Steelers' Justin Fields Has Haters Around NFL

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has coaches waiting on his downfall.

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

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 behind maybe the NFL's best defense and an offense that has found its groove with quarterback Justin Fields. But even with a lead in the AFC North and one of the biggest topics of conversation leading the way, the NFL isn't convinced this team will succeed.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, coaches across the league are waiting for the downfall of both the Steelers and Fields.

"Two things you head about the Steelers. One, the skepticism that they can keep winning this way," Garafolo said on The Insiders Podcast. "The other that you hear from coaches around the league, when is Fields going to make some mistakes? He can't keep playing this clean of football."

Garafolo doesn't agree.

"I don't know, he keeps doing it, and they're doing a great job of coaching it up and calling it. I think he can," Garafolo added.

Fields has thrown just one interception to this point, but it came in a game where he threw for a touchdown and ran for another. Outside of a rocket pass that bounced off multiple players before landing in the hads of a Chargers defender, the quarterback has protected the ball well, and the Steelers have won behind it.

Coming into the season, Fields has thrown 30 interceptions throughout his career. But even if the rest of the league is down on him, Fields doesn't care. In fact, he's not even focused on the outside noise or proving anyone wrong.

"'I'm not really worried about that," Fields said about detractors. "I'm more so into proving myself right. I know what kind of player I am. I haven't changed, kind of my whole life. At the end of the day, my teammates helped me be great. Shout-out to them, shout-out to our defense, shout-out to everybody else on the offense for pushing me each and every day at practice, and it's just a credit to them. Definitely glad and just feeling good to be in this position, to be honest with you."

Head coach Mike Tomlin won't name Fields the long-term starter of the Steelers while Russell Wilson is dealing with a calf injury, leaving the door open for a quarterback change at any time this season. The league believes that'll happen eventually, but until proven otherwise, it's hard to see where the skepticism comes from.

Fields is winning and playing good football. The best of his career. And Pittsburgh believes they might have found something special in the former Bears first-round pick.

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