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A quarterback from Georgia, who rose to national stardom in college in Ohio, is starting to play like a high-caliber quarterback in Pennsylvania.
Of course it’s Justin Fields, the Steelers surprise Week 1 starter who’s been nothing but uber-efficient as the Steelers have scratched and clawed their way to a 3-0 start. Yet Pittsburgh isn’t winning solely by clamping down defensively and controlling the clock.
Fields has begun to play with the confidence he demonstrated when he emerged as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation out of Kennesaw, Georgia and the productive passer after transferring to Ohio State. It’s easy to forget just how productive he was with the Buckeyes — in his two seasons there, one of which was cut short due to COVID-19, Fields tossed 63 touchdowns to a mere nine interceptions and averaged over 9.2 yards per attempt.
After a tumultuous beginning to his NFL career in Chicago, when he could never seem to string multiple high-caliber starts together, took too many sacks, flashed as a runner, and couldn’t clearly see the whole field fast enough, Fields has settled in with the Steelers. The trust in himself is on its way back.
Through three games, Fields is 55 of 75 (73.3%) for 518 yards — 6.9 yards per attempt — with two passing touchdowns and one pick, the latter came in Week 3 on a crazy tip-drill. As a runner, he’s accumulated 90 yards on 24 carries with a ground-game score.
Against the Chargers, Fields threw over 30 times in a regular season game for just the 10th time, and it was the second-most efficient of those specific, high-volume outings, as he completed 78.1% of this 32 passes at 7.7 yards per attempt with one touchdown and that one interception.
Fields isn’t a totally new quarterback, but the transformation is progressing at a promising pace.
Watch here, against the Chargers in Week 3, how Fields is given a…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-begin-season-3-0-why-justin-fields-advancing-qb-skills-are-a-major-part-of-pittsburghs-hot-start/
Author : Chris Trapasso
Publish date : 2024-09-23 14:43:37
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