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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Andrew Vasquez

Is the ‘Justin Fields package’ experiment over after Week 14 absence?

Oh, what a difference a week makes. It appears Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith and HC Mike Tomlin were tired of explaining their strange decision-making regarding when to utilize QB Justin Fields’ mobility over QB Russell Wilson’s arm, as Fields played zero snaps in Week 14.

Inconsistency and poor execution are the only fitting descriptions for the ‘Fields rushing package.’ It seemed that the plays were either creating huge scoring opportunities or game-changing scenarios for the Black and Gold, or were costing Pittsburgh the contests entirely—there is seemingly no middle ground.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense did look stagnant in terms of yardage in the Week 14 win over the Cleveland Browns, but the ball security and scoring prowess under Wilson’s leadership made up for it.

While it’s highly unlikely we’ve seen the last of the ‘Fields package,’ an argument can be made that Smith was incorporating it too heavily into every offensive gameplan since its debut in Week 11, instead of treating it as a last-resort gadget play, or red zone tool from week to week.

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