The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-13 on the road and fell to a 10-4 record. It was a tough performance all around as the Eagles finished with 401 total yards of offense and the Steelers ended with just 163. One of the biggest plays that changed the game was Najee Harris' fumble in the third quarter on a drive the Steelers were going down the field on. At the end of the day, the Eagles played better than the Steelers and Pittsburgh will have to chalk it up and move onto the next game against the Baltimore Ravens. Some of Pittsburgh's key players did get banged up on Sunday, including TJ Watt and Justin Fields.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields runs against the Eagles during Week 15
Fields came into the game for one play in the second quarter and rushed for a first down. Fields did get hit pretty bad on the play and an unnecessary roughness on the Eagles was called.
It didn't seem Fields was in too much pain, but a report by Mike DeFabo during the second half said that Fields was questionable to return to the contest. It was later ruled that Fields would be downgraded to out. Head Coach Mike Tomlin reported on the injuries during his postgame press conference and vaguely touched on Fields' injury.
“Justin Fields has an abdominal injury, don’t know the extent of that," Tomlin stated. "On that slide he injured his abdominal.”
When he started the season, Fields went 4-2 as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback and gained a lot of respect for keeping plays alive with his legs. Once Russell Wilson took over, it was obvious Wilson had the better arm and accuracy for the passing game, but Fields' legs were missed at times. Fields rushed for 231 yards and five touchdowns during his time as the starting quarterback.
Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith hinted at getting Fields involved in the offense still as he still was a weapon on the field. Since he became the backup quarterback, Fields has played in four games and has rushed for 58 yards and has attempted one pass.
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Steelers' Justin Fields slides during a run against the Ravens in Week 11 of the 2024 season.
It's uncertain how serious Fields' abdominal injury is. He seemed to get off the field fine after the hit he took, but more information will become available as the week goes along. The Steelers do have a short week as they play again Saturday in Baltimore.
Then, it'll be a quick turnaround as they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Injuries have been plaguing the Steelers as Watt and Donte Jackson went down during the Eagles game. Key players like George Pickens, DeShon Elliot and Larry Ogunjobi were ruled out before Week 15's matchup against the Eagles and were heavily missed. There is optimism that Pickens will be back against the Ravens, but no other updates have been given about the other players.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during Week 15 matchup against the Eagles
Steelers Clinch Playoff Berth Despite Week 15 Loss
Even though the Steelers lost against the Eagles, there was always a playoff clinching scenario for them coming into this weekend. Both the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts had to lose and they did. Pittsburgh hasn't clinched the AFC North yet as that may be determined in Week 16 when they play Baltimore. If the Steelers win, they'll clinch the division and have home field playoff advantage in the wild card round.
The Ravens sit just behind the Steelers now at 9-5, and with tough matchups to close out the season, it'll be important for the Steelers to clinch the division early. Pittsburgh hasn't won a playoff game since 2017 and since then has gone 0-5. The past two playoff games for the Steelers have been in Kansas City and away against the Buffalo Bills, so Steeler Nation is ready for another home playoff game.
Do you think Fields will be out for an extended amount of time? How much does this hurt the offense? Let us know in the comments below!
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