Steelers' Russell Wilson Praises His Own Backup In Justin Fields For Setting Him Up In Great Scenario

The Pittsburgh Steelers got a huge win over the New York Jets to improve their record to 5-2 on the season. That result came after Head Coach Mike Tomlin made a seemingly questionable decision to ignore his assistants' ideas and bench Justin Fields in favor of Russell Wilson. That may have been the right call, as Wilson led the offense to a 37-15 blowout, which is the Steelers' second consecutive game with at least 30 points being tallied on the scoreboard. Everything is going swimmingly in Pittsburgh currently. 

During a postgame interview on the Field, Wilson gave a quick summary of his thoughts on the game, then he turned and praised his backup for setting him up with a strong start to the season.

"We're capable of a lot together, and the biggest thing is that we left a lot on the table. There's a lot more to go get, and I think we know that, and we believe that, and we're just going to keep getting better. I also want to give credit to Justin, man. How he got us in this position. What a great player he is. Just this whole team, I really love it. I really love being here."

While Fields did not have the greatest stat line, he did exactly what Tomlin and the Steelers wanted him to do: take care of the football, be conservative, and give the team around him a chance to win each and every game. He only threw one interception in his six games as Pittsburgh's quarterback, in comparison to his 10 total touchdowns: five rushing and five receiving. 

Steelers Know Who The Starting Quarterback Is

Wilson had a very rough beginning to the game, starting 2/7 with no connection to any of his receivers. He got through the jitters, settled in, and took control of the contest. He was 16/29 for 264 yards and two touchdowns, along with three successful quarterback sneaks. One of those rushes also went in for a score. He still managed to spread the ball around, despite the limited number of completions.

When Tomlin likes a guy, he will find any excuse to have him on the field. Not only has he considered Wilson to be the team's starting quarterback since March, but his play in his Steelers debut has proven Tomlin right. Fields did a good job of holding down the fort, but there were concerns about him maybe forcing the coaching staff to call conservative plays for him. The playbook has opened up for the veteran in Wilson. 

The quarterback controversy has gone on for so long. The only thing stopping the debate of Wilson versus Fields was a potential blockbuster trade that never went though. The injury right before training camp only amplified the conversation, as the young buck got his chance to get reps in with the first-team offense for a couple weeks.

When Wilson re-aggravated his injury before Week 1, it only fueled the flames. Fields got his chance to play, and his Week 4 performance against the Indianapolis Colts drew the eyes of Steeler Nation, the media, and his own teammates and coaches. Despite that, Tomlin stuck to his guns and sent Wilson out once he was finally ready to play, and it worked out, at least for one game.