Last week, all signs pointed to Justin Fields starting in Atlanta, though nothing was made official until shortly before game time.
This week, Mike Tomlin got out in front of everything, giving Russell Wilson an injury designation hours before the official injury report is due for the Sunday game against the Broncos in Denver:
"Regarding Russell's availability, I'm going to list him as questionable," Tomlin said Friday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Obviously, if his availability is questionable, then starting is less so. But we've been in that mindset all week. Like I've said, we've been focused on getting Justin ready to play, and we'll continue in that mindset as we push forward toward game time."
Let me translate that: Barring some sort of miracle healing to Wilson's calf, Fields is starting Sunday.
Wilson is working his way back from aggravating the same calf he injured during the conditioning test at the start of training camp. He was a limited participant in practice both Wednesday and Thursday.
With Wilson all but officially sidelined in Week 2, Fields has a genuine opportunity to end any scent of a quarterback controversy before it can take over the season. As we saw it play out with Mason Rudolph down the stretch last season, if Fields helps the team engineer wins, especially if Wilson's recovery lingers beyond this week, Tomlin would be hard pressed to make a change.
While the offense didn't punch the ball into the end zone, Fields did enough to at least put Tomlin in a head space in which he has to be considered for a more extended look. Not only did the team win -- yes, wins absolutely matter to Tomlin -- Fields completed 73.9% of his passes, completed three big-time throws (the third-most in the NFL), made no turnover-worthy plays and tied for seventh among quarterbacks in Week 1 in completion percentage above expected (CPOE).
It wasn't a perfect performance, but it was enough to earn praise from Tomlin on Tuesday.
"I thought he had clear eyes in weighty moments. I thought he was a good communicator in some of those moments where we had some discussions," Tomlin said. "There was a lot of good. It's just good to be in a stadium with a guy. You're speculating until you are. And I just know a heck of a lot about him because of that experience, and I'm sure he knows more about himself in this environment and us. So it's just really good things to build upon."
But Arthur Smith had some comments about Fields during his Thursday meeting with reporters that really painted a good picture of the situation for both Fields and the Steelers.
"He's got a good experience from his time in Chicago, but as a young player, even some of these rookies, he's barely older than some of these rookies that are playing right now that got drafted high," Smith said. "Those reps matter, and those are things that build confidence. You build off winning. And there's always things we’ve got to work on, myself included. We talk a lot about shared accountability, and that's real. And so that I was happy, you know about growth, and handling the situation. That's what the great players do. And so that was a step in the right direction."
The emphasis here is winning. Regardless of whether you're satisfied with six field goals or not -- and I can tell you this team isn't -- the Steelers won their opener. And, Fields did very little to put his team in danger while making a few big-time plays that helped engineer points. The good definitely outweighed the bad. So, Smith's correct in saying it was a step in the right direction.
That's what makes this Sunday so important for Fields, and every Sunday he's given the chance to start while Wilson recovers from his injury.
"It's very important. More important for the team than for me," Fields said Thursday. "I have a job, and that's to lead us to a win each and every week. So, we can have this debate on who's the starter, who's not the starter, but my main job is to go in there and help my team win the game. So as long as I do that, then I feel good."
Don't let the proper media speak fool you. Yes, the team winning is most important, and Fields does have a job to do. And, a win and another solid performance Sunday will make it very difficult for Tomlin to go back to Wilson. Again, winning changes everything. If this team wins with Fields under center, then there won't be any changes made.
But this is huge for Fields and his career. The sky is the limit for him. He's as athletic as any quarterback in the game. Only Lamar Jackson rivals his running ability. But Fields also has superb arm talent with the ability to take the top off defenses. The more he plays, the more chances he gets at realizing that potential and becoming the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be.
And if he gets to do that for the Steelers, then it's a slam dunk situation for everyone involved.
