When a lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans think back to Week 1 of the NFL Preseason, most don’t think about the final score, potential injuries or even questionable coaching decisions.

No, they think about the quarterback play.

One quarterback in particular, and his name is Justin Fields.

Despite Fields completing 5-of-6 passes, what has been discussed more than anything are the two botched quarterback-center exchanges, both going in the scorebook as fumbles credited to Fields. Luckily the Steelers recovered both fumbles, but the damage was done.

Who was to blame? Nate Herbig or Fields?

To be honest, that depends on who you trust when it comes to the intricacies of the quarterback and center exchange. All I know is the topic won’t be put to bed until Fields has a complete game without having another fumble. Let’s also not forget fumbles have plagued Fields for the majority of his professional career.

During my Mailbag Segment on my Wednesday “Let’s Ride” podcast, I was asked a question by one of our listeners which made be ask some questions about Field’s history.

Do we know how much experience Fields has taking snaps under center? I know at Ohio state it was mostly shotgun but I’m not as familiar with his time in Chicago. Also, thanks for giving me my Steelers fix the past few off seasons, this is my go to 4 Pitt news

— Matthew Friede (@waracle111) August 13, 2024

This made me wonder how I could find these statistics of Fields time in Chicago. Thankfully, Jason Murphy of SCN, a loyal podcast listener, heard the question and came up with the answer. Check it out:

Last season Fields had 370 pass attempts. Only 27 were under center, and only 24 were play action. On the 27 plays, there were 8 completions, 8 incompletions, 2 sacks, 1 sack/fumbles, 6 broken play rushes, and 2 designed runs.

When you see only 27 of 370 pass attempts were under center, it makes you realize how Fields very well might not be as comfortable in that setting compared to other quarterbacks. Not to suggest Fields is incapable of learning, but it certainly could have played a role in the botched snaps this past week.

Throw in the fact Herbig was the center and it is an entirely different set of circumstances. While Herbig has some experience at center, he is not a veteran at the position and certainly is learning on the go. Combine the two and what do you get?

Two fumbles.

Will Fields get the opportunity to prove Week 1 was nothing more than a blip on the radar? He will have two more preseason games to prove the Week 1 performance was a blip on the radar, or if it is an ongoing trend with the young quarterback.

Let’s hope the exchange is done to perfection Saturday when the Buffalo Bills invade Pittsburgh with all quarterbacks, not just Fields. And be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the preseason.