Overreaction Monday: Bears fans having way too much fun with Justin Fields biggest flaw

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. It was a classic Justin Fields game. He completed 15-of-27 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He didn't commit a turnover, and he managed an additional 27 yards on six scrambles, and yet, it was an unequivocally poor performance.

Fields just did not move the chains prolifically enough. He averaged a meager 4.9 yards per pass attempt, his lowest of the season. The Steelers very nearly won the game, but a defensive implosion in the fourth quarter handed the victory to a desperate Cowboys team. Pittsburgh has now lost two straight after their 3-0 start, reopening the door for Russell Wilson to assume the mantle of starting quarterback.

It's hard to complain about an above-.500 record in the rough and tumble NFL, but the Steelers' quick start was a product of two things — a favorable schedule and incredible defense. Pittsburgh allowed 10 or fewer points in each of their first three games. It's pretty much impossible to lose when your defense is that impenetrable. A 13-6 victory over the Broncos in Week 3, for example, was probably not a cause for celebration.

It was only a matter of time until the Steelers' defense regressed to more human standards. Holding the Cowboys' offense, even in its current state of disrepair, to just 20 points is a real accomplishment, but it wasn't enough to lift Pittsburgh to victory on Sunday. The Steelers lost 27-24 to Indianapolis in Week 4.

The theme here is simple: when Pittsburgh's defense falters, even for a moment, the game tends to slip away from Justin Fields and the offense. This has been an ongoing theme throughout Fields' career, as it so happens. The Chicago Bears fandom is intimately familiar with Fields' inability to win shootouts.

Justin Fields still can't win games when the defense underperforms

This is what we should've all expected from this Steelers team. An elite defense propping up a mediocre offense. Arthur Smith's scheme was a source of much consternation in Atlanta. The Falcons' sudden leap does, of course, coincide with the arrival of a better quarterback in Kirk Cousins, but it's hard not to hold Smith at least partially accountable for how much better Drake London and Kyle Pitts look. Even Bijan Robinson, in his oddly limited runtime.

The Steelers, by comparison, continue to scrap and claw for every first down, with their success rate limited by weak throws and a vulnerable offensive line. Fields has never been surrounded by an optimal supporting cast, but at a certain point, it's hard not to blame the quarterback a little bit, too.

He would probably look better in a different scheme, with better wideouts and a more stout O-line, but we must play the hand we're dealt. Fields is clearly not capable of elevating this Pittsburgh offense above mediocrity. That might be all that's required to make the playoffs with Mike Tomlin in the driver's seat and such a great defense on his side, but the stat above is truly difficult to comprehend. 20 points isn't exactly a high benchmark, but it has proven too steep for Fields to overcome 28 out of 30 times in his brief NFL career.

He has eclipsed 200 passing yards just twice this season. Even the lowest of bars for a starting QB, Fields often fails to clear. The athleticism is pure magic — he's a live-wire runner, a major natural talent — but until Fields can put more zip behind his throws and branch outside his comfort zone a little more, he will struggle to mount a consistently positive impact in the NFL.

The Steelers shouldn't view Russell Wilson as a solution to their offensive woes, but at this point, it's hard not to think that he might be a little bit better. The lesser of two negatives, at least. Until Pittsburgh can trade or draft a superior option, though, this offense is going to crumble beneath the weight of mediocre QB play.

As for the Bears? Well, a 3-2 record with Caleb Williams is a swell start. We might want to wait for the schedule to get a bit tougher before passing final judgement — Williams didn't really explode until this Sunday against the Panthers, which hardly counts — but Chicago has to be glad that Fields and his penchant for low-scoring affairs are a thing of the past.