Following the Steelers’ 20-17 loss to Dallas, which reduced them to 3-2, Fields remarked, “I don’t think we’re one of those teams looking for an identity.” “We are aware of who we are.” The second half did see some improvement, but Pittsburgh still managed 226 yards of total offense against a Dallas defense that was without its best players, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. That cannot continue to be the standard.
It brings up identity again. There is a sense of indecision as a result of Tomlin’s decision to not support one quarterback over another. Tomlin hasn’t given the Steelers a distinct identity, which contributes to their lack of one. At two very different stages of their careers, he has two quarterbacks with two very different skill sets.
The sooner Tomlin selects a quarterback, the sooner Pittsburgh can go with confidence and perhaps lay a foundation that feels more solid than the one Fields is currently standing on.
hesitated, attempting to come up with the appropriate phrase. The quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers shrugged his shoulders when they failed to show up.
After the Steelers lost to Dallas 20–17, dropping them to 3-2, Fields stated, “I don’t think we’re one of those teams looking for an identity.” “We are aware of who we are.”
Given that Fields’ manager has been evading inquiries regarding the most crucial role in the sport for the past several weeks, it is reasonable to wonder if that is the case after yet another close defeat that ended early on Monday.
As Russell Wilson, who won the starting quarterback spot coming out of training camp, slowly recovers from a calf injury sustained a few days prior to the season opener, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has made a point of avoiding any announcements regarding the team’s starting quarterback, repeatedly referring to it as a “hypothetical.”
Fields is in a difficult situation as a result of that thinking. In each of Pittsburgh’s first five games, he made notable progress, changing from game manager to powerful playmaker. Regardless of Wilson’s situation, Tomlin has frequently refrained from declaring Fields the full-time starter despite praising Fields’ play.
In a time when few quarterbacks start all 17 games, that choice would be wise, particularly for Pittsburgh, which hasn’t had a quarterback go wire-to-wire since 2018. However, it has also pushed Fields into a high-wire act where every week is essentially a tryout.
Fields took a big step back against the Cowboys, completing just 15 of 27 passes for 131 yards, but he recently backed down when asked whether there was any extra pressure before the Dallas game because Wilson seemed to be getting close to a comeback.
Despite throwing two touchdowns, including a 6-yard shovel pass to Pat Freiermuth with 4:56 remaining to put the Steelers ahead, Fields also oversaw another sluggish first half that saw Pittsburgh play catch-up. He struggled to establish a rhythm with wide receiver George Pickens, who caught only three of the seven passes thrown to him in the first quarter, and missed a few shots down the field.
Tomlin has become more and more frustrated with his team’s slow starts. It hurt them against Dallas, when it should have cost them more than it did, and in Indianapolis, where they rushed to a 17-0 lead. The Steelers were only stopped by two red zone errors by Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
The second half did see some improvement, but Pittsburgh still managed 226 yards of total offense against a Dallas defense that was without its best players, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. That cannot continue to be the standard.
It brings up identity again. There is a sense of indecision as a result of Tomlin’s decision to not support one quarterback over another. Tomlin hasn’t given the Steelers a distinct identity, which contributes to their lack of one. At two very different stages of their careers, he has two quarterbacks with two very different skill sets.
The sooner Tomlin selects a quarterback, the sooner Pittsburgh can go with confidence and perhaps lay a foundation that feels more solid than the one Fields is currently standing on.
