Steelers news: Russell Wilson, Justin Fields battle is on, TJ Watt surges for DPOY

The Steel City is riding high after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ comfortable win over the Las Vegas Raiders. TJ Watt is still smoldering after forcing a pair of fumbles that altered the direction of their commanding victory.

After two weeks with one foot in the doghouse and one foot out, Justin Fields’ approval rating has never been higher outside the locker room. He made the right plays, but more importantly, he didn't make the wrong ones and turn the ball over in inopportune situations.

The Steelers are not a democracy though. Where Fields stands in the mind of Mike Tomlin is what matters. Any hopes that this would be a calm week of preparation were dispelled when Russell Wilson dressed in pads and was named an active player before game time against Las Vegas.

Mike Tomlin’s vote is the only one that counts in Wilson-Fields 2024 race

The Wilson-Fields dynamic has reigned in the hearts and minds of Western Pennsylvania this week. The campaign for starting quarterback has reached its stretch run. In one corner, is Russell Wilson, the aging Super Bowl champion hanging onto his career by a thread. On the other is Justin Fields, a quick twitchy emergency starter, who has thrived in Wilson’s absence. 

The heat on Mike Tomlin to make his Sophie’s Choice between Wilson and Fields is about to ratchet up to its melting point. On Tuesday, Tomlin opened the door to Wilson overtaking Fields for the starting job during his media availability by remarking that he considers the Week 7 starter to be a toss-up, even as Wilson knocks the rust off.

"I got comfortable with his ability to display his health [last week]," Tomlin said of Wilson. "... Now it's about knocking the rust off. He is in consideration this week. We'll see where that leads us, man. Both guys at the quarterback position are scheduled to work [Wednesday] and we'll just walk it day by day. All geared toward putting ourselves in best position to win the football game."

The quarterback controversy may sound strange with the Steelers possessing a 4-2 record after six weeks, but the schedule from here on out is daunting beginning with a clash with the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football. Their passing attack will be integrating a wideout the Steelers were aggressively pursuing as well. Hopefully that lights a fire underneath George Pickens. 

Steelers lead AFC in scoring differential

A year ago, the Steelers were 4-2 with a -24 scoring differential. This year, the Steelers are 4-2 with a conference-best +38 point differential. Pittsburgh scoring 30 in a game where the starting quarterback failed to throw a touchdown pass is the epitome of Tomlin football in the last half decade. But it’s not a long-term strategy to rely on, which Tomlin alluded to.

"Justin has been really good, and we've been really good at times, but not to be confused with great," Tomlin said. "Man, this is a competitive league. We're trying to position ourselves to be that team, and we got a player with talent who hadn't had an opportunity to play, so we're going to potentially explore those things.

Fields ranks fourth among quarterbacks in total rushing yardage, but when asked whether Wilson’s mobility could have made the same difference as Fields’ did on Sunday, Tomlin conceded Fields has the edge in the athleticism department.

"No, he does not," Tomlin added. "Justin's legs are an X factor."

The hope is that Wilson is the antidote for their red zone woes.

On the other hand, the Steelers have a bird in the hand in the form of Wilson. Saturday’s win over Las Vegas was only the fifth time in the last four seasons that the Steelers have scored 30 points or more. Their offense has generated the second-fewest 30-point outbursts in the league since 2021, second only to the New York Giants. By comparison, the Buffalo Bills led the league during that span with 26 games of 30 points scored or more. And yet, in that span, the Steelers are 32-24-1.

Fields has been an upgrade from Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, and Mitch Trubisky, but the Steelers organization and fan base are hungry for a playoff contender and Mike Tomlin would be foolish not to exhaust all of their resources in pursuit. 

TJ Watt’s DPOY odds are peaking

TJ Watt is on pace for a career-low in sacks through six games. By all accounts, this should be a downseason for him. At his current pace of 4.5 sacks through just over a third of the schedule, he’s on pace for approximately 13 sacks. He’s been held, been the target of more chip blocks than any other defender, and had multiple sacks called off due to penalties. Despite that, he’s become the AFC betting favorite for Defensive Player of the Year.

Previous favorite Aidan Hutchinson suffered a season-ending injury on Sunday, leveling out the odds dramatically. Entering Week 6, Hutchinson had recorded 7.5 sacks and 45 pressures, which led the league by a margin of 10, and a 38.3 percent pass rush win rate that led the league.

Xavier McKinney, the NFL's interception leader has a strong case. Unfortunately, the problem with defensive backs is that they disappear for weeks at a time when the offense stops throwing in their direction. 

Fred Warner’s candidacy is drawing buzz as the defensive lynchpin of the 49ers offense. He's recorded multiple interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, forced a litany of fumbles, broken up a large majority of passes thrown in his coverage zone, and has been as disruptive in defending the ground game as ever before. He's been instrumental in San Francisco's defense, but Nick Bosa splits the vote for anyone considering the two game-changers on the most loaded defense in the league.

Sunday’s win encapsulated why he’s the frontrunner. Watt’s best case is that he’s won multiple games for a team that leans disproportionately on its defense. With all eyes on him on passing downs against Las Vegas due to injuries, he made a series of splash plays against the run.