Justin Fields had engineered the near-comeback.
He’d rebounded from his personal fumble to attain touchdowns on three straight drives, the Pittsburgh Steelers getting the ball down three with 2:39 to play.
May they a minimum of tie the sport, if not take a lead towards an Indianapolis Colts squad down its beginning quarterback?
Fields scrambled 12 yards to jumpstart the drive earlier than discovering receiver Van Jefferson for what would grow to be a 9-yard achieve. However a good second-and-1 would quickly flip expensive. As a result of after Fields kicked his leg to sign to his middle that he was prepared for the snap, he noticed Colts defensive backs rotating and needed one final look on the protection he’d in the end be throwing towards.
Steelers middle Zach Frazier didn’t know that, so he snapped a ball that may hit Fields within the facemask and are available free earlier than Fields hurried to safe it. This wouldn’t grow to be an official turnover for Pittsburgh, however the 22 yards to realize to maneuver the chains had been an excessive amount of to beat.
Two incompletions later and an 11-yard achieve during which working again Najee Harris stayed in bounds later, the Colts had secured a 27-24 win.
And the Steelers had suffered their first lack of the season, although their 3-1 report was nonetheless enough to remain atop the AFC North.
“I used to be simply attempting to get that last image earlier than the snap got here,” Fields mentioned. “After I kick my leg, I acquired to be prepared for the ball it doesn’t matter what.”
Fields shrugged: “It’s on me.”
The Steelers’ offensive day was a story of two sport intervals, Fields and his teammates flashing by way of a lot of the second half however in the end unable to beat their protection’s worst efficiency but.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stopped in need of celebrating how his workforce rebounded from repeated 14-point deficits to lose by three.
Almost successful the sport isn’t sufficient, Tomlin mentioned, when the Steelers spent a lot time dropping it. Fields wasn’t immune from that criticism.
“I’m appreciative of the battle however I’m not congratulating them for it — that’s the enterprise that we’re in,” Tomlin mentioned. “I recognize his battle. However he and we had been a bit sloppy at occasions. Too sloppy to comfortably safe this victory.”
Justin Fields and Co. turned it on too late as Joe Flacco confounded Steelers
Fields echoed his head coach’s sentiment.
He was assured coming into the ultimate drive however knew his workforce in the end misplaced due to greater than only a botched snap. If something, the snap miscue mirrored why his workforce misplaced.
“We knew the entire day they weren’t stopping us; we had been simply stopping ourselves,” Fields mentioned. “It’s form of loopy we stopped ourselves within the final drive too.
“We knew we had been taking pictures ourselves within the foot.”
When Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor anchored an eight-play, 70-yard landing drive within the first quarter, the Steelers responded with a punt.
When Joe Flacco changed Richardson after a hip damage on the second drive (studies after the sport steered Richardson might play subsequent week), Flacco discovered receiver Josh Downs for a 4-yard landing two performs after approaching.
The Steelers responded with a turnover on downs after failing to transform a fourth-and-1.
Pittsburgh would luck out in methods past going through the Colts’ second-string quarterback (which can or will not be fortunate, relying whom you ask). The Colts managed only a area purpose after their turnover on downs, punted after George Pickens fumbled within the purple zone, and later stalled and missed a 54-yard field-goal try when Fields fumbled after tripping as he tried to increase a play.
However the Steelers wanted Fields and the offense to elevate them on a day when the protection struggled to regulate from a sport plan curated to defend Richardson relatively than Flacco.
The Steelers surrendered 24 factors after yielding lower than 9 on common by way of their first three video games, permitting the Colts to transform 53.3% of third-down makes an attempt after averaging a league-best 21.9% allowed by way of the primary three weeks.
Tomlin didn’t really feel comfy pressuring Flacco extra if it meant sacrificing assistance on the again finish for a quarterback whom he known as “the rather more proficient passer than Richardson.”
The notion {that a} second-string quarterback may very well be the more adept passer shouldn’t be a shock coming from Pittsburgh, which could have a choice to make as soon as Russell Wilson recovers sufficiently from an aggravated calf damage.
Wilson arrived this offseason with a 334-touchdown résumé that features 9 Professional Bowl berths and a Tremendous Bowl victory. His 100.0 passer score in that stretch bested Fields’ 83.2, the Steelers now figuring out how their present scheme and personnel match with every quarterback at completely different levels of their careers.
The Steelers’ loss to the Colts was a reminder of how the offense has stalled and erred at occasions with Fields but in addition how his dual-threat skills can create a uncommon rhythm.
“I believed the numerous part of the result of the sport is clearly the turnover sport and the self-inflicted wounds we had,” Tomlin mentioned. “We felt comfy with our potential to get again within the sport. First, we needed to cease kicking our butt.”
What does Fields’ near-comeback imply for his future as Steelers starter?
What does it appear to be when the Steelers’ offense stops turning the ball over and finds a rhythm?
After managing three factors of their first seven drives, Pittsburgh satirically settled in instantly after Fields’ third-quarter fumble.
Fields had 233 of his 367 complete yards within the second half, together with all three of his touchdowns. The offense appeared to succeed in one other gear throughout this stretch, a rhythm the quarterback attributed partly to a schematic resolution to go extra on first down as a result of how the Colts had been defending towards the run.
Fields moved the ball downfield effectively with deep passes to Pickens, climbing left from the pocket and firing 38 yards on the primary landing drive because the pair capitalized on Pickens’ outdoors leverage.
His arm started the progress, his legs ending it. Scrambles for six after which 5 yards accomplished the Steelers’ first scoring drive.
The following drive unfolded equally, Fields finishing passes to 3 completely different teammates, together with a display screen go that working again Najee Harris taken from behind the road of scrimmage to 32 yards forward of it. Fields additionally drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.
After Fields missed Pickens low, he scrambled left, holding the ball out briefly as if to faux a go after which taking the landing himself.
And on the third drive, Fields handed most successfully, discovering Pickens for 37 yards and Jefferson for 12 earlier than in the end dropping again and nailing an upfield go to tight finish Pat Freiermuth shut sufficient to the top zone for Freiermuth to muscle and fall backward for a landing.
The three-point deficit within the last three minutes was tantalizing however in the end unfulfilled.
In his postgame media convention, Fields preached ball safety and sooner begins as he described the fixes as issues of execution relatively than potential.
“What we had been doing within the second half we must always have completed initially,” Fields mentioned. “It’s no thriller. It’s not mystical.”
Because the Steelers proceed to navigate their quarterback depth chart, they’ll have a look at a sport during which Fields posted a number of season-bests in productiveness and effectivity however the workforce took its first loss.
Fields’ 312 passing yards topped his earlier better of 245, his three complete touchdowns edging out his earlier excessive mark of two. His 104.0 passer score was his finest by 6.7 factors, and Fields averted an interception for the third time in 4 video games, although he did lose a fumble along with the botched snap he recovered.
Tomlin didn’t handle Fields’ play within the context of Wilson’s roster spot, holding his remarks on Fields to reward for his battle and concern concerning the “sloppy” turnovers.
Fields, for his half, spoke as if he can be again to begin subsequent week when the Steelers host the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night time Soccer.
“I’ve to be higher,” Fields mentioned. “We’ve to be higher as a complete. Received to return again subsequent week and bounce again.
