There was immense pressure on Justin Fields heading into Sunday's game against Las Vegas. The losing streak ended with Russell Wilson getting healthy, and there were rumors of a quarterback change in Pittsburgh. Losing was still Fields' job, at least for now, but there was no doubt he was walking a tightrope to stay on the field. It wasn't just about winning, it was about making a convincing effort to defy pressure.
Mr. Fields has gone above and beyond, proving that he is not only the right person for the job now, but the man for the future. steelers Move forward at quarterback.
You can't underestimate what Fields has meant to Pittsburgh's offense. There's no question that he's one of the team's most important players by a wide margin, and part of that is due to Pittsburgh's array of below-average weapons, but Fields is one of the team's most important players, both Steelers fans and non-Steelers fans. The reality is that it is extremely undervalued by people.
When you look at Fields' passing numbers in isolation, there's no question that it's a pretty ugly situation. Sunday, he completed 58.3 percent of his passes, failed to score a touchdown, and averaged less than 6.0 yards/attempt. But dig deeper and you see the absolute ridiculous value of what Fields is bringing to the Steelers. If you're down on Justin Fields, you're probably going to look at him in a different light.
Every fan base tends to view their quarterbacks in isolation, without understanding larger trends in the league. When you analyze Fields as a passer compared to his peers, he's playing incredibly good football.
- Expected points added per play (EPA): 0.101 — 15th in the NFL, higher than Patrick Mahomes (0.094)
- Completion percentage above expectations (CPOE): 2.5 — 12th in the NFL, higher than CJ Stroud (2.1)
- Success rate: 46.3% — tied for 14th in the NFL with Jordan Love
This is not the case when one Advanced metrics confirm that Fields is playing high-level soccer. all Many of them buy into the fact that Fields is playing like a top-15 quarterback — and this is happening despite a lot going against him. .
The Steelers still lack a notable weapon other than George Pickens. The offense run by Arthur Smith hasn't really played to Fields' abilities, and he's essentially running a system built for Russell Wilson. Najee Harris has been inconsistent, leading to more pressure on the quarterback in the run-first Arthur Smith system.
What we essentially have is a scenario where many cards are stacked against the field, but he is thriving. If you remove the advanced analysis from the scenario and focus on pure statistics, there is no question that Fields is having an elite season as a quarterback. As of now, his projected stats for 2024 are:
300/453 (66.2%), 3,134 yards, 14 TD, 3 INT — Passer Rating 93.6
155 carries, 655 yards, 14 TDs
this is amazing Especially a season with a winning record and a playoff berth. Those numbers are on par with strong seasons from Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton. Not an MVP year, of course, but a standard mid-year for a 25-year-old quarterback the Steelers acquired on song.
So when you see Steelers fans suggesting that the team should switch to Russ, or saying that Fields was somehow disappointing, it just means they don't really know how to look at football. It's just a case of not understanding or understanding how the performance fits into the game. Seasonal tapestry. There's no question that we're still seeing quarterbacks around the league struggle to deal with defensive shifts at this point. Passes are down, turnovers are up, and quarterback performance is sluggish as a result. So when you have someone performing at a consistent level, you take a step forward and the Steelers are a really volatile offensive team that needs to continue to build on that side of the ball. Taking into account the facts, it's, well, a very good position to be in.
Even if the original plan was to start Russ in 2024 and run a conservative offense, it doesn't matter because plans have changed and the best teams can pack a punch. Pittsburgh realized they had a dynamic quarterback who could do more than just manage the game. The team has two games left before the bye week against the Jets and Giants and should be able to win. Then there will be a break, where the team will be able to recalibrate its offense and incorporate more designed plays for Fields.
If the Steelers can do this, the sky is the limit. Because this team is real.
Winner: Caleb Williams
There's something beautiful about how everything has worked out for him, from former Bears QB to now. Williams has been on the verge of tears the past two weeks, and while that's a nice benefit when you've played against two of the worst teams in the NFL (Panthers and Jaguars), it's still hard to see Williams finding his footing. I can't deny it.
The big leap in Williams' game is accuracy. He's learning how to better anticipate pressures and manipulate the post-snap pass rush with vision and pocket movement. This is a big step forward in his passing, and Chicago is a success.
However, this does not mean that everything is a finished product. Williams still lacks the ability to break up explosive plays against wide receivers on a regular basis, which is a real nuisance when the team is winning.
Loser: Cowboys
What is there to say here? Dallas' season is going down the toilet, and this is of their own making. It's not even worth discussing everything that went wrong for the Cowboys on Sunday.
Yes, Detroit is good, but for a team with the talent and roster that Dallas has, this debacle is inexcusable. It's just embarrassing, but the time has come for heads to turn to usher in a new era.
Winner: Commanders and Ravens
One of this week's games really did not disappoint. This was a fun game from start to finish that showcased Baltimore's current potential and Washington's great future.
It's impossible to call either of these teams “losers.” Because the Ravens won, but also because Washington proved it can compete with the best teams in the league. It's unclear whether the managers will be able to make a splash in 2024, but no team has a better future than this right now, except perhaps the Bears.
Loser: Deshaun Watson
Yes, he's still a loser. Oh, he's also bad at soccer.
