After beginning the season 3-0, the Pittsburgh Steelers have dropped two games in a row and now stand at a record of 3-2.
With Justin Fields still under center through these five games, opinions seem to be split on where the Steelers go from here. Russell Wilson is returning to practice this week and should be good to go for Week 6, if called upon.
The question is, will Wilson get the start?
Some believe Fields has played well enough to continue as the team's starter, while others will point to a "poor performance" in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys. There should be some blame cast all around, to be quite frank. But, does Fields really deserve a lot of the criticism for a Week 5 loss?
After all, the Steelers defense was in position to win the ball game and failed to secure the victory. There are also reasons why Fields' effort was subpar, yes, but his performance being the sole reason for the loss doesn't seem to be a widespread belief.
In the end, only one opinion matters and that's the one coming straight from head coach Mike Tomlin. With Wilson being a full participant at practice now, on Wednesday, Tomlin gave the media a pretty straightforward answer when talking about who will be the starter this weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders.
More Steelers news:
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said QB Russell Wilson is scheduled to be a full participant in practice on Wednesday. He'll get reps with the second team, per Tomlin, "as not to disrupt Justin's preparation."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) October 8, 2024
Without coming out and clearly saying "Justin Fields is the starter," that's essentially what Tomlin said here by referring to Wilson getting reps with the second team and Fields' preparation not being disrupted.
Mike Tomlin is making the right call if he's sticking with Justin Fields
Let's look at the facts, overall, here.
This last game, George Pickens was clearly in the dog house and on a snap count. Fields was throwing to Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Calvin Austin as his top wideouts at various points in the game.
The issues with Pickens are about as evident as they can get. This locker room seems to have turned against him and he's worn out his welcome. That's a big problem.
The other issue? This offensive line is no where near where it should be. With three players on injured reserve and the starting five being pieced together in front of Fields, that's not an ideal situation. Do we really want to take the rushing ability of Fields out of this game in favor of a potential upgrade in the passing game with Wilson?
The Steelers' issues go way deeper and are far more concerning than any critiques we could offer Fields, at this point. For the sake of this team's continuity, keeping Fields under center is the right call.
And, if all goes according to plan, Wilson may never see the Field for Pittsburgh this season. It's still early, and anything could happen. But, right now, Tomlin looks like he's making the right decision.