Justin Fields & The Pittsburgh Steelers Improve To 2-0: Broderick Jones Removed From Game

Justin Fields had another start for the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 2.

Russell Wilson remained out with a calf injury. Fields improved his play in Week 2 and the Steelers are suddenly first in the AFC North with a 2-0 record.

The offense looked good in the first half against the Broncos. However, in the second half, the Steelers only managed three points. Fields made some big plays in the second half but were negated due to holding penalties on Broderick Jones. Head coach Mike Tomlin was visibly upset and did not hold back during the press conference after the game.

When asked in the postgame press conference if the three penalties by Jones were why he was removed from the field, Tomlin simply replied “You got it”.

Below, we’ll discuss Fields’ Week 2 performance, whether Fields should remain the starter, and Jones’ removal from the game.

Justin Fields’ Week 2 Performance & Whether He Has Done Enough To Keep The Starting Job

Justin Fields looked better in Week 2 after having an entire week of practice with the first team. He made some big plays, even though some of those didn’t wind up showing in the box score. Fields finished 13 for 20 with 117 passing yards, one passing TD, zero interceptions, and added 27 rushing yards.

Not the greatest performance by a QB, but it was enough to lead the Steelers to victory.

In a postgame interview with CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala, Fields stated “We did enough to win… still got some work to do on the offensive side of the ball.”

Fields is fighting to remain the starting QB.

In a post on X, Kinkhabwala, who covered the Steelers’ week two game for CBS posted that Justin Fields stated “I don’t want to give the position up.”

Kinkhabwala continued with a comment from Tomlin saying “That’s been from day zero. He’s been respectful of Russ, but he doesn’t bow down to Russ.”

Fields’ upside is greater than Wilson’s upside at this stage of Wilson’s career. With the Steelers being 2-0, it would be difficult to justify benching Fields, who could develop into a long-term solution under center.

Additionally, Fields’ Week 2 performance and stat line would look better if not for a few holding calls on Broderick Jones.

Broderick Jones Removed From Game

Mike Tomlin began his postgame press conference by stating that the first thing that caught his attention was the penalties.

Tomlin stated, “You can’t produce or sustain drives being penalized the way that we were.”

At the end of his press conference, when asked if the three penalties by Broderick Jones were why he was removed from the field, Tomlin simply replied “You got it”.

Tomlin did not hide his displeasure with Jones. Perhaps even more concerning, Jones did not take responsibility after the game.

He stated “Defenders flop. Refs throw flags. That’s the end of that.”

That’s not the attitude a second-year offensive lineman should have after being benched by Tomlin, who is notorious for giving chance after chance to players.

Jones had a rough preseason and his struggles have transferred to the regular season. He was not with the first team offense in pregame warmups, as Dan Moore and rookie Troy Fautanu started at the tackle spot. However, when inserted into the game, Jones did not give any reason to the coaching staff to trust him.

Jones needs to improve his play and attitude before the Steelers will give him a chance to start consistently.

The organization and Steeler fans had high hopes for Jones after Pittsburgh drafted him in the first round last year but he has been a bust thus far.