Over the first six weeks of the regular season, Justin Fields has garnered a 4-2 record as the Steelers' starting quarterback and has completed 66.3% of his passes for just over 1,100 yards and five touchdowns while scoring five more times on the ground. He's gotten the Steelers off to a better start than most would've expected.
Still, despite leading the Steelers to the second-highest point differential in the AFC, Fields shoulders the blame because when it comes to the conversation of who will start at quarterback -- him or Russell Wilson -- Sunday evening against the Jets at Acrisure Stadium, Fields thinks he could've done more to quell the narrative.
"I mean, I don't think I’ve played good enough, if I'm being real with you," Fields said. "If I'm being real with myself, I think if I did play well enough, I don't think there would be any sort of [question] of who should be playing and who should not. At the end of the day, we got a few wins, of course, I'm glad about that, but there are areas that I can get better at, and I'm just going to continue to work on those and continue to get better."
Despite the truth behind Fields' statement -- there were missed passes, reads and open receivers through the first six games -- it shouldn't overshadow how he's handled this situation since stepping in as the starter ahead of the Steelers' season opener against the Falcons.
He's handled it like a pro and there's no denying that.
His statement Thursday made that clear and his work ethic, daily approach and calm demeanor make it even clearer. Those attributes are what have made Fields so endearing to his teammates and to the coaching staff, especially his offensive coordinator. He's never been too high, or too low. Everyone around him has taken notice and thrived off of it.
Take Arthur Smith's comments on Thursday as an example:
"I think that's why you love working with Justin because that's real," Smith said. "That's not just some cliche that some QB guru or somebody along the way told him to say. All these guys are hard on themselves, and there's so much that goes into playing quarterback. Obviously, he has the physical tools or he wouldn't be at this level, but the mental component to me is what separates the great ones from the other starters in this league. That's what he is pushing himself to be."
Najee Harris even volunteered an opinion on what Fields has done this season, saying: "I think that he did a really good job and we're all proud of him, don't be so hard on yourself, we've got your back, I've got your back."
Those answers aren't given if a player hasn't earned respect from his peers and Fields has done that since the beginning of training camp. He has been the same player both on the field and in the locker room. He's approached his job with an intensity that has allowed him to succeed and lead the Steelers to four victories. That won't necessarily change either.
The former Buckeye said Thursday that he'll continue to approach his job how he has through the first six weeks of the season, whether he's named the starter for Sunday night's contest or not: "Depending on how things go, I've been in both situations before. I’ve played the backup role, and I've also started. So as a backup, you prepare the same each and every week, so the preparation doesn't change at all."
He added: "Just do my job at the end of the day, and whether that's playing, helping the guys out on the sideline, telling them what I see, helping Russ out, if he's out there, so just small stuff like that."
Whether he's the starting quarterback or the backup on the sideline, the Steelers are going to get the same guy they've had since they broke camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. He's calm, he works hard and he approaches his job like a pro.
That's all you can ask for from a player who looks to consistently prove himself because while he got off to one of his best starts as a starter, he still wants more.
"I want to be 6-0 right now, but that was a great opportunity for me," Field said. "Of course, I'm grateful for the opportunity I did get those first six weeks and we’ll see what happens this week."
