Jalen Hurts ran for 45 yards and a touchdown. Lamar Jackson racked up 81 rushing yards to send the Pittsburgh Steelers packing. Defensive tackle Keeanu Benton knows New York Jets QB Justin Fields can’t do the same to the Steelers’ defense this Sunday. Which won’t be easy because as teammates last season, Fields showed he can make plays with his legs. Benton is confident Pittsburgh has a better plan in place, even if he’s coy to share it.
“I feel like that’s something I’m [not going to] disclose,” Benton said when asked by reporters via the team website Wednesday about the plan to slow Fields down. “But we’ll find out on Sunday.”
Struggling to contain quarterbacks played a key role in the Steelers’ historically bad end to the 2024 season, losing their last five games. Derrick Henry broke the dam in the Wild Card game, but Hurts, Jackson, and other passers made plays with their legs in key moments.
Like Pittsburgh did, New York’s game plan will lean on Fields’ unique mobility. One of the NFL’s top rushing quarterbacks, he ran for 231 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns over his six starts in Pittsburgh. He moved the chains in key moments, like picking up a crucial third down to cap a Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Quarterback mobility can wreck game plans. Pittsburgh’s new-look secondary could blanket every receiver and Fields is liable to take off and rush for a first down. Fields flashed that in the preseason, taking off on a 3rd and 5 for a score. Backbreaking moments that demoralize a defense. It may be harder for the Steelers’ front to rush full throttle, knowing containing and constricting Fields to the pocket comes first. On early downs, Fields is an extra player the defense must account for in its run fits, making it harder to swarm the running back while window dressing like read options can force the defense to play slower.
“When you get a running quarterback, it adds a whole different aspect to the game and what they can do,” Benton said. “So just keeping him contained, keeping him in the pocket, will be big for us.”
Pittsburgh’s added reinforcements to help. The Steelers focused on the front seven in the draft, selecting DL Derrick Harmon, EDGE Jack Sawyer, and DL Yahya Black with three of their first four picks. Trading for CB Jalen Ramsey gives the defense an alpha presence at slot corner. Benton sees a group willing to get “grimy” and earn the right to rush the passer on third and long.
Like every other projection or speculation about the season, the proof begins this weekend. Everyone has a plan. The Jets, the Steelers, the NFL’s 30 other teams. Who executes the best is all that matters and true to Benton’s word, Pittsburgh will begin finding out what its team is made of starting on Sunday.
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