Steelers vs. Falcons: Justin Fields leads Pittsburgh on scoring drive on opening possession

Justin Fields is leading the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Fields is starting in place of Russell Wilson, who is dealing with a calf injury. This is a re-run of what transpired at the start of training camp, when Fields got most of the first-team reps with Wilson dealing with a calf injury. 

A Georgia native, Fields’ first drive had an inhospitable start. As he did several times during the preseason, Fields had issues handling Pittsburgh’s opening snap but managed to pick up three yards after abandoning the play. Fields had another mishandled snap later in the drive, but he was still able to get the ball to Najee Harris, who darted right for a positive game. 

All in all, Fields’ first drive was a good one. He led the Steelers on a 10-play, 31-yard drive that ended with Chris Boswell’s 57-yard field goal that tied the score. 

Fields went just 1 of 3 passing for four yards, but he picked up a key first down on a 12-yard run on a third-and-7 play from Pittsburgh’s own 33-yard-line. He first incompletion was an errant attempt to Van Jefferson after Fields didn’t plant his feet. He also had a running lane on the right side but instead decided to give Jefferson a chance on the far sideline. 

Fields’ second incompletion was an attempt that was behind Harris. His first completion as a Steeler was a four-yard completion to tight end Pat Freiermuth. 

One thing that was clear on Pittsburgh’s first drive was that Fields will likely have room to run, if he chooses to do so. It’ll be interesting to see if the Falcons change their approach, or if they will continue to make Fields choose between running or throwing.