Even though he's been relegated to the bench in favor of Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson since October, Justin Fields may still fill an important role for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they begin their quest for the franchise's seventh Lombardi Trophy in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers are prepared to use Fields to spark an offense that has been stagnant during the team's four-game losing streak, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

"From what I understand, they have prepared packages for Justin Fields to use tonight," Rapoport stated. "He is finally fully healthy ... I think it's pretty clear Russell Wilson has struggled a little bit."

"Just hasn't really run the offense as it needs to be run," Rapoport continued. "So yes, they could potentially use Justin Fields as a spark for their offense. It's something they've considered the last couple of weeks ... Could do it tonight."

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in August named Wilson the team's starter, but the veteran QB suffered a calf injury during training camp and aggravated it prior to the club's season-opener, resulting in Fields stepping into the starter's role.

The dual-threat signal-caller started the first six games of the season for Pittsburgh, throwing for 1,106 yards, five touchdown passes and one interception while adding 231 yards and five scores on the ground. Fields led the Steelers to a 4-2 record, and there were calls from fans and pundits for the Ohio State product to hold onto the starting job.

But Tomlin switched gears in late October, handing the job to Wilson, who proceeded to lead the team to wins in six of his first seven starts, including a 44-38 December victory over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals in which Wilson turned the clock back with a 414-yard, three-touchdown pass performance.

But the Steelers' offense has fallen on hard times of late, averaging just 14.2 points per game in four straight losses to end the season. Wilson has thrown four touchdowns and two interceptions during that span, though he has posted below-average QBRs in each of those contests.

As nine-point underdogs against the Ravens, the Steelers seem to be pulling out all the stops to end their recent skid and get a playoff win on Saturday. The two AFC North rivals will kick off at 8 p.m. ET.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Justin Fields Expected to Have Notable Role in Steelers' Playoff Game vs. Ravens.