Justin Fields

Justin Fields didn't have a banner day as a passer on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. But much like the rest of the season to this point, he did plenty enough to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a win.

Fields finished the contest 14-of-24 through the air for 145 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions, taking three sacks. But he added 11 carries for 59 yards and two scores, and Pittsburgh cruised to a 32-13 victory.

This was a very Pittsburgh win. The team rushed for 183 yards, the defense held Las Vegas to 275 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers, and Fields avoided the sort of crucial mistakes that would have gotten in the way.

No, he isn't going to remind anyone of Ben Roethlisberger anytime soon. But Fields has the Steelers off to a 4-2 start, and at this point, fans and pundits alike can't find a good reason to hand the reins over to Russell Wilson instead:

Head coach Mike Tomlin has not definitively named a starting quarterback for the rest of the season, saying that he would reevaluate the situation when both Fields and Wilson were both healthy. Wilson was active this week as the No. 2 option, though Tomlin didn't say whether that was the new order of things.

"Like what I've seen out here, but health and rust are two different things," Tomlin told reporters this past week regarding Wilson. "I thought he had a good week displaying his health, his ability to protect himself. Now it's just the process of getting reacclimated to the ball."

Until Tomlin definitively names a starter, it will remain a talking point in Pittsburgh. But at this point, it's hard to imagine him rocking the boat, with Fields continuing to play steady, if unspectacular, football.

Russell Wilson is currently the backup quarterback behind Justin Fields for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn't mean the AFC North team is open to trading him.

"There have been no trade talks surrounding Russell Wilson," NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Sunday (30-second mark). "I don't get the sense there'd really be an appetite to trade him even if the phone rings."

Pittsburgh is 3-2 on the season with Fields under center, and Pelissero said the starter is "beloved in that locker room."

However, Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders will be the first time Wilson is officially active this season as he recovers from a calf injury that sidelined him. Pelissero suggested there "remains a feeling we may see Wilson at some point in the coming weeks."

At this point, Fields has largely been solid while completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 961 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. His overall passing accuracy has been the biggest reason for concern throughout his career, but 67.6 percent is well above his high-mark of 61.4 last season for the Chicago Bears.

He has also added 172 yards and three touchdowns as a runner, which has been his best trait since entering the league in 2021 and something that can help him separate from Wilson.

Still, the Steelers have lost two games in a row and probably didn't bring Wilson in to sit the entire 2024 campaign.

The nine-time Pro Bowler is no longer the dominant quarterback he was at his peak on the Seattle Seahawks, but he still has a potential Hall of Fame resume and could provide a spark if Fields and Co. can't snap out of their brief skid when they face the Raiders.

Perhaps the front office has that in mind, which could be playing a role in the hesitancy to explore trading the veteran.

Even though Justin Fields has the Pittsburgh Steelers tied for first place in the AFC North going into Week 6, his time as starting quarterback could be coming to an end very soon.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, there's a belief from some people around the NFL that Russell Wilson will "eventually" surpass Fields on the depth chart now that the nine-time Pro Bowler appears to be fully recovered from a calf injury.

However, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported it's "been made clear" in recent weeks that the Steelers players and coaches "love" Fields.

Wilson had been practicing on a limited basis through the first five weeks of the regular season. He returned to full practice this week and is expected to be active for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters on Friday that Wilson is "probably" going to be active this week, serving as the No. 2 quarterback behind Fields.

"I like what I've seen out there, but again, health and rust are two different things. I thought he had a good week displaying his health, his ability to protect himself. Now it's just a process of getting reacclimated," Tomlin said.

Wilson originally injured his calf during a conditioning test at the start of training camp in July. He was able to play in each of Pittsburgh's final two preseason games, leading a touchdown drive on the first possession against the Detroit Lions on Aug. 24.

The Steelers elected not to put Wilson on injured reserve at the start of the season, which would have kept him out for a minimum of four games. His return comes at a time when Fields' runway appears to be getting smaller with the offense struggling.

Pittsburgh ranks 23rd in yards (299.4) and 26th in points per game (18.4). The offense has committed five turnovers in the past three games, with Fields responsible for two of them (one interception, one lost fumble).

Fields is still having issues holding onto the ball. His five fumbles are tied for most in the NFL. His 43 fumbles since entering the league in 2021 are eight more than anyone else during that span.

Wilson hasn't appeared in a regular-season game since Week 16 last season with the Denver Broncos. He threw for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and completed 66.4 percent of his attempts in 15 starts during the 2023 campaign.

The Steelers upcoming games after this week are against the New York Jets and New York Giants before a bye in Week 9.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields doesn't believe there's a shortcut to addressing the consistently slow starts they've had on offense to open the 2024 NFL season.

"It's not a pregame routine," he told reporters after Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. "It's not doing something special or drinking a different color Gatorade. It is none of that. It's just coming out first play, coming out focused, ready to go.

"And we didn't do that at the start. We got going as time went along, but it is not mystical. It is performance at the end of the day, and we didn't come out with the right intent."

Pittsburgh fell behind by 17 points to Indianapolis early into the second quarter, and that continued a trend so far. Through four games, the Steelers have scored a combined 29 first-half points.

Running back Najee Harris echoed Fields when he said he didn't have a straightforward solution for the offense.

"It's just that we just got to execute on our behalf," he said. "They're going to come out there on certain defenses to stop the run. We know that we just got to execute it. Some teams play different structures on stopping it. Some guys have a free hat on certain schemes and stuff like that. We got to see that and take advantage of it. And second half we kind of did better at that."

The optimistic side of the argument is that a lot went wrong for the Steelers and they still nearly overcame a two-score deficit. Were it not for a mistimed snap on Pittsburgh's final drive, the team may have gotten into position for a game-tying field goal or even found a go-ahead score.

The more pessimistic take is that a 3-0 start masked larger problems. Harris is averaging a career-low 3.4 yards per carry. Wide receiver George Pickens remains equal parts electric and confounding. The offense is still fairly conservative despite having a new voice (Arthur Smith) calling the plays.

A Week 5 matchup against Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and the Dallas Cowboys will present a good test for the Steelers, one in which their true level for better or worse could be revealed.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, led by Justin Fields, kept their fans on edge but suffered their first loss of the season against the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24, dropping them to 3-1 on the year.

After failing to find the end zone in the first half, the Steelers were down 17-3 going into halftime.

Perhaps it was the moment Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson went down with just under four minutes left in the second quarter that shifted the tide in favor of the Steelers. Alternatively, it could have been Fields stepping up that played a pivotal role in turning the game around.

Coming out of halftime, the Steelers held the Colts scoreless in the third quarter, while Fields added some spark to the squad with a five-yard touchdown run.

The Steelers continued to look to Fields as he ran in another touchdown around the 11-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

Although Fields' second half for the Steelers looked promising, they couldn't seal the win after a rough final drive under the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

Even though they did not receive the outcome they hoped for, Steeler Nation took to social media to praise their young quarterback in his first season in Black and Gold.

Fields finished the day completing 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards and one touchdown while adding 55 yards and two TDs on the ground.

The Steelers look to bounce back next week as they face the Cowboys on Oct. 6.

Russell Wilson's calf injury means Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin hasn't been forced to name an official starter in the veteran's quarterback battle with Justin Fields.

But that could change ahead of the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys.

While Wilson is sidelined for Sunday's game against the Indianapolis Colts, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wilson is "as close to full health as he's been" and would "for sure" be available if this was a playoff game.

Rapoport also reported the expectation is Fields will be named the starter for the Week 5 game, though, when Wilson could be available.

Tomlin did not exactly offer much clarity Tuesday when discussing the situation.

"Because there's no need," he told reporters when asked why he hadn't made Fields the official long-term starter. "I explained to you the variables of the week. It has not changed. He's going to walk in this building with that mindset tomorrow, and so really, there's no need to. Sometimes in this business, man, there's a myriad of complex decisions that need to be made.

"I've learned to make them when it's appropriate and it's not necessary as we sit here right now, when Russ gets to an appropriate point of health and we have a decision to make, I'll make it and I'll announce it and I'll be really transparent about it, but until then, I don't care how many ways you guys ask me, I got no intentions of making the decision that's unnecessary at this juncture."

Wilson's impending return will change the situation, but Fields has Pittsburgh at 3-0 and has done exactly what the team is looking for in the early portion of the season.

He threw for a season-high 245 yards in the Week 3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers and has three total touchdowns to one interception this season. The lack of turnovers is particularly important, as Pittsburgh's defense is one of the best in the league and should keep the AFC North team in every game it plays.

Fields has proven throughout his career that he can be a dynamic playmaker with his legs.

While he never lived up to the expectations of being a franchise quarterback from a throwing perspective with the Chicago Bears, the Steelers don't need him to throw the ball 50 times a game given their overall roster makeup.

All he has done is win in 2024, and it doesn't seem like Tomlin is going to change that formula even when Wilson is available.