Fields 3-0 as quarterback of the Steelers
by Bo Marchionte
Published September 22, 2024, 05:37 PM
Pittsburgh, PA – The game started out how Las Vegas envisioned, with four punts and zero first downs, before Justin Herbert found receiver Quentin Johnston for a 27-yard strike to get Los Angeles on the board 7-0 near the end of the first quarter.
The ensuing drive for the Steelers matched the Chargers on the scoreboard after Justin Fields found the end zone on a five-yard touchdown run with a fake hand off to running back Jaylen Warren.
A tale of two different quarters for Pittsburgh as well has been between the first and second halves. The Steelers scored seven points in the first half and added 13 more points in the second half, enroute to their 20-10 win over the Chargers.
“It’s always nice,” Elandon Roberts said of watching the offense be efficient. “You ask any defender on all 32 teams, it’s always nice. But like I told them it’s our job to get the ball back for them.”
The offense accumulated 346 total yards of offense and saw significant contributions from key figures on their offense. Justin Fields continues his resurrection in Pittsburgh while receiver Calvin Austin has a career best day 95 yards receiving along with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Fields.
It’s the first game of the year with 300-yard plus yards of offense and the second highest since last season against Seattle when the Steelers had 468 yards versus the Seahawks. While it’s a work in progress, seeing the results come to fruition is essentially the best thing Pittsburgh could ask for now, along with their 3-0 record.
“Shout out to our defense,” Fields said. “Shout out to everybody else on the offense for pushing me each and every day in practice and just a credit to them. So, definitely glad and just feeling good to be in this position.”
Pittsburgh has demonstrated over the last three weeks that the defense is going to be a force to be reckoned with, along with an offense gradually improving under the direction of new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Admitting you’re wrong (maybe) can be difficult, but’s it’s an essential part to coming to grips with when perception doesn’t meet reality and that’s the place, I find myself after Fields growth in the environment of the Steelers.
Without question, after three games he has performed at a level the team must be pleasantly surprised by and pleased with his play. The plays he is making are the plays that went for no gain last year in the Pittsburgh offense.
FIELDS 3-0 AS STEELERS QB
Justin Fields finished with 25 completions from his 32 attempts passing against the Chargers. He amassed 245 yards passing with one touchdown and interception. A sneaky number is the 25 completions.
It sheds light on the confidence Arthur Smith had in Fields and the confidence in Fields himself to complete pass after pass. It marked just the second time in his last seven games he reached 20-plus completions.
In the first two games combined he went 30-of-43 passing for 273 yards and one score. Today his performance of going 25-of-32 for 245 yards and one touchdown showed Smith and Fields are on the same page in the offense.
“So anytime you can get a rhythm as a quarterback, you know, you just, you know, feel that confidence, kind of overflow.”
The Chargers had the league’s No. 1 defense in points allowed. The Steelers kneeled the ball in victory formation today on the Chargers one-yard line. Preserving the under and allowing Pittsburgh the knowledge they delivered a knockout punch.
SACK HAPPY DEFENSE
Even without Alex Highsmith for the entirety of the second half the Steelers defense began to smoother both Los Angeles quarterbacks Justin Herbert (left with ankle from sack) and back-up Taylor Heinicke.
“It didn’t surprise me,” T.J. Watt said of Nick Herbig’s performance in the absence of Highsmith. “That kid works his tail off. We pretty much do everything together when we are in the facility. I’ll text him tomorrow when I am heading into the facility, we will get work, me him and Alex.”
Herbig finished with two sacks and nearly had this third when he replaced Highsmith and nearly got to Herbert as he threw the Hail Mary pass before the end of the first half. Pittsburgh finished with five sacks and seven tackles for loss.
HARRIS BECOMING THE HORSE
Jaylen Warren’s late preseason hamstring has erased the momentum he had last season when he was going toe to toe for reps in the Steelers offense. Warren was once again bitten by the injury big (undisclosed).
Najee Harris had 18 carries for 70 yards and Arthur Smith’s go to guy from Atlanta, Cordarrelle Patterson took the bulk of the carries down the stretch to help run the clock out and preserve the win. Patterson rumbled for an impressive 8.3 yards per carry on his four totes for 33 yards.
Warren had just three carries for five yards, and his impact in the passing game, his best attribute from last season is a distance memory so far, with his one catch for negative four yards against the Chargers today.
AUSTIN BREAKOUT GAME
Calvin Austin has played in 19 games in the National Football League and started one since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Over that span he has one touchdown catch of 72-yards he caught against the Raiders last season.
He added his second touchdown in his 20th game, another bomb, this time for 55-yards and finished a career single game high of 95 yards receiving. His four catches against Los Angeles are only two shy of his game best six in 2023 versus the 49ers in Week 1.
“They were in zone, quarters high” Fields said of the big-time pass play to Austin. “You’re really just high lowing that hook defender. They hook defender took GP (George Pickens) underneath and Calvin (Austin III) was right behind him. Great play call.
Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com
