Mike Tomlin reacts to Justin Fields’ heartstopping performance against the Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Justin Fields’ second half against the Indianapolis Colts was probably the best half of football he has played in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform to this point. He put up over 300 yards through the air in their loss to the Colts, but his flashes of tantalizing play shone through positively.

However, they still lost, so it only means so much. Head coach Mike Tomlin poured a bucket of freezing water all over the Fields hype after the loss to the Colts.

“I appreciate his fight. But he, and we, were a little bit sloppy at times, too sloppy to comfortably secure victory,” Tomlin said of his performance.

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That is not outwardly critical of Fields, but it is not diving into the hype train. After all, Fields and the offense started incredibly slow, and Fields made a poor play running backward on a third-down sack. It knocked the Steelers out of field goal range, and Fields fumbled the football.

That was the glimpse of Chicago Fields that peaked through, but he waded out of the storm and was mainly carrying the Steelers to offensive success by the end of it. If Fields were the answer for the Steelers in the long term, he must keep making strides and showing what he can do each week.

Pittsburgh might want to see what Russell Wilson can do in a pinch. Fields have been replacing Wilson, who suffered a calf strain during the team’s leadup week against the Atlanta Falcons. Now, Wilson is starting to feel better and could near his return sooner than most people think, which would force Tomlin to end the quarterback charade and name a starter.

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