Two weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were flying high at 3-0 with QB Justin Fields. Fast forward two weeks and the Steelers are 3-2, having dropped consecutive games by one score. The latest was a 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night and Monday morning, in which the Steelers’ offense floundered in large stretches. Do back-to-back losses open the door for QB Russell Wilson to reclaim the starting spot?

“The repetitive thing is it doesn’t connect, like there aren’t enough big plays,” Ray Fittipaldo said on Monday’s episode of the North Shore Drive Podcast. “There wasn’t enough scoring with Justin Fields at quarterback. And we’ll see where Russell Wilson is next week. I think, Chris, this is a good time to take that step. You brought in Russell Wilson as starter, and you came away with a loss. And if things go poorly for Russell Wilson at any point during the season, you can be sure you can go back to Justin Fields and he can help you win games. So I think this is the perfect place to take that step. We’ll see if Mike Tomlin pulls the trigger.”

This is the scenario hanging over the Steelers since Wilson strained his calf on the eve of training camp practices. Fields took advantage of the extra reps in training camp and showed improvement. And when Wilson was healthy, he was named the starter. He then injured his calf before the start of the regular season and Fields started all five games.

But the prospect of Wilson returning once he’s fully healthy has been in the background of every game. Fields hasn’t blown anyone away with his stats, which certainly left the door open. But it was hard to fathom that Tomlin and the Steelers would snatch him if he kept winning.

Now that the Steelers have lost two games in a row, the topic becomes much easier to broach. The argument can be made that Fields played quite well against the Indianapolis Colts last weekend and that was a large part of the reason the team even had a chance to win in the end.

However, Fields was less effective against the Cowboys. He completed just 15 of his 27 passing attempts for 131 yards. He did throw for two touchdowns and gave the Steelers the lead late in the game. He also carried the ball six times for 27 yards.

Now the Steelers and Tomlin must ask if Fields is the reason the offense is struggling. The offensive line is disrupted with both OT Troy Fautanu and G James Daniels on injured reserve. And no one steps up as a reliable receiving option opposite WR George Pickens. And even he wasn’t the most reliable and was on edge against the Cowboys for some reason.

And if they believe Fields is the biggest problem, do they believe Wilson can overcome the other problems? Because regardless of the other issues, Fields has run the ball better than RB Najee Harris. Harris has almost double the rush attempts, but Fields averages over half a yard more per carry than Harris. Harris is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, while Fields is averaging 3.9 yards. And with the injuries at the running back position early on, Fields has 44 rushing attempts in five games. He is an integral part of the rushing attack and perhaps its most effective piece right now.

So the Steelers need to figure this out: Does Wilson improve the passing game so much that it overcomes the loss of Fields’ ability to generate yards on the ground and overcome problems on the offensive line? If Wilson can take the passing game to the next level, the Steelers will become a much more dangerous team than they are now.

Or will the Steelers simply turn to Wilson because they previously named him the starter? Playing games with who the starting quarterback is isn’t really going to help anyone in the long run. The Steelers are trying to be competitive this season, which is why they would consider a move. But yo-yoing Fields as a starter won’t benefit him or the team in the long run.