The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season has taken a turn in the wrong direction after the newly-acquired Justin Fields had previously led them to a 3-0 start. Pittsburgh has dropped back-to-back games to the Colts and Cowboys, both by a margin of just three points. Even though Justin Fields didn’t play poorly in either loss, the Steelers’ offense still looks as inconsistent and boring as it did in the previous two seasons with Kenny Pickett under center.
Now that 13-year veteran and former Super Bowl Champion Russell Wilson has seemingly returned to full health for the first time since being injured in the preseason, there are looming questions as to whether or not we should expect Wilson to take over as Pittsburgh’s QB1.
How Big Is Fields’ Margin For Error?
As I already mentioned, Fields has not been entirely to blame for the Steelers’ recent two-game skid. Their offensive line has been decimated by injuries, their wide receiver production is non-existent after George Pickens, and their play calling is incredibly vanilla and uninspired. Fields has also played his best football in the second half of both losses. It can be argued that Fields did what he could to put the Steelers in a position to win both games.
The numbers may also add to the case for keeping Justin Fields as the starter. He’s thrown for 961 yards and has 5 touchdowns to just 1 interception. He’s been highly effective on the ground as well, with 172 rushing yards on 44 attempts to go along with 3 rushing touchdowns. He can make dynamic plays and he has, for the most part, avoided turning the ball over.
The Case For Russell Wilson
Wilson hasn’t played in a game since Christmas Eve of 2023, when the Broncos lost at home to the Patriots, 26-23. Overall, Wilson’s stat line was above average last season, finishing with 26 passing touchdowns to 8 interceptions and 3,070 passing yards. Those numbers would indicate that he could bring a bit more of a spark to the Steelers’ passing game compared to Fields. With that being said, Wilson is no where near as mobile as he used to be. This could pose a challenge considering how Pittsburgh’s O-Line has played quite poorly through the first month of the season, so much so that even the elusive Justin Fields has already taken 13 sacks.
Wilson hasn’t been a serious difference maker since his days in Seattle, which ended three years ago. Could he really be the right guy to turn around the Steelers’ lackluster offense at this point of his career? Realistically, it’s hard the imagine that Pittsburgh’s offense would look any better with Wilson under center.
An Interesting Stretch of Games Ahead
Pittsburgh’s next three games are against the Raiders, Jets, and Giants before they get their bye week in Week 9. Each of those games are very much winnable, making it where any potential slip up could lead to Fields being benched for Wilson. The Steelers favored by 3 points against the Raiders and are in line to be favored in the other two games as well. A 6-2 record heading into their bye week would surely be enough to cement Fields as the starter going forward. It will be interesting to see how this ends up playing out.
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