net over the years that prevents Steelers fans from wondering what if Fields had been starting.
CJ Stroud, though, got a series to play in the preseason bout. Not so surprisingly, the QB stood out and threw a perfect dime to Tank Dell, who took it all the way for a 34-yard touchdown, giving the Texans the lead in the game.
From then on, the tone was set, and Pittsburgh failed to recover in front of over 63,000 fans in Houston. Arguably, Steelers fans cannot be happy with that performance, or even hopeful.
Glimpses of promise, but the Steelers need a lot of work
The Steelers played sloppily, which surely cannot go down well with Tomlin. Arthur Smith’s first game as the offensive coordinator did not go over well, as the team succumbed to a few mistakes. Najee Harris, though, was a beacon of hope. He ran for just 9 yards, but his three rushes exemplified his importance as a playmaker.
That said, the Steelers’ defensive side of the ball showed promise. However, Stroud’s sheer brilliance on that one drive meant the Steelers never really had a chance to catch up. Still, the secondary stood their ground and did contain a team like the Texans to just 20 points and didn’t let anyone other than Stroud make much of an impact.
Thus, the Steeler Nation can rest assured that they have a solid defense. The problem is, that’s never been the issue in Pittsburgh. Fans were simply looking forward to the new offense under Smith.
Not having an efficiently functioning offensive unit must be frustrating, especially with not one but two capable QBs and even Kyle Allen holding the fort decently. The lack of coordination in the offense has to be blamed on the coordinator for now. And if this is the rebuilt Steelers side, then they have a lot of work to do before the season starts.
