The Denver Broncos will have to account for the athletic mobility of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields on Sunday, on top of the other offensive threats they have if they hope to get their first win of the season. While Fields is new to Pittsburgh, the Broncos have familiarity in facing him and are trying to avoid some of the mistakes they made last year against him.
Denver Broncos gearing up for Justin Fields mobility
Certainly one of the biggest keys to the game for the Denver Broncos defensively will be to limit Justin Fields from getting outside of the pocket or tucking it and running it inside if he sees an opening. He’s fast and has the ability to create explosive plays with his legs.
Minimizing explosives is the key for Denver this week after they gave up three explosive touchdowns in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, including a 34-yard Geno Smith QB scramble.
The Broncos faced Fields last season when he was a member of the Chicago Bears, and he had a field day for a good portion of the game. Denver rallied back from a 21-point deficit that was largely caused by Fields, who had 335 yards passing, four touchdowns, and 25 yards rushing on the afternoon.
One of the changing points of that game came from Nik Bonitto bursting off the left side, strip-sacking Fields, and allowing Jonathon Cooper to scoop and score. That helped set up a game-winning field goal from Wil Lutz to help Denver leave with a win.
Sunday’s game isn’t against the Bears though. The Steelers offense with Fields have a young nucleus around them, with two talented running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Cordarrelle Patterson is also on the team as a potential weapon for them to use in a hybrid role. George Pickens and Van Jefferson headline their receiving core, and big tight end Pat Freiermuth presents a challenge in combination with Fields.
Cooper met with the media in the Broncos locker room following Wednesday’s practice and was asked about how the team is tasked with playing Fields and what their keys are vs. the Steelers offense.
“We played him before so we know what it’s like to tackle him,” Cooper said. “We know what it’s like to get the ball away from him — we also know what he can do with his legs too. If he gets going like he did in the first half last year, he can also be a threat in the pass. Just making sure he’s uncomfortable, making sure he doesn’t have room or space to get active with his legs, just condensing him and hitting him the whole game.”
#Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper on his experience facing Justin Fields previously pic.twitter.com/sqdKs1crN7
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) September 11, 2024
In Fields’ debut last week against the Atlanta Falcons, he was 17-of-23 passing for 156 yards, with no touchdowns, but also had 14 carries on the ground for 57 yards. Regardless of past history, Sunday will be a good challenge for Denver.