Conventional wisdom in football dictates that a player should never lose his place on the starting roster due to injury, a once-outdated tradition that has been all but abandoned as teams understand the importance of taking chances, being on top form and seizing the moments that are in front of them.
Justin Fields is SteelersHe's the team's golden opportunity, the quarterback is getting his chance, and the only thing that could ruin it now is to stick to the old football adage and hand the reins over to Russell Wilson.
That's the reality the Steelers are facing this week, down 3-0. Wilson has reportedly returned to practice and is expected to play in Week 4 against the Colts.Wilson was the obvious choice for Pittsburgh until recently, when they zeroed in on him the moment rumors of him leaving Denver circulated. Now, it's hard to imagine the Steelers benching Fields and shifting to Wilson given the quality of their play. other New QB acquired in the offseason.
The field is functional Are you okay That was all that could be said about his play in Weeks 1 and 2. Week 3 saw a quantum leap in both the quality of the ball he was throwing and the quality of the ball he was throwing to opposing teams. Chargersand looked to be in command of the offense. It was not only Fields' best pass since joining the Steelers, it was arguably his best yet.
Breaking this play down into its component parts shows just how much Justin Fields has grown as a quarterback. Five pass rushers are coming at him, but Fields immediately realizes two things:
- They have the defensive strength to counter this charge.
- The cover is in the zone
Fields noticed that as soon as the ball was snapped he had Cordarrelle Patterson in coverage coming out of motion, then looked to the middle of the field and realized that neither Pat Friarmuth nor George Pickens would get open because their route depth was just right in the zone.
There is no planet on which Calvin Austin III was the star of this play. At best, he was leading off a fourth on the play. Fields saw Austin III find space between the zones, stood tall in the pocket, and darted without reacting to the oncoming pressure. Not just in the bombastic, scrambling-out way he often did in Chicago, but with a calmness in Fields' feet that we'd never seen before.
It was a sign that Fields had rediscovered he could trust his offensive line after years of being awful. He knew his Pittsburgh teammates could protect his block, and he settled in as a result. When he settled in for the afternoon, Fields had the best passing percentage of the day: 25-of-32 completions, 245 yards, 1 ID, 1 INT, and a rushing touchdown. Was it a perfect game? No, but the Steelers don't need perfection to win games. What they need is someone who can make explosive plays when they're called for and who understands that this team's identity is to dominate opponents with the run and defense.
At this point, the only reason to bench Fields and replace him with Russ is that Wilson has misplaced loyalty because he earned the position in training camp. There is simply no justification for benching a 3-0 quarterback who is currently playing the best football of his career. still He's just scratching the surface of his potential in the league, and much of it will depend on what Pittsburgh's ultimate goals are, not just in 2024 but into the future.
Indeed, the team can There are some things to like about Wilson. He'll be a little more careful with the ball and probably won't throw bad interceptions, but he's also a risk-averse veteran. This 2024 version of Russell isn't going to produce explosive plays and isn't going to be much of a leader. Add in the fact that he's 35 and you have, at best, a short-term rental of a questionable player who might not be as good as the one they have now.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Justin Fields could be the long-term quarterback you've been longing for. Fields is athletic enough to make big plays and humble enough to embody your team's culture. You'll need to pay him next year, but you can take at least a season to sit down and make an educated decision about whether he's your future or a stopgap.
The Steelers embody ugly winning. They rejoice in it as an organization. Mike Tomlin's personality permeates the entire football team, making the team believe they can win at any time if they do the little things right and execute. As it stands, it's Justin Fields who is leading Pittsburgh to a 3-0 start, and Pittsburgh needs to continue to make strides with him as their QB. Making a change now would be the worst decision of the year.
Winner: Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton, as we all expected, had his best passing game of the 2024 season. Of course, it was against the Raiders (more on that later), but Carolina's offensive transformation with Dalton under center was simply phenomenal. Dalton didn't just play well, he was in full swing, throwing dot balls to his receivers quickly, putting Diontay Johnson in position to utilize his YAC ability, and slicing through the Las Vegas secondary like it was nothing.
No one knows what the future holds for Bryce Young, but Dalton's performance makes the case even more compelling: in one game, he proved the Panthers' offense can be effective, and a very tough decision will have to be made regarding Young's future in Carolina.
Next week's game against Cincinnati will be a test, but Dalton has singlehandedly turned back the clock on doomsday.
Winner: Brian Flores
A lot of attention has been focused on Sam Darnold when it comes to the Vikings, and rightfully so, but the architect of what's going on in Minnesota right now is Brian Flores. It's one thing to lead an offense with a player like Justin Jefferson and a solid offensive line, but it's another thing entirely to shut down Brock Purdy and CJ Stroud two weeks in a row, pulverizing both of them in the process.
Flores' defensive creativity is what sets him apart from most coordinators in the NFL. We've seen his ability to cleverly cover for a lack of talent in the secondary before, but against Houston he unleashed a pass rush that sacked Stroud five times and allowed two interceptions.
This team may be the best defense in the NFL, but they don't get enough credit for not having a nationally known star player. Make no mistake, this team is elite. They've allowed the fewest points in the league through three games, and everything is going right for them.
Losers: Las Vegas Raiders
It's one thing to lose to the Panthers. It's another to get thoroughly outplayed by Andy Dalton. It's a whole other level to totally give up a game, like the Raiders did in the second half on Sunday.
There have been plenty of teams far worse than the Raiders this season who refused to give up despite big losses. It's a sign of an unstable locker room culture, and one that coach Antonio Pierce knows he needs to fix immediately.
This is certainly a rebuilding year, but the kind of effort the Raiders showed on Sunday is unacceptable.
Winner: Malik Willis
I'm a big Malik Willis fan, and I'll admit to being biased on that point, and I liked him heading into the 2022 NFL Draft, but I thought he found himself in a really unfortunate position at a terrible time when the Titans are in such a mess.
Now he was thrust into a role he was not prepared for. PackersThere's no doubt he still benefits from limited defensive film to analyze himself on, but that doesn't change the fact that he's been explosive and in complete control of the offense.
The win against the Titans feels like it solidifies that someone, somewhere, will want Willis as their quarterback in 2025.
