Justin Fields Should Continue To Start For the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers completely changed their offense, beginning last year.

They fired OC Matt Canada during the season last year.

Arthur Smith was brought in to take control of the offense.

The Steelers acquired quarterback Russell Wilson, traded away quarterback Kenny Pickett, and acquired quarterback Justin Fields in the offseason.

All offseason, the Steelers kept saying Wilson is in “pole position” to start week 1.

However, he suffered an injury that held him out of practice and training camp in August.

Wilson ended up playing in the third preseason game.

Three days before Pittsburgh’s week 1 contest, Wilson felt calf tightness.

It’s a strange development that some people may question if he actually has an injury or if this was the Steelers’ way of starting Justin Fields.

Regardless, Fields wound up starting week 1 and helped the Steelers pick up a big road victory against a good Falcons team.

Below, we examine how Fields performed in his first start as a Pittsburgh Steeler and whether he should continue to start or if Wilson should start.

Justin Fields’ Week 1 Performance

On paper, Justin Fields did not “wow” anyone with his performance in the victory.

He went 17/23, threw for 156 passing yards, zero passing TDs, zero interceptions, and ran for 57 rushing yards.

Pittsburgh was held to six field goals and no TDs but they managed to win 18-10.

It was not the best performance but certainly not a terrible performance.

There is significant room for improvement for Fields and the offense.

One thing was certainly clear and that was the play calling under Arthur Smith was significantly better than under Matt Canada.

Back in February, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala stated that Smith was the “right hire” for the Steelers.

“He just fits the mindset of what the Steelers are, what they’re looking to do,” said Kinkhabwala.

While it has only been one game, there is no denying the upgrade in playcalling.

This helped Fields as he did not turn the ball over once.

While inaccurate at times, Fields did make some big throws in the contest.

Pittsburgh had 137 rushing yards, which is exactly what they want to accomplish with Smith as OC.

Fields only helps the rush attack, much more than Wilson at this stage of Wilson’s career.

As the offensive line gets better throughout the season, so will the rush attack.

While there is room for improvement, Justin Fields had a solid performance in week 1, helping the Steelers pick up a big road victory.

Should The Steelers Continue To Start Fields?

As said above, Justin Fields did not have an outstanding performance in week 1.

The Steelers did not find the endzone and kicked six field goals.

Fields threw for just 156 passing yards but also added 57 rushing yards.

There is room for improvement for Fields but at this stage of their careers, Fields’ athleticism is far greater than Wilson’s.

Considering Wilson has regressed each of the last three years, and the fact that Fields helped lead the Steelers to a big week 1 road victory, it is hard to tell the locker room that Fields will not be the starter.

Fields did a good job protecting the ball and made plays when needed.

Arthur Smith wants to run the ball and Fields can get it done with his legs.

With what the Steelers want to accomplish on offense, Justin Fields should be named the starter after a week 1 victory and the upside he provides over Wilson.