Flavell's Five Thoughts: Steelers' Justin Fields Makes QB1 Case

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a big decision on their hands

Cody Flavell | Sep 9, 2024

Sep 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) drops back to pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Steelers

Stifling defense bails out an offense that couldn't punch the ball into the end zone. Sounds like the story of the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers, right? Well in the 2024 season opener, the same theme reared its head but it still saw the Steelers pull out the 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Offensively, the Steelers certainly had some kinks that needed worked out in the first half. Filling in for the injured Russell Wilson, backup quarterback Justin Fields fumbled his first snap under center but was able to get back on top of it to avert disaster. He then missed a wide open reciever on his next throw. The butterflies certainly were there.

Fields settled in as time went on and made some big plays both with his arm and his feet. Despite not putting any points on the board, the Steelers' offense only went three-and-out one time Sunday afternoon and relied on kicker Chris Boswell to post six field goals to push the Steelers out to a 1-0 start on the season.

There is a lot to unpack from the week 1 victory so without further ado, let's get to it.

Copy and Paste: T.J. Watt is Incredible

It's getting disrespectful how many of the national media outlets discount T.J. Watt and put every elite edge rusher over him in every power ranking or list that they pump out. I mean no disrespect to Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa but there is no world where all five of them are better.

I'm not saying he's unequivocally number one out of these guys but there is no way he should be ranked as low as he is on some of these lists.

All Watt did today was disrupt the game by getting a walk-off sack to end the game, another strip sack he recovered that was negated by the refs calling him offsides for jumping the play too early and recorded three total quarterback hits. Watt also recovered a fumble when a snap bounced off a motioning Flacons player and ended up on the ground.

Ho-hum. No big deal to him. Watt abused Falcons right tackle Kaleb McGary throughout the day and made him look like a turnstile. He did his thing all day long and it helped hold the Falcons to 226 total yards and kept them from gaining any traction in the running or passing game. A true game breaker, Watt flashed his Defensive Player of the Year potential again in this ball game.

Fields Makes Case for QB1

It was not the flashiest of Steelers' debuts for Justin Fields but it was enough to get the job done. He managed the game. He didn't turn the ball over. Fields did just about everything you could ask out of the backup to win a defensive-led game.

Wilson entered the season as the QB1 before he re-aggravated his calf injury during Thursday's practice and opened the door for Fields to start week 1. Now, after winning the first game, the Steelers have yet another story at quarterback. That's been a recurring theme since last season.

Fields wasn't able to lead a touchdown drive but didn't have a ton of drives stall quickly. While Boswell kicked six field goals, Fields was able to author drives that kept the Steelers' defense on the sidelines to rest. That was a big problem last season.

Fields went 17/23 for 156 yards but didn't turn the ball over. The Steelers' bread-and-butter is the defense and they keep the opponents out of the end zone more often than not. The ability to score points and not turn the ball over while also eating some clock is what is going to aid the Steelers in winning football games this season.

Despite his slow start, Fields warmed to the task quickly and started making throws downfield, mostly to George Pickens. The chemistry those two began forming could be another notch in his belt when Tomlin decides who will start next weekend in Denver. You also have to factor in his 57 rushing yards as part of his case as well.

Good on Fields for coming in on short notice and winning the season opener for a Steelers team that needs to get off to a hot start with the backend of their schedule being a murderers row. If it so happens that Fields doesn't see another snap this season, he can still claim to have won a big game to open for the Steelers. My money says this won't be the last we see from Fields at quarterback.

The Wizard of Boz Strikes Again

He certainly doesn't get the attention around the league that Justin Tucker and Harrison Butker do. However, Chris Boswell is as consistent and underrated as they come.

One of the best kickers historically at field goals longer than 50-yards, Boswell made three more such kicks in as many attempts in his 6-for-6 performance against the Falcons. If history serves correctly, Boswell may have another "random" drug test to take following this game.

Seriously though, Boswell is one of the games' best kickers and he has been oft busy due to the Steelers' lack of punching the ball in the end zone the oast few seasons. It's why they made him one of the league's highest-paid kickers when he signed his extension in 2022. He's been employed by the Steelers since 2015 when Shaun Suisham tore his ACL in the Hall of Fame game.

The Steelers are fortunate to have a reliable kicker in a league full of inconsistent kicker play. He even punted a ball today after Cam Johnston's injury that Mike Tomlin described as "serious". A jack-of-all-trades.

Steelers' Secondary Makes Cousins Pay

Kirk Cousins' return from an achilles injury did not go as planned. After being pried away from the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins' Falcons debut was soured by a two interception performance that easily could've been three if Donte Jackson would've caught a pass that hit him square in the hands in the first quarter.

Regardless, Cousins looked like a quarterback coming off a serious injury while learning a new system after spending his entire career in one organization. He looked shaky and both interceptions were avoidable.

Jackson made up for his earlier dropped interception by picking Cousins off late in the fourth quarter and almost returning it for six. On the first interception, Deshon Elliott made quite the play on a ball that Cousins probably shouldn't have thrown anyway. Elliott also had two pass defenses and four tackles to go along with his pick.

Beanie Bishop Jr. was pressed into elevated duty in the final quarter when Joey Porter Jr. exited the game with an arm injury. He made a tackle on the Falcons' final drive that kept Ray-Ray McCloud in bounds and the clock continuing to run as the Falcons had no timeouts. The game was essentially over anyway but Bishop's heads up play didn't go unnoticed.

Minkah Fitzpatrick unsurprisingly led the team with seven tackles and looked like he was shot out of a cannon all throughout the game.

Steelers Overcame Adversity From Refs

There were some questionable referee calls that could've heavily impacted the game if Cousins and the Falcons' offense was more efficient.

Fields and Pickens connected for a beautiful sideline deep ball on a 3rd-and-long that would've put the Steelers in the red zone. Instead, the play was negated after an offensive pass interference call. Granted there may have been a slight push off by Pickens but it was one that happens nearly every time a ball is in the air between a reciever and quaterback. It halted the drive.

Najee Harris' helmet was ripped off his head at the end of a play by Falcons safety Jessie Bates. The referees missed it. Broderick Jones was given a personal foul for defending his teammate who was getting mugged by the opposing defense and it was questionable what exactly he did wrong in the interaction.

The most frustrating one may have been the strip sack that the refs negated by calling a penalty on what for being offsides. Watt picked up on a cue from the Falcons' center and his snap count so he decided to go on the cue. In real time, he was so quick off the line that it is understandable why the ref called it. However, it seemed more like Watt simply being very good at his job and timing the snap.

The Steelers didn't let it get to them and they were able to pull off a victory. They'll go to Denver next weekend and face rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos at 4:25 P.M. Mike Tomlin is pretty good against rookie quarterbacks in his career so the Steelers should be favored to get out to a fast 2-0 start to the season.

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Published Sep 9, 2024