PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-10 in the third week of the NFL season, putting the Black and Gold team at 3-0.

Justin Fields finished the game with 245 passing yards at a passing percentage of 78.13%, throwing one touchdown, running for a touchdown, and throwing one interception.

The Chargers, with running back JK Dobbins and new head coach Jim Harbaugh, have dominated this season with a ground-and-pound offense. With a 1 p.m. start, the West Coast Chargers may have needed a wake-up call. Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen delivered early with a strong tackle on Dobbins that yielded little.

For the first time in front of a home crowd, the Steelers offense answered the Chargers with a three-and-out of its own. The Chargers’ front seven blocked two running attempts by Fields and one by running back Najee Harris.

Chargers’ left tackle Joe Alt, the fifth pick in the NFL Draft, has quickly earned respect as one half of an elite tackle duo alongside Rashawn Slater. But Alt hasn’t seen anyone like Steelers’ edge rusher TJ Watt. On the third down, Watt had a clear path to Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert, forcing Alt to commit a holding penalty.

Another forced three-and-out did not benefit the Steelers offense. After two drives, half of the Steelers’ six offensive snaps ended with negative yards. Four drives and four three-and-outs.

The dam had to break. Dobbins kept the Steelers on their toes with three ineffective drives up the middle. Then Herbert used his eyes to outwit Steelers’ cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who ran into the flat and left Chargers’ second-year receiver Quentin Johnston completely free on the sideline to score the points.

The Steelers’ blocking was great on their third series. The offensive line kept giving Fields open passes, allowing six different receivers to catch passes. Although it was a problem last year, receivers who didn’t get the ball made several key blocks on ball carries.

Fields returned the favor. Despite being under little pressure, six different receivers caught passes, including newcomers Scotty Miller and Cordarrelle Patterson. Fields finished the 70-yard drive with a flawless option read and reached the end zone for the first time this season, tying the game at 7-7 midway through the second quarter.

The Chargers’ offense stepped up a gear after their first touchdown, gaining 61 yards in eight consecutive snaps with a balanced attack. But the Steelers’ vaunted “bend-don’t-break” defense took effect. At Pittsburgh’s nine-yard line, Cameron Heyward made a tackle that lost the ball, and then the pass rush pressured Herbert, who threw his first incomplete pass with 3:13 left in the first half, forcing a field goal.

After completing 11 consecutive passes, Fields targeted Pickens, the Steelers’ most reliable receiver. Pickens was unable to defend against a grab on his right arm and was unable to complete the catch on third down. If you count that as one, it would be Pickens’ sixth career drop.

With just 44 seconds left on the clock, the Steelers and Fields know who needs the ball. Fields gave Pickens a chance to redeem himself. Under pressure, Fields winced and appeared ready to run. Before that, Fields could have used his legs. Fields showed real progress, planting his feet again and finding Pickens 27 yards down the sideline for their biggest play yet. An unfortunate drop by Pat Freiermuth forced Chris Boswell into a field goal attempt, the highest of his career, but a crooked hold and wind helped Boswell fire the kick right.

The Steelers trailed 10-7 at halftime.

Outside the locker room, the Steelers’ running game was ineffective. A six-yard run by Harris was the offense’s longest run in six offensive drives. But in the air, Fields continued to deliver. Long passes to Calvin Austin III, Miller and Friermuth put Boswell in range for easy field goals and tied the score at ten to ten.

A three-and-out deep in Chargers territory and a punt penalty gave the Steelers incredible field position. Although Fields started at the Chargers’ 41-yard line, he caused his first turnover as a Steeler on the first play of the series with a deflected pass interception.

The Chargers’ first game of the series ended in an even worse disaster. Herbert, who suffered a severe ankle sprain last week against the Carolina Panthers, was sacked by Elandon Roberts and limped off the field before sitting on the ground in pain. With backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, the Steelers forced another three-and-out.

With limited offensive performance, the Chargers’ defense had to step up. Los Angeles held Pittsburgh to third down three times, but imposed unacceptable penalties on each crucial down.

Freiermuth extended a long catch and got unnecessarily rough, Fields got a header late in the drive and Pickens suffered pass interference despite not being targeted on third and second attempts. Despite the extra chances, the Steelers were able to get a field goal from Boswell that gave them a 13-10 lead.

When Renegade plays, Watt is unstoppable. After an impressive loss-of-yardage tackle by Porter Jr. and a rare delay-of-game penalty on Keeanu Benton, the Chargers faced a third-and-5. Watt hit Alt immediately after the snap, bringing down Heinicke, who recorded his 99.5th career sack and forced a punt.

Fields’ development is evident. After reading the front, Fields checked the back and connected with Pickens for 14 yards. After a couple of great runs by Harris, Fields found Austin III for a 55-yard touchdown across the middle of the field, extending the Steelers’ lead to 20-10 late in the fourth quarter. Austin finished the game with four pass catches for 95 yards.

With a two-point lead, Pittsburgh’s defense went into overdrive. On the first play of the series, linebacker Nick Herbig recorded his second sack of the game. Two plays later, Heyward, who had been applying great pressure all game, gave the Steelers their fifth sack of the game and forced another three-and-out.

Miraculously, the Chargers started the second half with more yards than they ended up with, recording -5 yards.

With time on the Steelers’ side, the running game had to be successful. Harris and Patterson finished the game with several runs for first downs, thwarting the Chargers defenders on each one.

The Steelers finished the game with 347 total yards. The Steelers’ 20-10 victory is arguably the biggest of Fields’ career. At 3-0 and leading the AFC North, Fields’ future as the Steelers’ starting quarterback looks bright.

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