Justin Fields had pulled off the near-comeback.
He had recovered from his own fumble to score touchdowns on three straight dives, with the Pittsburgh Steelers getting the ball three downs with 2:39 to play.
Could they at least tie the game, if not take a lead against an Indianapolis Colts squad behind the starting quarterback?
Fields scrambled for 12 yards to jump-start the drive before finding receiver Van Jefferson taking off for what would become a nine-yard gain. But a favorable second-and-1 would quickly become costly. Because after Fields kicked his leg to signal to his center that he was ready for the attack, he saw Colt’s defensive backs turning and wanted to take one last look at the coverage he would eventually throw to.
Steelers center Zach Frazier didn’t know that, so he snapped a ball that would hit Fields in the facemask and come loose before Fields rushed to secure it. This wouldn’t be an official turnover for Pittsburgh, but the 22 yards to gain were too much to overcome.
Two incompletions later and an 11-yard gain in which running back Najee Harris later stayed in bounds, the Colts had secured a 27-24 victory.
And the Steelers had suffered their first loss of the season, though their 3-1 record was still enough to stay atop the AFC North.
“I was just trying to get that last shot before the shot came,” Fields said. “After I kicked my leg, I had to be ready for the ball no matter what.”
Fields shrugged, “It’s up to me.”
The Steelers’ offensive day was a tale of two games, with Fields and his teammates spending much of the second half ultimately unable to overcome their defense’s worst performance yet.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of celebrating how his team rallied from repeated 14-point deficits to lose by three.
Nearly winning the game isn’t enough, Tomlin said, with the Steelers spending so much time losing it. Fields was not immune to that criticism.
“I appreciate the fight, but I don’t congratulate them on it; that’s the business we’re in,” Tomlin said. “I appreciate his fight. But he and we were a little sloppy sometimes. Too sloppy to comfortably secure this victory.”
Justin Fields and Co. turned it on too late like Joe Flacco Steelers D
Fields echoed his head coach’s sentiment.
He went into the final stage with confidence, but knew his team ultimately lost because of more than just a botched break. If anything, the quick miscue reflected why his team lost.
“We knew all day that they weren’t going to stop us; we were just holding ourselves back,” Fields said. “It’s quite strange that we also held ourselves back during the last stage.
“We knew we were shooting ourselves in the foot.”
When Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor anchored an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, the Steelers responded with a punt.
When Joe Flacco replaced Richardson after a hip injury on the second drive (post-game reports suggested Richardson could play next week), he found receiver Josh Downs for a four-yard touchdown two plays after being put in.
The Steelers responded with turnovers on downs after failing to convert a fourth-and-1.
Pittsburgh would be lucky in ways beyond facing the Colts’ second-string quarterback (which may or may not be lucky, depending on who you ask). The Colts scored only a field goal after their turnover on downs, punted after George Pickens fumbled in the red zone, and later stalled and missed a 54-yard field goal attempt when Fields fumbled after tripping while trying to extend a play.
But the Steelers needed Fields and the offense to lift them on a day when the defense struggled to adjust to a game plan constructed to defend Richardson instead of Flacco.
The Steelers gave up 24 points after averaging fewer than nine through their first three games, allowing the Colts to convert 53.3% of third down attempts after averaging a league-high 21.9% through the first three to soften.
Tomlin wasn’t comfortable putting more pressure on Flacco if it meant sacrificing help on the back end for a quarterback he called “the much more skilled passer than Richardson.”
Mike Tomlin after Steelers’ loss to Colts: “Flacco is the much more skilled passer than Richardson, so blitzing doesn’t really help you. An experienced guy. Makes quick and sensible decisions. I didn’t feel good. And obviously we have experience competing against Joe Flacco.”
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 29, 2024
The idea that a second-string quarterback could be the most skilled passer should come as no surprise from Pittsburgh, which will have to make a decision once Russell Wilson has sufficiently recovered from a serious calf injury.
Wilson arrived this offseason with a resume of 334 touchdowns, including nine Pro Bowl berths and a Super Bowl victory. His 100.0 passer rating in that stretch surpassed Fields’ 83.2, with the Steelers now determining how their current scheme and personnel fit with each quarterback at an advanced stage in their careers.
The Steelers’ loss to the Colts was a reminder of how Fields’ offense has stalled and made a mistake at times, but also how his dual-threat skills can create a rare rhythm.
“I thought the most important part of the outcome of the game was obviously the flow of the game and the self-inflicted wounds that we had,” Tomlin said. “We felt comfortable with our ability to get back into the game. First, we had to stop kicking our asses.”
What does Fields’ near-comeback mean for his future as a Steelers starter?
What does it look like when the Steelers’ offense stops turning the ball over and finds a rhythm?
After putting up three points in their first seven drives, Pittsburgh ironically settled immediately after Fields’ fumble in the third quarter.
Fields had 233 of his 367 total yards in the second half, including all three of his touchdowns. The offense seemed to hit another gear during this stretch, a rhythm that the quarterback attributed in part to a schematic decision to pass more first because of the way the Colts defended against the run.
Fields moved the ball well downfield with deep passes to Pickens, moved left from the pocket and fired 38 yards on the first touchdown drive as the pair took advantage of Pickens’ outside influence.
His arm started the progress, his legs finished it. Scrambles for six and then five yards completed the Steelers’ first scoring drive.
The next drive went the same way, with Fields completing passes to three different teammates, including a screen pass that running back Najee Harris took from behind the line of scrimmage 32 yards out. Fields also was assessed a penalty for roughing the passer.
After Fields missed Pickens low, he scrambled to his left, held the ball in front of him for a moment as if to fake a pass, then scored the touchdown himself.
And on the third drive, Fields passed most effectively, finding Pickens for 37 yards and Jefferson for 12 before finally dropping back and nailing a pass downfield to end Pat Freiermuth tight enough near the end zone for Freiermuth to strengthen and back could fall for a touchdown. .
The three-point deficit in the final three minutes was tempting but ultimately unfulfilled.
During his post-match media conference, Fields preached ball security and quicker starts, while describing the solutions as a matter of execution rather than skill.
“What we did in the second half is what we should have done in the beginning,” Fields said. “It’s not a mystery. It’s not mystical.”
As the Steelers continue to navigate their quarterback depth chart, they will look at a game in which Fields set several single-season records for productivity and efficiency, but the team suffered its first loss.
Fields’ 312 passing yards surpassed his previous record of 245, while his three total touchdowns surpassed his previous mark of two. His passer rating of 104.0 was his best by 6.7 points, and Fields avoided an interception for the third time in four games, though he did lose a fumble in addition to the botched snap he recovered.
Tomlin did not address Fields’ play in the context of Wilson’s roster spot, limiting his comments about Fields to praise for his fight and concerns about the “sloppy” turnovers.
For his part, Fields spoke as if he would start again next week when the Steelers host the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.
“I have to be better,” Fields said. “We have to get better as a whole. I have to come back next week and bounce back.
