Should the Steelers stick with Fields?
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their brief two-game skid with a 32-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Throughout the game, much of the talk was about Justin Fields, especially in the first half when he missed multiple throws when the Steelers were in scoring position. However, Fields rushed for 59 yards, which is his season-high, along with two scores on the ground. ESPN’s Dan Orlovksy took a closer look at what Fields did with his legs, and how it gives the Steelers’ offense an added element.
“110 yards of hidden yardage,” Orlovsky said as he pulled up several plays from the game. “Justin Fields covered up for [a lot of lost yards] because of that offensive line. You put Russell [Wilson] back there, this team’s going to struggle to score, let alone struggle to win.”
Orlovsky then shows a play where Fields dodged a sack and turned the play into a first down scramble.
“Seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, that defensive end is untouched. He’s gonna turn a seven yard loss into a 14 yard gain. That’s 21 yards of hidden yardage.”
He then shows the third down play where Fields escaped pressure to connect with Calvin Austin for a first down.
“Third and 12, he is [eight] yards behind the line of scrimmage. [There’s] internal pressure. He’s gonna take an eight yard loss into a 21 yard gain – that’s 28 yards of hidden yardage right there.”
Fields covers up for this @steelers offense in the way the box score can’t show@GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/6bTLhhvzIf
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 14, 2024
Fields does a lot of things that a box score won’t show.