NFL
Incredible stat shows that Steelers should start Justin Fields against the Ravens in the Wild Card game
Starting quarterback Russell Wilson struggled during the run-in and head coach Mike Tomlin admitted that he is considering a change.
After making an impressive start to the 2024 season the Pittsburgh Steelers come into the playoffs at a low ebb, ending the regular season with a four-game losing streak to drop to No. 6 seed in the AFC.
A 10-7 record ensures that they face No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round and long-serving head coach Mike Tomlin has a major decision to make.
Experienced quarterback Russell Wilson has been the Steelers' starter for most of the season but his form of late will be of real concern. Across the final five games of the regular season Wilson ranked 30th out of 31 QBs in Expected Points Added (EPA), a measure of a quarterback’s positive impact on their team.
To make things more complicated, the Steelers have a very capable backup in Justin Fields, who returned to the gameday roster for Week 18 after missing two games due to abdominal injury. He has not featured since Week 15 but Tomlin admitted that Fields is a real option to start against the Ravens.
“I’m certainly open to utilizing Justin,” Tomlin said in an comments posted on the Steelers website. “He has an awesome skill set. We’ve done some of that in the past. We’ve done less of it in recent weeks. He experienced an injury a couple of weeks back that slowed some of that.”
“But, certainly, in an effort to win this game I am open to any combination or combinations of the division of labor in an effort to do so, and so I’m certainly open to that as we develop plans this week.”
Steelers' impressive playoff record against the Ravens
In stark contrast to the Steelers, the Ravens ended their regular season with a run of four consecutive wins to clinch top spot in AFC North. Only the Chiefs and the Bills managed better than the Ravens' 12-5 record and they have the best offense in the entire league.
However past playoff meetings between the two teams have not gone the Ravens' way. The Steelers have come out on top in three of the four postseason games against the Ravens, although the most recent in 2015 was a 30-17 win for Baltimore.
Looking ahead to this year’s meeting, although the Steelers have a decision to make it could well be the performance of the Ravens’ QB that defines the game. Lamar Jackson has had another sensational season, leading the EPA across the last five games and putting himself in real contention for a third NFL Most Valuable Player award.
But for all his regular season exploits, Jackson has struggled to replicate those performances in the playoffs. He has a career 2-4 postseason record and the Ravens have averaged just 10.5 points across those four losses. He is the only player with multiple MVP awards to have not won a Super Bowls. Now 28, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will see this as a real opportunity to end the wait.
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