Justin Fields went 4-2 as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting QB before being replaced by Russell Wilson. In what was supposed to be his second week as the backup, Fields suffered a hamstring injury at practice. What is Fields’ status for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants?
What Is Justin Fields’ Injury?
At Saturday’s practice, Fields hurt his hamstring, prompting him to be listed as questionable. Given that the injury happened so close to the game and so late in the week, we don’t have any details beyond that. Additionally, the Steelers are notoriously tight-lipped about injury specifics.
We can presume Fields is dealing with a strain of some sort, likely a minor one, but it seems to be enough to prevent him from backing up Wilson on Monday night.
Is Fields Playing in Week 8?
Fields took the field for warmups with his team.
Justin Fields, who popped up as a last minute addition to the injury report Sunday with a hamstring and is listed as questionable, is warming up, too. pic.twitter.com/wcuLbio4OS
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 28, 2024
It’s a great sign that Fields is warming up, but that doesn’t guarantee someone will be active. In fact, NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo reported that Fields won’t be active tonight. Instead, Kyle Allen will serve as the QB2 with Fields only entering the game if needed as the emergency QB3.
#Steelers QB Justin Fields will be the team’s third (emergency) QB tonight vs. the #Giants. Kyle Allen will serve as the backup to Russell Wilson. Fields’ hamstring injury is a minor one, so the team is playing it safe to give him time to heal up with the bye week on deck. pic.twitter.com/fabSWKz7tu
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 28, 2024
During his six games as the starter, Fields completed 66.3% of his passes (the highest rate of his career) for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns along with just one interception. He also ran the ball 55 times for 231 yards and five scores.
How Might Fields’ Absence Impact the Steelers?
With Fields unable to serve as the backup, the Steelers will be forced to turn to Allen if Wilson were to suffer an injury during tonight’s game.
Allen is a true journeyman as the Steelers are his fifth NFL team. He previously made starts for the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, and Houston Texans. He also served as Josh Allen’s backup in Buffalo last year but did not start any games.
Allen owns a career 62.7% completion percentage and has thrown 26 touchdowns against 21 interceptions. He’s attempted one pass with the Steelers this season, which he completed for 19 yards.