Justin Fields has played very good football over the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, and is a big part as to why the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of five reaming unbeaten teams in the league.

And while Fields’ box score numbers won’t blow you away (173 YPG, 2 touchdowns), his advanced numbers are some of the best in the league and help tell a more complete story, especially when it comes to passes past the sticks.

Per Sports Info Solutions, Fields currently ranks 10th in EPA when throwing past the sticks. He also ranks ninth in positive play percentage and points above replacement, and he is also sixth in boom play percentage, which calculates plays with an EPA of at least one – basically, an advanced stat for explosive plays. To contrast, he has the fifth lowest busted play percentage. He is playing very good football while only having one interception through three games, but he’s not doing it by just throwing screens and checkdowns – he’s been very successful pushing the ball downfield.

To continue, Fields is second in the NFL in passer rating and he leads the league in IQR when throwing past the sticks, which “builds upon the traditional passer rating formula by considering the value of a quarterback independent of results out of his control such as dropped passes, dropped interceptions, throwaways, etc.” So with all those extra factors thrown in, Fields is seen as the best passer in football through three weeks when it comes to IQR on passes beyond the first down marker.

Again, from a base box score, it doesn’t seem like Fields is doing anything spectacular. But when you compare the Steelers’ offense from a year ago to what they are doing through the first three games, they are worlds better. In 2023, the Steelers were 27th in plays per game – they are currently 9th in 2024. The Steelers were bad on third down in 2023, finishing 21st in third down conversion percentage – Fields has them sitting at seventh in the NFL.

The offense is better in almost every aspect accept running the ball, which works against Fields and the passing game. And yet, the Steelers are more efficient offensively, establishing long drives, and continually growing in terms of explosiveness with Fields being able to push the ball downfield.

This is far from what the Steelers have had the quarterback position in the previous two seasons, Fields is giving them a legit threat under center with his arm, and it’s incredibly refreshing.