Steelers first quarter awards: Justin Fields, TJ Watt, Zach Frazier and more

Four weeks into the season, it’s time for the honors that would make James Harrison want to puke. It’s awards season for the first quarter of the season. Or as Harrison would call them, the ultimate participation awards.

Russell Wilson deserves the Mike Vick Memorial Award for an aging quarterback who donned the black and yellow a decade too late. Najee Harris isn’t even worthy of the Best RB honor and Cordarrelle Patterson is the Most Underrated Steeler contributor. However, the mainstream awards are why you clicked that link, so let’s get into it.

Steelers MVP: Opposing quarterbacks

TJ Watt still has the aura but has not cleared the high bar he set for himself during past hot starts. Don’t have an aneurysm, he’ll get his due and added context. There’ll be more on that later. Justin Fields has been able to ride the coattails of a lockdown defense for 75 percent of their schedule. Fields plays the offense’s most valuable position, but the defense is the most valuable unit. For the sake of this exercise, I’m nominating Justin Herbert, Taylor Heineke, Bo Nix, and Kirk Cousins as the Steelers' most valuable players. They did more to help the Steelers' cause than anyone in black and yellow.

Pittsburgh’s suffocating defense through four weeks is a testament to the entire pass rush and secondary. Minkah Fitzpatrick still hasn’t recorded an interception in over a year, and everyone understood their assignments. 

Opposing QBs (Week 1-3): 50-for-81, 604 yards, 2 TDs, and 4 INTs.

Joe Flacco finally broke the mold and delivered the best performance an opposing quarterback has delivered during the first month of the season, but in Weeks 1-3 Herbert, Nix, and Cousins laid down in front of the Steelers tank and allowed themselves to get rolled over. For that, they’re honorary Steelers MVPs through a quarter of the season.

Steelers ROY: Zach Frazier

The NFL bylaws require a new center to take the mantle after Jason Kelce stepped away from the Philadelphia Eagles. A rookie and two-time All-American from West Virginia earning acclaim as the first-quarter Rookie of the Year is the most Steeler thing this decade. The offensive line was a focus of the Steelers this offseason and Frazier is the gateway to the offense. He and Justin Fields have had issues snapping the ball, but Frazier has excelled as much as a rookie can in the trenches. To his credit, in his first 273 snaps, Frazier has yet to be penalized. In 145 pass plays, he has given up zero sacks and according to Pro Football Focus, Frazier is the highest-graded center in the NFL.

The snap blooper reel with Fields is the casual fan’s introduction to Frazier, but for the absolute sickos, who sneak All-22 footage for the blocking onto their phones, Frazier is the Steeler for you. Just take a gander at his two-minute Frazier highlight reel. 

Steelers DPOY: TJ Watt

Pittsburgh’s quarterback terminator has been a menace to quarterbacks all season even if the numbers don’t reflect. He’s had multiple strip sacks nullified, been held all year, and made more impact with pressures and hurries. He has almost single-handedly won games against the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos. One reason his numbers have declined is that running backs and tight ends are disrupting his momentum to the quarterback with chip blocks. Heading into week 3, he was not just being chipped at a league-high rate, but at twice the rate of any other edge rusher and more than twice as often as last season.

Steelers Most Improved: Justin Fields

As great as outside linebacker Nate Herbig has looked recording three sacks in limited snaps, he’s only under a tenth of the pressure as Justin Fields. Imagine being Fields and knowing that every snap this season might be your last as a starter once Russell Wilson heals up. Before this season, there was no guarantee that a starting job awaited him in Pittsburgh or elsewhere after he was worth only a fourth-round pick three years into his career. 

Plenty of former top-10 picks have gotten lost in the QB trash heap. Second and third chances are scarce. Sam Darnold is the exception, not the rule. Under the weight of expectations, Fields didn’t just survive the pressure, he rose to the surface. A month later, the job may be his to lose and every week he improves incrementally. His Week 4 fumbles carried him half a step back, but he made 3 steps forward getting the ball out quicker, picking the right time to scramble, throwing across the congested middle of the field and throwing deep with efficacy.