ATLANTA — Maybe Justin Fields hasn’t convinced Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to flip the script and give him the starting job, but the young quarterback might have raised the bar nonetheless.
After all, Fields won as he filled in for an injured Russell Wilson and christened his Steelers debut with 18-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
No, Fields didn’t lead his unit to a single touchdown, and he passed for just 156 yards.
Hold off on the controversy, people.
But he avoided major gaffes and didn’t commit a turnover. And his team won.
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Let’s crank up the controversy, folks.
‘I came here to win, no matter if I was going to throw for 300 yards, 100 yards, no yards,’ Fields said. ‘I came here to win.’
The Steelers have seen the formula that worked on Sunday before. Like last year, when they endured all sorts of adversity on offense. Led by T.J. Watt, the Steelers defense ruined the debut of Kirk Cousins in a Falcons uniform, collecting three turnovers and two sacks. Ace kicker Chris Boswell provided all of the points by nailing six field goals, including three from 50-plus yards. And the running game was decent, if not overpowering, led by 70 yards from Najee Harris.
If you’re rolling with a young, backup quarterback, this is what you’d call ideal support.
Of course, it came with some extra significance as Fields, 25, returned home. He grew up about 30 miles from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia, which meant securing a lot of tickets for family, friends and former high school teammates. Never mind that he didn’t know if he would actually start the game until pre-game warmups were completed because of Wilson’s iffy health. Home is home, and it felt that way, too, given the abundance of Steelers fans making their presence felt.
In any event, Wilson on Thursday aggravated the calf injury that dogged him during training camp, and he came to the stadium still hoping to play after winning a summer competition for the role. But the decision was ultimately taken out of Wilson’s hands.
‘I’d rather deal with short-term misery, to be quite honest with you,’ Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. ‘There’s a lot of ball out in front of us. I just thought it was appropriate, putting healthy guys out on the field.
‘I felt pretty good about both quarterbacks. I was very clear when I named Russ the starter how comfortable I was with both quarterbacks. If that is true, why not be really comfortable playing Justin under the circumstances, with Russ being in less-than-ideal physical shape. That was the thought process.’
Still, as careful as Tomlin has been in pouring water over a potential quarterback controversy – especially as Fields flashed during training camp and preseason, while Wilson, 35, gradually returned from his injury – the matter now comes with the context of games that matter.
When Tomlin was asked whether Fields’ outing on Sunday affected Wilson’s status as the starter, he shot back, ‘You can ask me that on Tuesday.’
Sure, Tomlin signaled (again) that he’s a bit annoyed by the question. But people might keep asking, especially if Fields keeps serving up reasons to wonder. Although there was no shortage of pundits and fans proclaiming that Fields should have won the job in training camp, Fields himself hasn’t fueled any flames of controversy.
He may have added to his case, though, by deftly using his legs (again) to scramble out of trouble multiple times, which, when added to designed runs, showed up on the stat sheet as 57 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also connected with George Pickens (six catches, 85 yards) for a clutch 40-yard completion on his best throw of the game just seconds before halftime, which set up a field goal.
He also resisted any temptations or suggestions to self-promote. As much as he wanted to win the job, he has been a total pro in his public disposition since Wilson was named the starter.
‘To be honest, I’m not even going to worry about that,’ said Fields, who was obtained in March from Chicago for a conditional sixth-round pick, as the Bears were committed to drafting Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick overall. ‘I just came in wanting to win. So, in terms of who’s starting, who’s not, all I want to do is win at the end of the day. So, I’m not even going to get into that.’
Controversy? What controversy?
It seemed a bit telling that Fields said it was Wilson – and not Tomlin – who informed him that he’d start after the pre-game warmups on Sunday. Of course, this wasn’t shocking news after Wilson suffered the setback on Thursday, leaving Fields to take the first-team reps.
‘I always have to be ready,’ said. ‘I’ve been in this position before. Anything can happen. I just always have the mindset to be ready.’
We’ll see where this goes over the grind of a long season. Quarterback controversies often take a life of their own, ultimately determined by the results. In this case, it includes the wait.
It’s unclear whether Wilson will be healed enough to make his debut in Week 2, when the Steelers travel to Denver of all places. Wilson wound up with the Steelers after the Broncos released him in March despite owing him $39 million in guaranteed money.
Perhaps Wilson will get a shot to extract some revenge against Sean Payton. Maybe not.
Regardless, the Steelers seem well-equipped with the alternative, QB controversy or not.
