Steelers Likely Had More Plays Planned For Justin Fields In Loss To Eagles In Week 15

The Pittsburgh Steelers had one of their most disappointing games of the season with their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. It felt like hardly anything went right during the game. While there were a lot of concerns about how the offense would perform without wide receiver George Pickens, this ended up being worse than many expected. Quarterback Russell Wilson struggled to get anything going on offense, mostly because of a weak performance from the offensive line. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith brought in backup Justin Fields in the first half to try to spark something, and it was a success, but unfortunately, he was injured. 

During the second quarter, on the Steelers' lone touchdown drive, Fields came in and picked up eight yards. It helped that Eagles' Rodrigo Blankenship was penalized for a hit to the head, giving the Steelers another 15 yards. However, Fields did not return to the game afterward, and it was announced that he would not return. After the game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that Fields had been injured while sliding during that play. 

With the uncertainty surrounding the return of Pickens, the Steelers' offense needs to get creative to win against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16 and the Kansas City Chiefs the week after. Many believe utilizing Fields to keep the opposing defenses on their toes would be a solid strategy. 

The morning after the Eagles loss, Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show was on 93.7 The Fan Morning Show breaking down the game. He was asked about the injury to Fields and his possible return for Saturday's game. Kaboly is hopeful and believes they would have used Fields more if he hadn't been hurt.   

"If he didn't get hurt, I wonder how much he would have been used going into that second half," said Kaboly. "'Cause that one play he had was a pretty significant play, plus he got a penalty on top of that. Abs are tough, similar to back injuries where anytime you breathe, it hurts. I don't know the degree of it, but for him to be ruled out after one play when he wasn't going to play a whole lot tells me it was pain tolerance. There are things you can take for pain tolerance, so I would imagine he would be alright."

Kaboly also said that he believes the Steelers tend to be the type of team that bounces back after a frustrating loss. He cites the Steelers' Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns and how they returned the following week to beat the Cincinnati Bengals. The offense in that game was able to score every time they needed to so they could continually take back the lead. 

Pittsburgh has already clinched a playoff berth with two key losses on Sunday from the Indianapolis Colts and the Miami Dolphins. That means the games against the Ravens and the Chiefs matter primarily for seeding purposes, possible home-field advantage -- and even a bye. 

Steelers' Justin Fields Has Heard This Before

Fields was brought in to pick up a critical third down in the win over the Bengals. Kaboly predicted then if the Steelers had been struggling on offense, they would have turned to Fields even more. However, since Wilson was running an extremely effective scoring offense, pulling him out didn't make sense.  

Tomlin and Smith have said they don't see Fields as a backup quarterback. Instead, they believe the team has two starting quarterbacks. They haven't used them in a manner that suggests they are viewed as equals since Wilson has taken most of the snaps since finally being able to play after a calf injury early in the preseason.

The Steelers might use Fields as a way to keep opponents guessing during the postseason. Even if Pickens is back in the game, they will need to be more creative than they have been. 

Do you think Fields would have played more? Click to comment below. 

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