Justin Fields made a big mistake near the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and the young quarterback was very fortunate to get away with it.
Fields took over for Russell Wilson on the Steelers’ final drive at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa. With his team leading 18-16 and just over a minute remaining, Mike Tomlin wanted to utilize Fields’ rushing ability in an attempt to bleed out the clock. The strategy paid off when Fields broke free for a big gain on 2nd-and-10, but the former first-round pick accidentally started his slide short of the first-down marker:
JUSTIN FIELDS SLID TOO EARLY… pic.twitter.com/nlWn3fNxE3
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 17, 2024
Replays showed that Fields did, indeed, begin his slide about a yard before the first-down marker. The ball is marked where the player begins the slide, not where he hits the ground:
Justin Fields a BIT too quick on the slide pic.twitter.com/Mx4TiyJ6Io
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 17, 2024
Fields easily had enough room to pick up a first down, so that was a significant blunder. It didn’t matter, as Najee Harris gained just enough on the next play to move the chains and allow the Steelers to take the victory formation.
If the Steelers were stuffed on third down and had to punt, Fields probably would have been sweating bullets on the sideline.
The Steelers improved to 8-2 and increased their lead over the 7-4 Ravens in the AFC North.
