ATLANTA — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields didn’t put up gaudy numbers in Sunday’s 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons, but that doesn’t matter to him. All he cares about is winning.
“I mean, to be honest, I’m not even worried about that,” Fields said when asked if he’s showcased enough to be the starter moving forward. “I just came (to Pittsburgh) wanting to win and I’m glad we’re leaving here with a win. In terms of who’s starting and who’s not, all I want to do is win at the end of the day. I came here to win, no matter if I was going to throw for 300 yards, 100 yards, no yards.”
Fields said Wilson revealed the news to him that he’ll be the starter right before the game. Wilson was ruled out with a calf injury.
“Russ came in after warming up,” Fields said. “And he told me I was up. Like I said all week, he was questionable, was trying to get his calf right and try to get going. So really right before game.”
Fields completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%) for 156 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 91.9. He also rushed for 57 yards on 14 attempts (4.1 average). Fields had an up and down performance, but he completed two deep passes to George Pickens (41-yarder and a 40-yarder) that resulted in two Chris Boswell field goals.
The 40-yard completion to Pickens right before halftime was a significant play in the game, as the defensive gave up a touchdown on the previous possession to take a 10-6 lead. Boswell nailed a 44-yard field goal to cut the Falcons’ lead to 10-9 at halftime.
“We basically called a rollout to the left, tried to get a concept going over there. But just felt the left side D-end rush up field, so I stopped in the pocket and saw they were playing cloud backside,” Fields said. “And we know their safeties are pick hungered, they are ball-hawks, they like to follow the quarterbacks eyes. So I saw they dropped George backside because we were moving the pocket, great protection up front (and) it was a big play for us before the half. Great connection with that.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields at practice on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
It took a while for Fields to get going, but he improved as the game went on. He promised that a slow start won’t happen again.
Mike Tomlin said after the game that he was noncommittal on who’ll be the starting quarterback moving forward.
“You can come ask me that question on Tuesday,” Tomlin said.
All in all, it was a solid outing for Fields. Still a lot to work on, of course, but he was glad to get a victory in his hometown of Atlanta.
“Personally, it’s great,” Fields said. “I have a bunch of family here, family and friends, old high school teammates, so just the setting, I really couldn’t ask for it a better way. God sure does work in mysterious ways, so I’m just thankful for him, and really just this moment with my team. But just coming back home, being able to get a dub against the hometown team was great.”
Fields also was glad to get the win for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was the Falcons head coach for three seasons before being fired at the end of last year.
“Oh, it meant a lot. I know Art, I know how fiery he is,” Fields said. “I know how competitive he is, so it definitely meant a lot. And I know, shoot, he wishes just like me that we could have put even more points on the board.”
