ATLANTA – Justin Fields didn’t expect to be playing his first regular-season game as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback just 30 miles south of his hometown. But when Russell Wilson came up to him before the game on Sunday and told him it was his turn, that’s exactly what happened.

Although Fields and the offense failed to score a touchdown, the Steelers prevailed 18-10 thanks to six field goals by kicker Chris Boswell that tied the game for the Atlanta Falcons, securing the victory in Fields’ debut.

“For me personally, it’s great,” said Fields, who completed 17 of 23 attempts for 156 yards. “I have a lot of family here, family and friends, old high school teammates, so just the environment, I really couldn’t ask for anything better.”

“God really works mysterious ways, so I’m just thankful for him and for this moment with my team. But just to come home and get a brace against the home team was great.”

Fields did not speculate on what significance his performance might have on his chance to start another game as Wilson continues to work to overcome a calf injury sustained in training camp.

“To be honest, I’m not worried about it,” Fields said. “I just came here wanting to win and I’m glad we’re leaving here with a win. So as far as who starts and who doesn’t, at the end of the day, I just want to win. I’m not going to get into that right now. … At the end of the day, I came here to win. Whether I threw for 300 yards, 100 yards or no yards, I came here to win. So that was my only focus.”

Wilson went through a 15-minute warm-up, testing his calf while going through a series of throws with the Steelers’ equipment staff before heading to the locker room about two and a half hours before kickoff to tell Fields he would play.

Coach Mike Tomlin then praised Fields’ resilience in dealing with the somewhat unexpected start, the penalty-filled series and the stalled drives.

“When I got to know him, man, he was a real reliable Eddie,” Tomlin said. “He’s not overly talkative, but he has a steady, strong demeanor and just being in the stadium with him confirmed some of the things I saw during team development. It’s just good to be able to communicate with a guy when things get tight and you see the clear eyes. He’s there. He’s solid as a rock and I think his game and by extension our game kind of reflects that.”

However, the coach left little to be desired about how Fields’ performance might impact the quarterback roster ahead of Week 2’s game against the Denver Broncos.

“You can ask me that question on Tuesday,” he said when asked about the starting quarterbacks.

Fields’ afternoon didn’t start off very promisingly. He and rookie center Zach Frazier made a mistake on the first snap, something that had happened several times in the preseason, and Fields’ first snap was a fumble.

Then he missed a throw to a completely free Van Jefferson on the next play, and then another to Najee Harris a few plays later. That drive ended with a 57-yard field goal by Boswell, one of three over 50 yards, setting a franchise record.

“We definitely had a slow start, especially on the first play and then I missed the throw to Van, but after the first drive I felt like we settled in a little bit and definitely settled in, especially as the game went on.

“…I have no reason (for the slow start), but I know it won’t happen again.”

With the Steelers trailing 10-9 at halftime, Fields completed 11 of 13 passes for 83 yards, with 33 of those yards coming on a big pass play to George Pickens just before halftime. Without that throw, Fields averaged just 1.7 air yards per attempt and attempted just three passes of more than 5 yards down the field in the first half.

Instead, Fields used his legs to make up ground. He had five runs for 26 yards in the first half, including one run for 12 yards, and finished the game with 14 runs for 57 yards.

“Justin being able to run is a huge plus for our offense because once you can run, so many opportunities open up,” offensive lineman Broderick Jones said. “So if he goes one way and Najee or Jaylen goes the other, it’s hard for the defense to keep track of both of them. We just have to continue to incorporate that into our offense and make it work.”

Despite the offensive line playing with two new starters, including a rookie, Fields was sacked just twice, both times in the second half. Once when Grady Jarrett beat James Daniels inside and the second time when Fields held onto the ball instead of throwing it away.

“I felt clean most of the day,” Fields said. “I think one of the sacks I definitely could have gotten the ball out quicker and thrown it away. But I think overall they did a great job and I know they’re not going to do anything but keep getting better.”

In the second half, Fields made his longest play of the game with a 40-yard dime to Pickens in the third quarter. Pickens fell down as he caught the ball, but not believing he had been touched, he jumped up and ran the ball several more yards before finally being brought down. However, the referees ruled that Pickens had gone down by contact after the catch and limited the play to a 40-yard gain. The completion, which came on the first play of the series, did not get the offense going, however. False starts and illegal shifting penalties ended the attack, and Boswell came out for a 40-yard field goal that gave the Steelers a 15-10 lead.

Even after Fields threw the ball in the air, the Steelers continued to rely on short throws and the running game in the second half. Still, that recipe helped the offense move the ball pretty well in the second half. Fields connected with Pat Freiermuth for a 10-yard gain on a dart in the fourth quarter, and Najee Harris had a 20-yard run.

“It gets us going,” Fields said of the long balls. “I think the O-line did a great job today keeping me free on those longer plays. And of course GP, he’ll always make plays for you further down the field. So really just kudos to the O-line, the running backs, the blockers and the receivers for doing their thing.”