Steelers' Justin Fields responds to 'pressure' with Russell Wilson return looming

Head coach Mike Tomlin still hasn't guaranteed Justin Fields will remain the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback when Russell Wilson is cleared to face live defenses after missing the season's first four weeks with a lingering calf injury.

Fields was asked on Thursday if he's feeling any extra pressure ahead of the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" home game against the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys, knowing Wilson could be good to go next week.

"No, not really," Fields responded, Josh Carney of Steelers Depot shared. "I'm just gonna keep doing what I've been doing, and whatever decision [Tomlin] makes, he makes. At the end of the day, I can only control what I'm doing on the field. But no, I'm just gonna go out there and keep doing what I've been doing."

Fields guided the Steelers to three consecutive victories to open the season but was largely a game manager across those outings. While Pittsburgh suffered a 27-24 loss at the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday, Fields produced the best performance of his Pittsburgh tenure in that defeat. He completed 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards and one touchdown against Indianapolis, and he also contributed 55 rushing yards and two scores.

According to Jeff Hathhorn of Audacy, Wilson said on Thursday that he feels "right there" regarding a potential return to in-game action.

"Justin has done a great job," Wilson added during his comments. "Our team has, too, and guys have been battling. I feel confident in who our football team is."

Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper noted that Pittsburgh trailing the Colts 17-3 at halftime of the Week 4 encounter "forced the Steelers to open things up a bit more (offensively) than they had in the first three weeks." Fields performed admirably under those circumstances, so Alper thinks Pittsburgh could "put more on" the young quarterback in the opening half of the Dallas game.

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the 3-1 Steelers as 2.5-point favorites against the Cowboys. Fields may not need to win on Sunday night to hold onto the QB1 job, but one wonders how Tomlin might react if the 25-year-old is why Pittsburgh loses at Acrisure Stadium.