Jets proved they have a winning formula with Justin Fields at QB

The New York Jets suffered a heartbreaking 34-32 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. A game that featured seven lead changes, a deflating fumble from Xavier Gipson, and poor play from Brandon Stephens headlined the big errors from New York.

Despite the loss, though, there were plenty of positives and encouraging signs from the Jets' offense. The biggest performance came from Justin Fields, who had one of his best games of his career on Sunday.

The 26-year-old completed 72.7% of his passes for 218 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns. In total, the Ohio State product registered 266 total yards and three touchdowns en route to the Jets' offense having 394 total yards on the afternoon.

Even though the Jets dropped this one in painful fashion, Fields proved that this team can win games with him commanding the huddle. His ability to make plays on the ground has always been a strength, but the performance through the air, highlighted by a 33-yard touchdown to Garrett Wilson, was even more promising.

Justin Fields proved his worth in Jets' close loss to Steelers

The Jets signed Justin Fields to a 2-year, $40 million contract in the offseason to become the team's new QB1. After the decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers, signing Fields was the right decision for where the Jets are with a new regime.

The former first-round pick was the perfect low-risk, high-reward signing at the position. This season marks his third team in five years. For Fields, it's never been about his athleticism or running ability; the biggest questions arise with him as a passer.

The fifth-year signal caller has rushed for over 2,500 yards in his career, including over 1,100 yards in 2022. However, he has yet to throw for 3,000 yards or 20 touchdowns in a season since entering the league in 2021.

In six starts with the Steelers last season, Fields showed growth as a passer before Russell Wilson took over. Fields went 4-2 as a starter while completing 66.3% of his passes for 1,106 yards, five touchdowns, and just one interception.

When Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey settled on signing Fields, the hope was that the growth he showed in the Steel City last season would continue in Florham Park. After a bumpy training camp and preseason, Fields proved a lot of people wrong on Sunday afternoon.

It's just one game, and Fields needs to prove he can play at this level week in and week out, but it's hard not to be encouraged by the new signal caller if you are a Jets fan.

The next test for Fields will be his first AFC East divisional clash against the Bills back at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

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