Justin Fields is rolling with the Steelers, and Russell Wilson needs to stay the hell away

Conventional football wisdom dictates that a player shouldnt lose their position on a depth chart due to injury.

Once a time-worn practice, this tradition has largely fallen by the wayside as teams understand the importance of capturing lightning in a bottle, riding with the hot hand, and seizing the moment in front of them.

Justin Fields is this lightning in a bottle when it comes to the Steelers .

He is their hot hand.

The quarterback is seizing his moment, and the only thing that could ruin it now is adherence to stale football adages and turning the reins over to Russell Wilson.

That is the reality facing the 3-0 Steelers this week with Wilson reportedly returning to practice, a Week 4 game against the Colts in his sights .

It wasnt long ago that Wilson was the obvious choice for Pittsburgh, the veteran they set their sights on from the moment it was rumored he was on the way out of Denver.

Now its impossible to imagine the Steelers benching Fields and shifting to Wilson based on the caliber of play theyre getting out of their other new QB acquired in the offseason.

Fields had been functionally fine in Weeks 1 and 2, but thats about all you could really say about his play.

Week 3 represented a stratospheric jump both in the caliber of throws he was making against the Chargers , but also how in command of the offense he looked.

It wasnt just Fields best passing outing since becoming a Steeler, but arguably the best hes ever had, period.

JUSTIN FIELDS TO CALVIN AUSTIN III.

55-YARD TD.

: #LACvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+ : https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/IyvXrXm1pU If we break down this play into its component parts we can see just how far Justin Fields has come as a quarterback.

Five pass rushers are coming, and Fields quickly realizes two things: Fields realized as soon as the ball is snapped that Cordarelle Patterson coming off motion is covered.

He then looks to the center of the field, noticing that neither Pat Freiermuth nor George Pickens are going to be open because their route depth falls right into the zone.

There is no planet in which Calvin Austin III was the primary on this play.

At best he was the fourth read on this play.

Fields realized that Austin III had space in between the zones, and delivered a dart, standing tall in the pocket and not reacting to the pressure closing in.

Not just in big way like scrambling out, as hed so often too in Chicago, but there was a calmness to Fields feet we just havent seen from him before.

This is a sign that Fields has re-learned that he can trust an offensive line after years of taking beatings.

He understands that his Pittsburgh teammates will hold their blocks, and hes settled as a result.

When the dust settled on the afternoon Fields finished as one of the top passers on the day: 25-for-32, 245 yards, 1 ID, 1 INT as well as a rushing touchdown.

Was it an absolutely perfect game? No, but the Steelers dont need perfect to win games.

They simply need someone to execute explosive plays when they present themselves, and understand that the identity of this team is to grind down opponents with the run and defense.

At this point the only reason to move Fields to the bench and swap in Russ is misguided loyalty because Wilson won the job in training camp.

There is absolutely no justification for moving off a 3-0 quarterback who is playing the best football of his career right now, and who is still just scratching the surface of his potential in the league.

It comes down to what Pittsburghs end goals are, not just for 2024, but the future.

Sure, the team can shift to Wilson, and there are some things to like there.

Hes a little more careful with the ball, he probably wont throw a bad interception but hes also a risk-averse veteran now.

This 2024 version of Russ isnt going to generate explosive plays for you, and hes not much of a leader.

When you cap all this off with the fact hes 35-years-old you have, at best, a short-term rental of an iffy player who might not be any better than youre getting right now.

On the other hand theres 25-year-old Justin Fields who could be the long-term quarterback youve been desperate for.

Fields is athletic enough to make big plays, humble enough to embody the culture of the organization, and while hell need to be paid next year, at least youve spent time kicking the tires for a season to make an educated call on whether hes your future, or a fling.

The Steelers embody the idea of winning ugly.

They relish in it as an organization.

Mike Tomlins personality oozes through the entire football team and has his team believing that they can always win as long as they do the little things right and execute.

As it stands its Justin Fields who has Pittsburgh out to this 3-0 start, and they have to keep soaring with him at QB.

To make a change now would be the worst decision of the year.

Winner: Andy Dalton Andy Dalton had the best passing game of the 2024 season just as we all expected.

Sure, it was against the Raiders (who well talk about in a bit), but the shift of the Carolina offense with Dalton under center was simply astonishing.

Dalton didnt just play well, he was absolutely on fire, tossing dot balls to receivers in stride, putting Diontae Johnson in positions where he could use his YAC ability, and carving up the Las Vegas secondary like it was nothing.

Nobody knows what the future holds for Bryce Young, but Dalton made this situation a lot more compelling.

In one game he proved that the Panthers offense can be run effectively, and it makes for a very difficult decision when it comes to Youngs future in Carolina.

Next week vs.

Cincinnati will be a litmus test, but Dalton single-handedly turned back the doomsday clock.

Winner: Brian Flores A lot is being made of Sam Darnold when it comes to the Vikings, and rightfully so but Brian Flores is the mastermind of whats happening in Minnesota right now.

Its one thing to pilot an offense with the likes of Justin Jefferson and a solid offensive line, but another entirely to shut down back-to-back weeks of Brock Purdy and C.J.

Stroud, reducing both to dust in the process.

Flores knack for defensive creativity is where he sets himself apart from a majority of coordinators around the NFL.

Weve seen his ability to scheme around a lack of talent in the secondary before, but against Houston he unleashed a pass rush that sacked Stroud five times, pressuring him into throwing two picks as well.

This might be the best defense in the NFL that simply doesnt get enough credit because they lack a marquee, nationally-known player.

Make no mistake, this team is elite.

Theyve allowed the fewest points in the league through three games, and everything is clicking.

Loser: Las Vegas Raiders Its one thing to be beaten by the Panthers.

Another to get beaten pillar to post by Andy Dalton.

Its on a whole other level to absolutely quit on a game the way the Raiders did in the second half on Sunday.

There are much, much worse teams than the Raiders who havent quit during blowouts this season.

It speaks to a wonky locker room culture, and head coach Antonio Pierce knows it needs to be fixed, pronto.

#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce on the loss to the #Panthers : "As the game went on, there were some individuals made business decisions, so well make business decisions going forward as well." pic.twitter.com/LHLgWXpK8N Theres no doubt this is a retooling year, but effort like the Raiders gave on Sunday is unacceptable.

Winner: Malik Willis Im a big Malik Willis fan.

Ill own my bias on that one.

I liked him leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft , and thought he landed in a really unfortunate place at the worst possible time with the Titans in flux.

Now hes been thrust into a role he wasnt ready for, and is absolutely shining on the Packers .

Theres no doubt hes still benefitting from limited defensive film to pick him apart, but that doesnt change the fact hes making big explosive plays as they present themselves, and hes been in total command of the offense.

It feels like the win over the Titans cemented that someone, somewhere will want Willis as their quarterback in 2025..

This article has been shared from the original article on sbnation, here is the link to the original article.