Kickoff weekend in the NFL is coming to a close, and the Steelers have played 4 quarters of football in 2024. Cheers to football being back and getting a W to start the season! Following a birthday celebration for this writer and a night’s sleep to consider what happened against the Falcons yesterday, here are some gut reactions following Week 1.

The Defense is Stout

It’s a new season and a new team, but Watt and Company are as productive as ever. Despite multiple TJ Watt strip sacks that were called back due to penalties, there were still 2 sacks, 3 takeaways, and only 10 offensive points allowed. While the Falcons are by no means considered an elite offense at this point, the defensive production is there. This unit will be a lot of fun to watch all season.

The Endzone is a Land of the Unknown

A win is a win in the record books, and at the end of the day stacking wins are all that matters to an NFL franchise. With that being said, this win was not pretty and was a bit disappointing as a fan to watch. Field goals might have gotten it done against Atlanta, but the same cannot be said for matchups against better teams that are known to run up the scoreboard. Drives need to be sustained for longer and the red zone offense needs to be improved for the Steelers to have a shot at the playoffs.

Boswell that Ends Well

While the team’s first touchdown of the season did not come in Week 1, Chris Boswell certainly earned his paycheck! With 6 field goals on the day including three that were 50+ yards, the man had himself a great day and was as consistent as ever. He even delivered a solid punt (the first of his career) following an injury to Cameron Johnston. All hail the Wizard of Boz for putting up 18 on the scoreboard and delivering Pittsburgh a victory.

Justin Fields: QB1 to Be or Not to Be?

While his numbers were not astounding yesterday, Fields did not turn the ball over, and his play was efficient enough to help the Steelers earn a win. His mobility proved essential on a 3rd down play, and he ended the day with 57 yards on the ground. Coupled with 156 passing yards and a 73.9% completion percentage, did he do enough to earn the starting job?

It seems that he certainly has played well enough to keep his role as QB2 over Kyle Allen. If Russell Wilson is healthy enough to start next week, he likely still gets the start; Coach Tomlin has stated repeatedly that the starting job is his to lose. However, if Wilson does not perform or stays sidelined with injury for multiple weeks, maybe Fields gets the nod quicker now than he would have prior to Week 1. It is also worth noting that Fields provides a dual threat and can run the ball, which is something additional that opposing defenses would have to prepare for and consider when calling plays. This is not something that Wilson or Allen bring to the table in the same capacity.

Although he only had 3 completions over 10 yards (not including yards after the catch), he only had 4 targets downfield of that distance. All of Fields’ completions were outside the numbers as well; there was not even 1 attempt over the middle. While Fields failed to break 200 yards passing this weekend, he also did not attempt to stretch the field much. Was he taking what the defense was giving him, or does the organization not yet trust him to stretch the field consistently? That likely factors into his performance from this past weekend, and until he attempts longer passes on a more consistent basis, it seems difficult to fully assess his abilities as a potential QB1.

Throw the Ball Over the Middle and Stretch the Field

Below is an infographic of Justin Fields’ attempts and completions from this week.

Take note of where all of Fields’ completions were this week; as mentioned previously in this article, all of his completions were outside the numbers, and the majority of them were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. If the defense was consistently taking away the middle, this infographic makes more sense. Fields also did not turn the ball over on Sunday, which often equates to making smart decisions and taking care of the ball. With that said, Pat Freiermuth signed a contract extension this offseason. The front office must believe in him. George Pickens, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris have proven to be quality players that can produce for this offense. There are a handful of younger guys at skill positions, most notably WR, awaiting opportunity to prove themselves. The offensive line was a point of emphasis this offseason.

At some point, this team needs to be more comfortable with stretching the field and throwing over the middle. Trust your playmakers, spread the ball around the field in situations where completions can be made, and increase the productivity of your offense that failed to find the endzone in Week 1.