The Pittsburgh Steelers were back on the field Sunday for the third time of the 2024 regular season when they hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 of regular season action. The Steelers were winners in the contest, but that doesn’t mean every player had a good or bad performance.

Players who play well can be considered ‘Winners’, while those who left a lot to be desired can be called ‘Losers’. It may sound harsh, but it is the crux of this exercise.

Let’s check in to see who fell on which side of the ledger after the latest game…

Winners

Justin Fields
Stat Line: 25/32, 245 yards, 7.7 ave., 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sack-for-13 yards, 96.0 Rating / 6 carries, 6 yards, 1 TD

There were a lot of narrative surrounding the Steelers quarterback situation even after a 2-0 start to the season. No passes over the middle, no explosive plays, tentative play. I could go on, but if you’ve been paying attention you’ve heard/read all of them. While Fields didn’t completely erase all those narratives in just one game, he sure did take a huge step forward in doing so. How well did he play? If not for two costly drops he could have been close to 300 yards passing and the Steelers likely score more than 20 points. I don’t see how Mike Tomlin can turn away from Fields at this point, even if Russell Wilson is healthy. Kudos to Fields for keeping his head down and grinding. His story can be a memorable one if he keeps up this style of play.

Nick Herbig
Stat Line: 3 total tackles, 3 solo, 2 sacks, 2 QB Hits, 1 FF

Alex Highsmith left the game with a groin injury, and Herbig entered the lineup and made his presence felt immediately. Herbig was dynamic in the preseason, but we hadn’t seen it in a large sample size early in his NFL career. He got his shot, and he took advantage of it vs. the Chargers as he dominated his one-on-one matchup opposite T.J. Watt and harassed the quarterback in every way possible. We’ll likely see Herbig more with Highsmith hurt, and I’m excited to see what he can do when given a chance.

T.J. Watt
Stat Line: 3 total tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 2 QB Hits

What else is new? T.J. Watt is on the winners list. I feel like I could just do an evergreen write-up for this, but at the same time Watt deserves the credit. Going against rookie Joe Alt, who is going to be an All-Pro in the league, Watt showed what he can do when given a chance. What I’ll never seem to understand is how the opposing offense does everything in their power to eliminate Watt, and he still impacts the game. Let it sink in folks, we are seeing something special.

Calvin Austin III
Stat Line: 4 catches, 95 yards, 23.8 ave., 1 TD, 55 long, 5 targets

Van Jefferson left the game with an eye injury early in this game, and Calvin Austin III showed he is more than capable of having a role within this offense. Is he a pure WR2? Not really, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of making big plays. Austin’s play should give the offense, and the confidence of the coaching staff, a boost moving forward.

Rush Defense
Stat Line: LAC – 20 carries, 61 yards, 3.1 ave., 0 TD, 13 yard long

The Chargers averaged over 197 yards per game coming into Week 3, and they ran it down both the Raiders and Panthers throats in first two weeks. Well, the Steelers defense is not Las Vegas or Carolina. The Steelers completely shut down the Chargers running game, and once Justin Herbert, who moved the ball through the air in the first half, left the game it was lights out for the Los Angeles offense. Kudos to Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, and the entire defensive front for doing their jobs and dominating this game.

Running Game
Stat Line: 31 carries, 114 yards, 3.7 ave., 1 TD, 21 long

The overall numbers weren’t great, and if we’re being honest the first three quarters weren’t great. The Chargers sold out to stop the run, but in the 4th quarter the Steelers offense decided to just beat the Chargers into oblivion. The best part of the game was when the Steelers had the ball with just over six minutes left in the game, and they never gave it back. But it’s how they moved the ball. The entire stadium, including the Chargers, knew the Steelers were going to run it…and they ran it anyways. Love to see it.

Secondary Contributors
Stat Line: 

Pat Freiermuth: 4 catches, 33 yards, 5 targets
Scotty Miller:  2 catches 31 yards, 2 targets
Cordarrelle Patterson: 4 carries, 33 yards / 3 catches, 15 yards, 5 targets

Starting this offseason when the Steelers were engaged in potential trade talks with other teams to acquire a wide receiver, everyone saw it as a huge knock on the team’s depth chart for receivers not named George Pickens. It was just one week, but you saw plenty of contributors not named Pickens, and I didn’t include Calvin Austin III in this category because he earned his own category on this list. It was good to see the ball getting spread around to multiple receivers and the team moving the ball in that way.

Cam Heyward
Stat Line: 4 total tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 2 TFL, 1 QB Hit

During the game Jim Nantz said he was talking with Teryl Austin about Cam Heyward. Austin went on to say if you are just talking about stopping the run, Heyward could play until he was 50. If I’m being honest, I believe him. Heyward was destined to prove he was healthy and should get a new contract during training camp and the preseason. He did so, and got his new deal, now he’s destined to prove the haters he is worthy of that money. So far, so good. Captain Cam remains a beast up front.

Inside Linebackers
Stat Line:

Patrick Queen: 8 tackles, 4 solo, 1 PD
Elandon Roberts: 4 tackles, 3 solo, 1 sack, 1 TFL, 1 QB Hit
Payton Wilson: 2 tackles, 1 solo

This was a game which many would consider a double chin strap game. A game where you knew the lighter sub packages would be spending more time on the sideline than on the field. Earlier this week Cam Heyward said the dime package wouldn’t be used much, but that bigger bodies would prevail. Well, those inside linebackers absolutely had a huge part in the Steelers’ success against the run, and the trio of inside linebackers the Steelers have are not just versatile, but dynamic. Love to see that position revitalized.

3rd Down Offense
Stat Line: 7-for-14

I know Dave Schofield will say something about my lofty goal of 50% on 3rd downs, but I don’t care. It’s my standard, not the league’s standard, and the offense hit the mark this week.

3rd Down Defense
Stat Line: LAC – 3-for-11

The Steelers offense did their jobs on third downs, and so did the defense. Holding the Chargers to just 3 conversions on 11 attempts is astounding, especially when you consider how they operate. The Chargers’ running game was nullified, and it allowed the Steelers defense to do their thing when it mattered most to get off the field.

Losers 

Injuries
Stat Line: More injuries coming

Alex Highsmith (groin), Cory Trice (hamstring), Van Jefferson (eye), and Jaylen Warren (hamstring) were all listed by Mike Tomlin after the game. The severity of these injuries is unknown at this time, but the growing names on the Steelers’ injury list is a cause for concern at many positions.

Costly Drops
Stat Line: GP and MUTH

The Steelers offense moved the ball well, but they also had some key third down drops by two players who are considered the team’s best receivers. The offensive numbers were great, but could have been even better if both George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth haul in those two passes which were dropped.

Pre-Snap Penalties 
Stat Line: 3-for-15 yards

The quantity of penalties was reduced significantly, but the type of penalties continued to be frustrating. Pre-snap, or formational, penalties are things which need to get ironed out, and ironed out quickly. When you have those type of penalties negate positive plays it can set a team back in more ways than one.

Turnover Battle
Stat Line: -1 for the first time

For the first time this season the Steeles did not come out on top with the turnover battle. While it’s nice to win when you don’t get extra possessions, it is probably something they shouldn’t get in the habit of doing.

If you want a more detailed look at the above list, check out my “Let’s Ride” podcast in the player below where I outline each Winner and Loser, and MORE!