PITTSBURGH – In the days leading up to Sunday, Mike Tomlin often referred to one of his favorite phrases: “Styles make fights.”
The Steelers had a safe victory against the strong running and defensively oriented Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium and defended their three-point lead until just over seven minutes before the end.
With the Chargers’ best defense and the Steelers’ second-best defense playing in the same game, a battle on defense was probably inevitable. But with the outcome still uncertain, Steelers quarterback Justin Fields sensed receiver Calvin Austin III running into a weak spot in the Chargers’ quarterback coverage and let it rip.
Austin caught up with the ball and took off running, using his 4.3 second speed to outrun defenders and score a 55-yard touchdown that gave the Steelers a 3-0 lead.
.@justnfields ➡️ @CalvinAustinIII for the 55-yard TD 🙌
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/2dF7ZEPifv
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) 22 September 2024
“Boy, was I tired. I won’t deny that. I felt it,” Austin said after the game, smiling. “I saw the end zone. I knew I could do it.”
Fields’ perfect hit capped off his best passing performance as a Steeler as he continues to play within the tight confines of the offense and do enough to keep pulling out wins.
In the first two games, the Steelers were careful not to ask too much of Fields. Under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, they relied primarily on a run-heavy attack, plenty of low-risk passes outside the lineup and a few well-timed long shots. That formula, coupled with Pittsburgh’s stifling defense, got them past the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos.
“He’s doing a great job and doing what we ask of him,” Tomlin said after the game.
GO DEEPER
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What the Steelers needed from Fields changed on Sunday. He went from being a quarterback tasked with not losing games with a conservative game plan to being a quarterback who had to be the driving force to win. The Chargers not only had the stats on defense (they limited their opponents to a league-best 6.5 points per game over the first two weeks), but also a game system that relied heavily on a two-deep shell, which severely limited long ball opportunities.
One way to get the Chargers out of that two-deep situation would have been to bat the football on the ground and force LA to bring another defender into the box. But with tackle Troy Fautanu on the injured list and Isaac Seumalo still recovering from a pectoral injury, the Steelers were missing two of their best run blockers. That’s one reason the Steelers were largely sluggish in the running game early on, running three times and out on three of their first four drives. By halftime, Pittsburgh had run the ball nine times and gained just 14 yards, an average of 1.6 yards per run.
“Coach T told us at halftime to play better and be better,” Fields said. “In the second half, we came out and did just that.”
Trailing 7-10 at halftime, the Steelers relied on Fields more than ever this season to come back.
In the first two games, Fields completed a total of 30 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. On Sunday, the combination of the Steelers’ lack of success on the ground and the Chargers’ two-pronged defense forced Fields to beat one of the NFL’s best defenses in the air. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Fields also ran the ball six times for six yards and a touchdown.
“We knew they were going to give us first and second shots to get the upper hand, so to speak,” Fields said. “They don’t really want to make big plays. So they play more conservatively and softly, so we knew we were going to get first and second shots.”
The two Chargers players forced Justin Fields to be efficient on underpasses and to be precise over the middle on attacks between the two safeties, both of which he did well. pic.twitter.com/cqy9PSQYTa
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) 22 September 2024
Fields was accurate on the first few attempts and picked up the yards needed to make for viable third downs. When the Steelers decided to target the middle of the field, Fields was usually on time and accurate to get the ball between the two safeties.
“(We) opened up the passing game a little bit,” tight end Pat Freiermuth said. “They invested in their outside positions (Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa). So we tried to attack the middle of their defense.”
The only blemish on Fields’ stats was an interception when he tried to get the ball into a tight window to Cordarrelle Patterson, only to have it diverted into the air and intercepted. Fields acknowledged after the game that he shouldn’t have tried to force the ball into such a tight spot.
Despite the mistake, the timely completions gave the running game time to get going. Meanwhile, the defense took control. The Steelers limited the Chargers to minus-five yards in the second half, forced starting quarterback Justin Herbert out of the game and constantly pressured backup Taylor Heinicke. Pittsburgh’s defense has now limited opponents to 8.7 points per game, a league low.
“The whole discussion this week was about who has the better defense? Who is going to stop the run?” said Joey Porter Jr. “I think we did both today.”
The dominant performance on defense shows that the Steelers don’t need dominance on offense, and the subpar running numbers through the first three quarters show that Pittsburgh still has work to do if it wants to play its preferred style. However, the game also showed that Fields continues to make a case for more trust from the coaching staff.
Of the three games Fields has played, this was his strongest argument for keeping his spot in the starting lineup – based on the quality of the opposition and his steady hand in the face of early game adversity. Russell Wilson’s calf injury, while disappointing for him, may have been a bright spot for the Steelers, allowing them to see if they can be the team that gets the best out of Fields. After the game, Fields said he has “grown a lot” over the last year and feels himself becoming more confident and comfortable in the Steelers’ game.
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“I feel like I’m just really calm out there,” Fields said. “Cool, calm and collected on the field. Really, just that sense of peace out there on the field. I don’t really rush things in my head. I just stay calm in the pocket and just make plays when I can.”
It remains to be seen if Wilson’s lingering calf injury allows him to be part of the conversation this week, but given Fields’ performance on Sunday and the 3-0 record, it would be difficult to make a move at this point.
We’ll see if he can keep it that way.
“At the end of the day, it’s not just me that wins games, it’s the whole team,” Fields said. “I’m just happy to be part of this team, happy to be part of this organization. We’re excited to keep going next week.”
(Top photo: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
