Justin Fields has been playing solid, progressively better football over the past three weeks of the season. You can see it in the eyes. But the stats tell the story too. There are two things that stand out above all others: his completion percentage and his snap-to-throw time. Both are really good or improving.
Through three weeks, Fields has completed 73.3 percent of his passes. He has never come close to that number, and he is essentially 12 points higher than he was a season ago. Fields hovered between 59 and 61 percent in his first three seasons. Now, he is one of the best in the league.
His completion percentage ranks sixth in the NFL. Only Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen, Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Gardner Minshew II are ahead of Fields. He has never been this high before. Find out where his completion percentage ranks each year.
Justin Fields Completion Rate Rankings, 2021-2024
2021 – 35th place out of 38 qualifiers
2022 – 33rd place out of 39 qualifiers
2023 – 36th place out of 42 qualifiers
2024 – 6th place out of 31 qualifiers
Context is important, and the high completion percentage can be misleading. Fields threw the ball shorter, which naturally led to more completions, and the Steelers played safer football. But Fields was much more accurate than he has been in the past, missing few “layups” and making some high-end throws, including some that should have been caught. Laser Two TE Pat Freiermuth This happened just before halftime against the Los Angeles Chargers, and probably added another field goal to the scoreboard.
Or the third-down pass from Fields to WR Scotty Miller, which should be right there. It’s far from the defender, but Miller can catch it, and even allows him to turn upfield for a 20-yard gain.
Another stat? His snap-to-throw time. Fields has historically held onto the ball too long, and that’s a big reason he’s been the league’s most sacked quarterback since being drafted in 2021. As Chicago’s starter, he held onto the ball longer every year since 2024. This year? He’s down to 2.82 seconds. That’s still longer than average and 23rd in the league, but it’s an improvement over his previous year. Here are his year-to-date numbers:
Justin Fields snap to throw time
2021 – 2.91 seconds
2022 – 3.12 seconds
2023 – 3.23 seconds (longest in NFL)
2024 – 2.82 seconds
There is a correlation and a crossover. Short throws mean higher completion percentages, which means the ball is out faster. I understand that. But it never suited Fields until this year. Pittsburgh is giving him what Chicago didn’t: a structure and a roster that takes the pressure off. The tape and the numbers show it.
