The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback problem does not have an easy answer. Though Russell Wilson has more big plays than Justin Fields, the former Chicago Bears quarterback has been responsible for more red zone touchdowns.
Fields also has a better red zone QBR and completion percentage than Wilson, but 90% of Wilson’s red zone drives have turned into points, while 83.8% of Fields’ finished with points. Of those drives, 40% of Wilson’s have been touchdowns versus 50% of Fields’ resulting in touchdowns.
While Wilson has still been more effective at moving the ball down the field, Fields has been more efficient in the red zone. That doesn’t mean the Steelers need a change at quarterback, but it could indicate the need to change how and when the Steelers deploy Fields. Meanwhile, his injury in week 15 during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles has further complicated matters. He was injured when he was running a read-option play and was hit late as he was sliding by Eagles safety Reed Blankenship. With this, looks like the Steelers’ quarterback situation is likely to continue as they are set to face the Chiefs on Christmas day.
Fields is expected to miss his second straight game, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He will be the Steelers’ emergency QB for the game. “QB Justin Fields (abdominal) is unlikely to play and will most likely serve as the third (emergency) QB…” Fields did not practice on Monday and was limited on Tuesday before being listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game.