Football is just as much of a mental game as it is a physical one, if not more so. As a result, teams must be ready for anything on a weekly basis, especially against an opponent with tricks up their sleeve.

Sure enough, that’s the situation the Baltimore Ravens find themselves in ahead of Saturday’s playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As division rivals, these two teams are obviously very familiar with each other, and Baltimore even beat Pittsburgh at home on Dec. 21. Due to that familiarity, however, the Steelers could opt to shake up the game plan a bit.

Backup quarterback Justin Fields, who’s much more of a runner than starter Russell Wilson, could be a factor in the game plan this week. Even if he’s not, the threat of him as a rushing option could throw off the Ravens’ preparations.

“I think for me, just being able to utilize with my legs and stuff, that causes the defense to watch film on that, really just waste time on it whether we’re planning on running it or not,” Fields told reporters. “So, I think it’s definitely a plus for us.”

Fields started the first six games of the season, but since Wilson made his return in Week 7, he’s only played a handful of snaps as a gadget player. He has dealt with injuries in that time, and missed the aforementioned game against Baltimore in Week 16, but seems to be fully healthy now.

Head coach Mike Tomlin also alluded to the possibility of using Fields in some specific packages during this game. Not a guarantee, but definitely a possibility.

“I’m certainly open to utilizing Justin,” Tomlin said. “He has an awesome skill set. We’ve done some of that in the past. We’ve done less of it in recent weeks. He experienced an injury a couple of weeks back that slowed some of that.

“But certainly, in an effort to win this game, I am open to any combination or combinations of the division of labor in an effort to do so, and so I’m certainly open to that as we develop plans this week.”

Fields is an outstanding athlete, and his dual-threat ability still has many believing he can be a full-time starter. Will the Steelers actually use him against the Ravens? Only time will tell.