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Justin Fields wasn’t trying to play like a former first-round pick on Sunday, his first start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He wasn’t trying to disprove old narratives that stem from his trying three years in Chicago. Heck, Fields probably wasn’t even worried about further strengthening his case to be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback over Russell Wilson, who missed the Week 1 game with a calf injury.
Instead of worrying about those things, Fields instead focused on doing his part in leading the Steelers to an 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Fields accomplished that, and in doing so showed why he could be the future of the Steelers’ quarterback position.
“It feels great to start the season 1-0,” Fields told Fox Sports’ Pam Oliver after the game. “Of course, we’ve got some things to work on, but proud of the whole team coming out and executing. … Just everybody all around. We’ve got things to clean up; we want to score more touchdowns. But overall, I’m happy with the dub.”
Fields did what was required. He was largely accurate (17 of 23), moved the chains, helped the Steelers dictate momentum and engineered six drives that ended with Chris Boswell field goals. Just as important, Fields did not turn the ball over and did not put his defense in any terribly bad spots.
“The biggest thing is I’ve been here before,” Fields said. “I’ve started a lot of games. I know how good our defense is. I know how good our team overall is. Just making smart decisions and letting my teammates work for me.”
Still, Fields was not merely a game manager. He made several plays with his legs, including a 12-yard jaunt on third down on Pittsburgh’s opening drive that set up Boswell’s first field goal. He went downfield several times to George Pickens on completions that set up six more points from Boswell. More than anything, big plays like those was the biggest thing missing from the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steady-justin-fields-shows-why-he-could-remain-steelers-starting-qb-after-leading-road-upset-over-falcons/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2024-09-08 22:25:44
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