In this week’s “3 & Out” column, we look at why Justin Fields should be QB1 in Pittsburgh as well as how the Steelers dominated the second half to defeat the Chargers 20-10 and move to 3-0 on the season.

QB1.

In last week’s column, I wrote a similar heading that had a question mark at the end: “QB1?”

That was because Fields had played well through two weeks, but not well enough to put all questions about whether Russell Wilson would supplant him when he returned from injury to bed. After Sunday’s performance against the Chargers, it’s time to remove the question mark and put something more definitive in its place.

Maybe Fields isn’t exclamation mark-worthy — Pittsburgh is averaging just 17 points a game for the season, and Fields has accounted for only three touchdowns — but he’s absolutely done enough to be the team’s starter regardless of Wilson’s status. The Steelers are 3-0, Fields has a 69.8 completion percentage and he’s turned the ball over just once. Most importantly, he has improved in every start this season, meaning he’s getting better with reps.

It’s time. Just do it.

QB1.

Against Los Angeles, Fields turned in one of his best games as a professional. He was efficient, completing 25 of 32 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for a touchdown on a nice read-option play where he pulled the football and escaped to the edge:

Justin Fields scores his first rushing TD with the @Steelers!

📺: #LACvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/mHjDNMx55Y

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

His touchdown throw to Calvin Austin III came midway through the 4th quarter with the Steelers leading 13-10. Fields dropped, let Austin clear the linebackers and then ripped a laser that reached Austin before safety Alohi Gilman could arrive. Gilman gambled and tried to undercut the throw but the ball beat him to Austin, leaving a path to the goal line once the wide receiver tucked it away:

JUSTIN FIELDS TO CALVIN AUSTIN III. 55-YARD TD.

📺: #LACvsPIT on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/IyvXrXm1pU

— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024

That throw, and several others like it, highlighted a day where Fields was accurate and decisive. The fact the Steelers provided him sound protection in the pocket for most of the afternoon was a big factor in Fields’s comfort level. In Chicago, where Fields struggled mightily with throws like the one he made to Austin, the Bears often emptied the backfield and used five-man protections, forcing Fields to make quick reads in the face of pressure. That didn’t work out too well. Arthur Smith, meanwhile, has provided Fields more six and even seven-man protections that have allowed him to set his feet without constant clutter in his face. The difference has been significant.

Fields did make one poor decision on Sunday, forcing a throw to Cordarrelle Patterson into a tight window on 1st-and-10 from the Los Angeles 41-yard line in a 10-10 game. That could have spelled doom for a Pittsburgh offense that hasn’t had many scoring opportunities. But the defense held strong and Fields promptly led Pittsburgh on a long field goal drive to claim the lead, then followed that with the touchdown strike to Austin on the ensuing possession. It feels as though we are watching the light bulb go on for a young quarterback whom many believed would never see the light at the position. The structure Smith has provided him, combined with the pressure Pittsburgh’s defense has alleviated on Fields by holding opponents to just 26 total points on the season, has been a great recipe for Fields’s development. I don’t know if he can keep it going for an entire season. But I do know he’s earned the right to try.

It’s time to remove the question mark. Justin Fields is QB1 — period.

Playing defense with the offense

Through the first two weeks of the season, the Pittsburgh defense had been outstanding. They’d allowed just 16 total points, an average of 260 yards per game and had held opposing offenses to four third-down conversions on 21 attempts. If anything, it was the Pittsburgh offense that had needed help from the defense.

The offense flipped the script on Sunday. It wasn’t as though the defense played poorly versus the Chargers. To the contrary, they stifled L.A.’s rushing attack, limited Justin Herbert to one touchdown drive, harassed him constantly when he dropped back to pass and ultimately knocked him out of the game. Pittsburgh gave up a season-low 168 total yards, was again brilliant on third down, holding L.A. to 3-11, and amassed five sacks. It was a lights-out defensive effort for a unit beginning to make such things a habit.

They got a big assist from the offense, however. Fields and Company put up a season-high 20 points — decent, but nothing earth shattering — but more importantly they held the football, keeping Herbert on the sideline. Pittsburgh had a time of possession advantage of almost eight minutes and ran 65 plays to just 45 for the Chargers. Three of Pittsburgh’s first four drives went three-and-out, but after that they were stingy with the football. Their final five drives, minus the Fields interception on the first play of a third quarter possession, lasted six, twelve, twelve, five and ten plays. The five-play drive produced a touchdown. The two twelve-play drives produced field goals. And the ten-play drive ran the final 4:59 off of the game clock and ended with the Steelers taking a knee at the Los Angeles 1-yard line. The offense matched the defense in third-down proficiency, converting 3rd-and-14, 3rd-and-10 and 3rd-and-8 situations to keep drives going. Pittsburgh possessed the football for almost 23 of the 30 minutes in the second half, outgaining L.A. 235 to minus-5 and outscoring them 13-0. They ended the game by putting six offensive linemen on the field and pounding the ball down L.A’s throat as the Chargers tapped out. It was a satisfying close to a particularly Pittsburgh kind of win.

The defense is still the heart and soul of this team, but when the offense plays like it did on Sunday — controlling the clock, limiting self-inflicted wounds and breaking the opponent’s will — the Steelers are tough to beat.

The least attractive job in America…

Midway through the fourth quarter, after Herbert had exited with his injury, and the Steelers had treated backup Taylor Heinicke like a pinata at an eight year-old’s birthday party, I sent this tweet from my @KTSmithFFSN account:

Taylor Heinicke may have the least attractive job in America right now.

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) September 22, 2024

Imagine what it must be like to come into a game as the backup quarterback when the Steelers are leading and everyone in the stadium knows you have to throw the football. That’s not a job too many people would sign up for. Heinicke was on the field for 11 plays. He handed the ball off six times and dropped back to throw the other five. On his five drop-backs, Heinicke completed two quick throws and was sacked three times. To say the Steelers pinned their ears back and came after him would be an understatement. It looked like they were having a contest to see who could get to Heinicke the fastest. T.J. Watt got there first. Then it was Nick Herbig’s turn. Then it was Cam Heyward. The Chargers just couldn’t keep Pittsburgh out of Heinicke’s lap.

Herbert fared better, but not by much. He was sacked twice, with the second one, courtesy of Heyward and Elandon Roberts, knocking him from the game. Los Angeles took a risk — perhaps a reckless one — by playing Herbert despite the fact he was still hobbled by a high ankle sprain. The Steelers made them pay for that decision in a painful way.

Pittsburgh’s pass rush, and their defensive intensity in general, has made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks this season. In Week 1, veteran Kirk Cousins went just 16-26 for 155 yards and two interceptions against the Steelers. In Week 2, Denver’s Bo Nix — a rookie making his second career start — completed 20-35 throws with two interceptions. The Herbert/Heinicke duo went 14-20 but for just 107 yards. Pittsburgh is always tough to run on, and this year is no exception. But the intensity of their pass rush and the complexity of their coverages is making them difficult to throw on as well. Until someone figures out how to solve them, playing quarterback against the Steelers may indeed be one of the least attractive jobs in America.

And Out…

I’ve been beating the drum for the Steelers to acquire a veteran receiver to add depth to what appears to be a thin position group. Coming into the Los Angeles game, all receivers not named George Pickens had just five receptions for a measly 28 yards. But the receivers broke out on Sunday, catching 11-183 and a touchdown. Pickens was solid, Austin had his best day as a pro and Scotty Miller chipped in with a couple of clutch receptions. I still don’t think this group is good enough — perhaps rookie Roman Wilson will change that perception when he enters the lineup — but for one week at least, their contributions were impactful.

Follow me on Twitter @KTSmithFFSN and @CoachsCallSheet and check out my YouTube breakdowns on the Steelers every Wednesday on the SCN YouTube channel.