While the Cincinnati Bengals may have dug a great hole for themselves with their 1-4 start, having Joe Burrow at quarterback in what has suddenly become a very thin AFC gives them a chance to overcome the odds. To do that, however, they will need to overcome the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers have a good defense once again, but the upgrade Justin Fields has provided gave them a degree of juice on offense they didn't have last year after a sluggish start. While the Bengals may not have envied planning for Fields, the Steelers may have taken that burden off their plate.
The Steelers made the decision to ramp up Russell Wilson's workload with the intention of making him the team's new starting quarterback. Wilson was seemingly Wally Pipp'd by Fields after his calf injury to begin the season, but Mike Tomlin gave him the job back.
While Fields was very mature in his response to the apparent demotion, the Bengals have to silently be greatful for this move. It's extremely rare for a possible playoff team playing well to take a quarterback who is playing well and bench him for seniority reasons.
Justin Fields very candid today: “I don’t think I played good enough if I’m being real with you.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) October 17, 2024
“If I’m being real with myself, if I did play well enough, I don’t think there would be any sort of (question) who should be playing who should not.” pic.twitter.com/8eW7hH75f6
Bengals fans should rejoice after Steelers bench Justin Fields
Fields will become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to start off 4-2 or better and not start his team's seventh game, barring injury. Fields is also the first player since 1950 with five or more passing and rushing touchdowns along with one interception in a team's first six games. Wilson is supposed to improve upon that?
While Wilson's pedigree and talent as a passer may exceed that of Fields, the Steelers just benched the younger quarterback with a stronger arm and high-end athletic ability for a veteran who is on the decline physically. The Bengals have to be licking their chops at Tomlin's latest move.
The best thing the Bengals could hope for at this point is a stubborn Tomlin. Both of Cincinnati's games against Pittsburgh are in Week 13 or later, which could give them plenty of time to correct this mistake. If Wilson is still under center, however, the Bengals' much-maligned 2024 defense could be in for some get-right games.
Fields is far from Terry Bradshaw as a quarterback, but it's hard to look at his performance this season and believe that he should be benched. The Bengals will take it, however. Anything that is bad for the Steelers is good for them, especially in a playoff race.