Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Mike Tomlin unite in goal #1

PITTSBURGH — Ever since I’ve been coming to Pittsburgh, I’ve at all times been intrigued by the configuration of the rivers across the ballpark. The Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers converge near Acrisure Stadium to form the Ohio River and provide a gorgeous backdrop for a fall afternoon football game.

On Sunday, the convergence of three rivers matched the convergence of fascinating aspirations because the Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Baltimore Ravens in the primary roadshow game of the season for each teams. The aspirations belonged to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, quarterback Russell Wilson and backup quarterback Justin Fields.

Everyone desires to win a championship – Tomlin and Wilson have already done it, and Fields desires to be shown the best way. They made a conscious alternative to fulfill in Pittsburgh to attain their goals. It was fascinating to look at this process: a series of mentorship connecting three generations of black men: the 52-year-old coach, his 35-year-old quarterback and his 25-year-old backup.

In a typical Ravens-Steelers match on Sunday, Pittsburgh won 18-16, however the is simply a footnote to greater aspirations.

Tomlin has won a Super Bowl championship, but not for a while. Wilson also won a championship, but not for a while. Fields, a former first-round draft pick who was traded by the team that drafted him, is just attempting to regain his confidence and find his footing.

In his 18th season as Steelers coach, Tomlin can have a best-case scenario for an impressive season. Not only do the Steelers have their typically stellar defense, but additionally they have a starting quarterback for the primary time in years. They have two talented, highly motivated quarterbacks in Wilson and Fields.

Wilson’s presence in Pittsburgh is just not only about finding a superb landing spot, but in addition about restoring dignity. He was well on his method to a Hall of Fame profession in Seattle, where he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title and got here inside a goal-line interception of second place. He was traded from Seattle to Denver. During his second season with the team, he encountered coach Sean Payton, who didn’t want him and made his presence known. Wilson was unceremoniously kicked out of Denver. Many can have a long-lasting image of Wilson because the quarterback standing on the sidelines and being chewed out by Payton.

In Fields, the Steelers have a young, talented quarterback with an incredible ceiling. Fields was chosen in the primary round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. He set a regular-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback and even became the third NFL quarterback to record 1,000 rushing yards in a season. But Fields became a stepchild in Chicago. He was not appointed by the brand new regime, was consistently criticized and reported to quite a few offensive coordinators. After three seasons with the Bears, Fields was traded to the Steelers in 2024.

Wilson is in search of rejuvenation, Fields is in search of redemption. Perhaps they will still find each in Pittsburgh.

Tomlin and the Steelers have great quarterback insurance. If any of the remaining NFL teams lose their starting quarterback, their chances are high essentially over.

If the 35-year-old Wilson goes down with an injury, the Steelers will still have Fields, who began the regular season with Wilson suffering a calf injury. Fields led Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record and received generally positive reviews.

Then he learned a very important lesson. After Fields led the Steelers to an encouraging start, Tomlin announced that Wilson could be the starter in Week 7 against the New York Jets. It’s not that Fields played poorly. Tomlin said Fields has been “really good” in his six starts. But, Tomlin added, “that shouldn’t be confused with great.”

Fields disagreed.

“I mean, I don’t think I played well enough, to be honest with you,” he told reporters before returning to the bench.

“If I’m honest with myself, I believe if I played well enough, I do not think there could be any query about who should play and who shouldn’t. In the tip we got some wins, I’m completely satisfied with that, but there are areas where I can improve, so I’ll just keep working on them and keep improving.

Fields is learning. It’s growing and it’s definitely in the Steelers’ plans. With the sport hanging in the balance on Sunday against Baltimore, Fields was a part of a package designed to reap the benefits of his versatility.

On Pittsburgh’s first drive of the third quarter, with Pittsburgh holding a 9-7 lead, Fields entered the play and ran for eight yards. Two plays later, the Steelers kicked a field goal to increase the result in 12-7. In the Ravens’ final fourth quarter, Fields got here in for second down and easily ran across the left side of the sector for a nine-yard rating. Fields could have scored the ten points he needed, but he slipped too early.

Regardless, the Steelers gave their opponents another excuse to fret. It may not have been the role Fields envisioned, but he potentially plays the role of champion.

“We weren’t shy about our intentions,” Tomlin said after Sunday’s game. “He’s a talented guy and we’re going to use him. He’s really talented. I’m excited about both point guards we have on the roster. Both will be the reason we succeed and do.”

Before Sunday’s game against Baltimore, Tomlin was asked if having a talented quarterback with outstanding running skills like Fields helped the defense prepare for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Tomlin laughed.

“No,” he said.

Tomlin admitted Sunday that Fields has indeed been very helpful. “He had an amazing week representing Mr. Jackson for us,” he said. “I’m glad he had the opportunity to contribute, have a hand in it and be a part of why we’ve been successful.”

In the approaching weeks, the Steelers will face quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, and, in fact, Jackson again. Pitches will play a very important role in practice and will likely play a bigger role during games.

“I believe Justin Fields is the franchise quarterback,” Wilson said after Sunday’s game. “He’s a great player, a great teammate, he works hard.”

Tomlin explained that the rationale there hasn’t been friction in the quarterback room between Fields and Wilson is less in regards to the coach and more in regards to the players. “They are really good people, they support each other,” he said.

There is respect between these three distinguished African Americans. In 2009, when Tomlin became the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl, Wilson was 20 years old. Fields was 10 years old.

When Wilson won the Super Bowl championship with Seattle in 2013, Fields was 14 years old. They grew up in the sport, admiring one another. Now everyone seems to be here and working to attain something special.

“It’s about us being together,” Wilson said Sunday. “We do it and we have fun doing it.”

There continues to be plenty of football to be played. Pittsburgh has six games remaining and will face the Ravens again on December 21 in Baltimore. They also must play Philadelphia and the Kansas City Chiefs.

When a reporter asked Tomlin to place Wilson’s season in perspective, Tomlin, in his wisdom, said it was far too early.

“To be honest with you, I think he’s still writing that story,” Tomlin said.

But he knew why he wanted Wilson to be the Steelers’ starter.

“There were a lot of reasons why I took this attitude,” he said. “His resume is a component of it, his experience, and I assumed his experience could possibly be an asset to our unit and our team, and it has proven to be true. His talents, his appetite for large moments and I believe it paid off a bit.

“There are a myriad of reasons and I think that will continue to be revealed because of the circumstances that he and we will be in. I’m excited about the prospect of tackling these things with him, and I’m excited about him, quite honestly, getting better. Sometimes you see guys who have been around as long as him or have the same resume as him, they’re kind of immune to new things and criticism and things like that – paths that make men better – and he’s not immune to any of that stuff and that makes it cool too.”

I’m undecided how much any fan can take from the Steelers’ victory over the Ravens on Sunday. It was a brutal, emotional game that can be repeated next month in Baltimore.

One thing I do know needless to say: For Tomlin, Wilson and Fields, the convergence of championship aspirations is hotter than ever.