If you spend even five minutes on sports Twitter—or X, whatever—you’ll see two completely different versions of Justin Fields. One group thinks he’s a generational athlete who just needs a decent play-caller to become the next Lamar Jackson. The other group looks at his sack rate and basically writes him off as a "bust."
The truth? It’s buried in the numbers. When you pull up Justin Fields Pro Football Reference data, you aren't just looking at a box score. You’re looking at one of the most polarizing statistical profiles in the history of the modern NFL.
Honestly, the numbers are kind of a mess, but in a fascinating way. He breaks records with his legs while simultaneously setting "records" for how often he gets tackled behind the line of scrimmage. You’ve got a guy who can outrun an entire secondary but sometimes struggles to see a wide-open slant. Let’s actually look at what’s real and what’s just noise.
The Pittsburgh Pivot and the 2025 Shift
Most people remember the Chicago era as a series of "what ifs," but his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 changed the narrative slightly. He started six games, went 4-2, and actually played... efficient? It sounds weird to say about Fields, but he threw five touchdowns to just one interception in that span. He was completing nearly 66% of his passes.
Then 2025 happened. Now with the New York Jets, Fields is still the same guy—just in a different jersey. His Justin Fields Pro Football Reference page for the 2025 season shows a quarterback who is still a "process" player. Through late 2025, he’s thrown for about 1,259 yards with 7 touchdowns and only 1 interception.
Wait. Only one pick?
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That’s the nuance people miss. Fields has actually become much more protective of the football. The "turnover machine" label is mostly outdated. The problem now isn't the interceptions; it's the volume. He’s often ranking near the bottom of the league in passing attempts per game. In a Week 10 win over Cleveland, he only threw the ball 11 times. Eleven! You can't put up Patrick Mahomes numbers when your coach treats the forward pass like a risky suggestion.
Why the Rushing Stats Are Historically Weird
We have to talk about 2022. If you scroll down to his rushing table on Pro Football Reference, your eyes might pop out. He ran for 1,143 yards. That is the second-most by a quarterback in a single season, trailing only Lamar Jackson’s 2019 MVP campaign.
But it’s the way he got those yards that matters.
- The Miami Game: 178 rushing yards. That’s the NFL record for a QB in a regular-season game. He basically turned the Dolphins' defense into a group of bystanders.
- The Big Plays: He is the only QB in history with three rushing touchdowns of 50+ yards in a single season.
- The Efficiency: He averaged 7.1 yards per carry that year. For context, most "elite" running backs are thrilled with 5.0.
Basically, Fields isn't just a "scrambler." He’s a home-run hitter. When he takes off, there is a legitimate chance he’s going the distance. However, that rushing prowess comes with a massive tax.
The "Sack" Problem Nobody Can Solve
Here is the part where the critics find their ammunition. Look at the "Advanced Passing" section on Justin Fields Pro Football Reference. You’ll see a column labeled Sk% (Sack Percentage).
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It is consistently high. Like, historically high.
In Chicago, his sack rate was often over 12%. To put that in perspective, if a QB has a sack rate over 8%, the offense is usually considered "broken." Even in 2025 with the Jets, he had a game against Denver where he was sacked 9 times for a loss of 55 yards. Nine times!
Is it the offensive line? Usually, a bit. But the data shows he holds the ball for an average of over 3 seconds—one of the longest durations in the league. He’s hunting for the big play, which is noble, but it leads to a lot of negative yardage that kills drives. It’s the "Justin Fields Experience": a 60-yard run followed by a 12-yard sack on the very next play.
Breaking Down the Career Arc
Fields has bounced around, and that makes his career totals look a bit fragmented. Let’s look at the broad strokes of his NFL journey so far:
- The Chicago Years (2021-2023): This was the "survival" phase. He was drafted 11th overall into a team with a revolving door of coaches and a lack of weapons. He finished his Bears tenure with over 6,600 passing yards and 2,220 rushing yards. The 10-28 record as a starter is what eventually got him traded, though many argue he never had a fair shake.
- The Pittsburgh Stint (2024): This was the "efficiency" phase. Mike Tomlin settled him down. He stopped forcing the ball into triple coverage. He played winning football (4-2 record), even if the "volume" stats weren't flashy.
- The New York Jets Era (2025): The "reclamation" phase. After signing as a free agent, he stepped into a messy situation. His completion percentage has stabilized in the low 60s, but the team’s overall struggle (3-14 finish for the Jets in 2025) makes his individual progress hard to see.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception is that Justin Fields can't throw. If you look at his college stats at Ohio State—which are also linked on his Pro Football Reference page—he was one of the most accurate deep-ball passers in college football history. He had 63 touchdowns to only 9 interceptions in two years with the Buckeyes.
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The NFL struggle isn't about arm talent. It’s about the "internal clock."
In the pros, that window to throw closes in about 2.2 seconds. Fields is still operating on a 3-second clock. When he has a clean pocket and a clear read, his passer rating is actually quite good. But when the first read is covered? That’s when things get chaotic.
Actionable Insights for the Stats Obsessed
If you’re tracking Fields for fantasy football or just trying to win an argument at the bar, here’s how to actually read his data:
- Ignore the Passing Yards: Total passing yards for Fields are useless. His teams often run low-volume passing offenses. Look at Yards Per Attempt (Y/A) instead. If he’s over 7.0, he’s playing well. If he’s in the 5.0-6.0 range, the offense is stagnant.
- Watch the "Success Rate": On PFR, look for how many of his plays result in a first down or a touchdown. Because of his rushing, his "Success Rate" is often higher than his completion percentage would suggest.
- Check the Fumbles: This is his quietest flaw. He has a tendency to put the ball on the turf when he gets sacked. In 2025, he’s still averaging about one fumble every two games.
Ultimately, Justin Fields is a "floor" raiser for a bad team because of his legs, but he hasn't yet shown he can be the "ceiling" raiser who wins a shootout against someone like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. He’s a historical anomaly—a quarterback who plays like a power forward.
To get the full picture of his next move, keep an eye on his "Bad Throw Percentage" on the advanced stats page. If that number keeps dropping, the "bust" talk can finally be put to rest for good.
Check his latest game logs directly on Pro Football Reference to see if his sack rate is trending down; that’s the number one indicator of whether he’ll ever truly "arrive" as a franchise QB.