It's going to be hard to take Justin Fields out of the lineup now. Facing the tough Chargers defense, Fields rushed and threw for scores while leading the Steelers to a 20-10 win. Pittsburgh is now 3-0 for the first time since 2020, while the Chargers fell to 2-1.
Fields completed his first 10 throws and tied the score with his short touchdown run early in the second quarter. Ahead 13-10, Fields' 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III midway through the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.
Fields finished the game with 245 yards on 25 of 32 passing. He's 3-0 as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback while playing in relief of injured teammate Russell Wilson.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert tried to play through a high-ankle sprain. He played brilliantly in the first half, completing his first 10 throws and giving the visitors an early lead with his 27-yard touchdown pass to Quentin Johnston. Herbert then led the Chargers on another scoring drive as the Chargers took a 10-7 halftime lead.
But Herbert and the Chargers' offense were stymied in the second half as Pittsburgh's pass rushers started to get home. Herbert left the game for good after he was sacked by Elandon Roberts with 7:09 left in the third quarter. His replacement, Taylor Heinicke, was unable to stem the tide as he also fell victim to Pittsburgh's unrelenting pass rush, led by Nick Herbig, who led the Steelers with two sacks.
Here's a full breakdown of what went down in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh started slow on both sides of the ball, but the offense got it together just in the nick of time. It tied the score on a 13-play, 70-yard drive shortly after the Chargers got on the board for the first time.
Defensively, the Steelers didn't allow J.K. Dobbins to run wild. They also didn't allow any big plays sans Johnston's touchdown catch. Once the pass rush started getting to Herbert, the Chargers' offense wilted like a pine tree in the summer heat. Los Angeles actually had negative yards in the second half as Herbert/Heinicke were sacked a combined five times over that span. The Steelers' re-vamped secondary contributed to those sacks by not allowing the Chargers' the wideouts to get open.
Pittsburgh's offense fed off its defense by controlling the ball and giving them ample time to rest. Fields and the Steelers' offense was money on third down, going 7 of 14 that included his touchdown run in the first quarter. The Steelers' pass-catchers were a big reason for that success, as Austin, Pat Freiermuth, and Scotty Miller made several big plays throughout the game.
The Steelers never abandoned their ground game despite gaining just 14 yards on nine carries in the first half. Pittsburgh was rewarded for its patience in the second half as Najee Harris eventually wore down the Chargers' defense, which played most of the game without pass rusher Joey Bosa, who left the game with an injury.
Really, though, a large portion of the Steelers' success can be attributed to the quarterback, who had his best game to date. Fields was decisive, spread the ball around and took chances that often went in his favor, such as his game-clinching touchdown pass to Austin.
Losing Bosa hurt, and when Herbert left the game, the Chargers' chances to win basically left with him. But the Chargers were already going south prior to Herbert's departure, largely due to their inability to get off the field on defense and the offense's inability to do basically anything.
The Chargers' offense in the second half could be summed up on their final four plays with Herbert on the field. On those plays, Herbert was sacked twice, threw two incompletions and Dobbins was only able to pick up a yard on a running play. The Chargers ultimately lost the battle in the trenches.
After being the aggressors in the first quarter, it looked as if the Chargers lost their steam as the game wore on. Part of it could have been the heat as well as the fact that Los Angeles has been on the road since leaving for Charlotte prior to last Sunday's win in Carolina. The Steelers, too, also obviously played a role in the Chargers' losing their mojo.
Penalties also played a role in Sunday's outcome, too. The Chargers' defense was flagged three times for 40 yards on Pittsburgh's go-ahead drive midway through the second half. The biggest of those penalties was Asante Samuel Jr.'s holding call on a third down that wiped out Tuli Tuipulotu's sack of Fields.
As noted earlier, the game's momentum had already swung prior to Herbert's departure. But there's no denying that his exit was the turning point. Pittsburgh embarked on its lengthy, go-ahead drive on its first drive following Herbert's exit. Conversely, the Chargers' offense picked up just one first down during their two full drives with Heinicke under center.
There's no question that Fields' touchdown pass to Austin was the play of the game. Fields had Freiermuth open on a short, safe pass, but instead of going there, Fields threaded the needle to Austin, the Steelers' fastest player who outran the entire Chargers' defense.
Pittsburgh will travel next Sunday to face the Colts, who picked up their first win of the year Sunday with a 21-16 victory over the visiting Bears. Los Angeles will begin preparations to host division rival Kansas City next Sunday afternoon.
Steelers win the game and are 3-0 for the first time since 2020. The Chargers fall to 2-1 after having negative total yards in the second half. They couldn't overcome the losses of Herbert and Joey Bosa, who left the game for good in the first half.
Heinicke was sacked twice on the Chargers' last drive, and the Steelers are playing on the verge of a back-breaking TD. Najee Harris is rumbling as the Chargers' defense is wearing down. It actually looks like the Steelers are going to kneel and take the 20-10 win.
Fields threw a difficult yet accurate pass to speedster Calvin Austin III that Austin turned into a 55-yard score, extending Pittsburgh's lead to 20-10 with 7:02 left.
That was a money throw by Fields (who had another WR open on the play but went for the more difficult pass) and Austin did the rest for his second career TD. That's the second-longest TD pass of Fields' career.
Herbert is not coming back, which means that Taylor Heinicke is going to have to try to lead the Chargers to a come-from-behind win in Pittsburgh. Herbert left midway through the third quarter with the score tied.
Heinicke is an experienced backup with 30 career starts that includes a playoff game against the eventual champion Buccaneers back in 2020. He's a risk-taker who can make plays with his legs.
Three penalties totaling 40 yards by the Chargers' defense has contributed to the Steelers taking their first lead, 13-10, early in the first quarter. Two of those penalties were roughness penalties against Derwin James and Khalil Mack. The other was a holding call that negated a sack of Fields on third down.
Fields has been spreading the ball around and has been decisive. He's specifically had success with Freiermuth sans the TE's drop late in the first half.
Herbert left the game after handing the ball off to Dobbins with 7:09 left in the third quarter. Herbert wasn't hit on that play, but he was sacked one play earlier by Elandon Roberts. Cam Heyward fell on Herbert's ankle during the sack.
He's getting looked at on the sideline now. Looks like trainers might put more wrapping around Herbert's ankle.
The game's first turnover was recorded by former Steelers first-round pick Bud Dupree. Dupree plucked Fields' tipped pass out of the air to end Pittsburgh's second drive of the second half. The Steelers started the drive at the Chargers' 41-yard-line after Nick Bosa sacked Justin Herbert to end the Chargers' first drive of the half, forcing a punt deep in Chargers territory.
Scotty Miller's second big play of the game -- a 11-yard catch that also included a 15-yard face mask penalty -- set up Boswell's game-tying field goal. Fields is now 17 of 22 for 143 yards in what has been his best game to date for the Steelers. The last drive also included an impressive 25-yard completion from Fields to Calvin Austin III on a third-and-14 play.
Some injury updates: Steelers LB Alex Highsmith and Chargers Joey Bosa have been downgraded to OUT.
A dropped pass from Pat Freiermuth cost the Steelers a chance at a much more manageable FG try late in the first half. Instead, Chris Boswell missed a 62-yard attempt as the Chargers held their 10-7 lead at intermission.
A big stat in the first half was on the ground. The Steelers had just 14 yards on 9 carries compared to the Chargers' 48 yards on 14 carries. Dobbins was an efficient 39 yards on 11 carries, while Fields was the Steelers' leading rusher with 8 yards on 4 carries, Harris had 3 yards on 4 carries, and Warren had 1 carry for 3 yards.
L.A. responded to Pittsburgh's first score with its second scoring drive that ended with a short Cameron Dicker FG, as the Chargers have a 10-7 lead with 3:13 left until halftime.
Herbert and Fields started a combined 19 of 19 before Herbert's incompletion with 3:16 left in the first half. His consecutive completions of 17 yards to Johnston and 13 to Ladd McConkey set up the FG.
Fields' perfectly-executed RPO tied the score early in the second quarter. Fields was 8 of 8 passing on the drive despite Van Jefferson leaving early with an apparent injury. The drive's big play was Scotty Miller's 20-yard catch-and-run that saw him break a tackle in the backfield.
The Steelers, though, appear to be picking up momentum. They finally picked up their first two first downs of the game and were able to cross midfield for the first time as the first quarter drew to a close. Fields has looked overmatched at times, but he's nonetheless 6 of 6 passing but for just 17 yards.
Chargers defense has not given up a TD in 8 quarters.
Herbert hit Quentin Johnston on a beautiful TD pass as the Chargers have taken a 7-0 lead with 2:46 left in the first. Herbert froze Joey Porter Jr. which allowed Johnston to get open for the score. Johnston already has three TD's this year after having just two his entire rookie season.
The score was also set up by Dobbins' tough running. Dobbins had a run of 13 yards two plays prior to Herbert's TD. The Chargers are also doing a great job protecting their QB.
Pittsburgh had -5 yards on its first six plays. Speed was the biggest thing that stood out on first two drives. The Chargers' defense played must faster than the Steelers' offense. They're snuffing out Pittsburgh's plays before they have time to develop (Warren was drilled/dropped for a loss on a predictable screen pass) and Dan Moore Jr. and Najee Harris were beaten by Khalil Mack on his sack of Fields on Pittsburgh's last drive.
Meanwhile, Bosa returned to the field for that drive after getting his groin/thigh area evaluated by the medical staff.
J.K. Dobbins had three touches but for only 7 yards on first drive. For the Steelers, Fields gained just 2 yards on 2 carries as the Steelers also went three-and-out. Defense setting an early tone.
Speaking of defense, Joey Bosa jogged off the field after the game's first play. We'll provide an update as soon as we get one.
Chargers will get the ball first. And Justin Herbert will indeed start and will play with a high ankle sprain.
This game is going to come down to three keys: Justin Fields' success in the passing game, turnovers, and the Chargers' rushing attack. Whoever wins two of these keys will likely end up winning the game.
The Chargers can't allow Fields to get find his rhythm. But even if he does and the Steelers take an early lead, don't expect the Chargers to abandon the running game. Los Angeles plans on making Sunday's game a marathon, not a sprint.
With matchups this tight, the tiebreaker for me is usually the quarterback matchup. Even though Fields has played well, and even though Justin Herbert is physically compromised, I'm taking Herbert and the Chargers as Harbaugh gets his long-awaited win in Pittsburgh.
Score: Chargers 19-16
Baltimore's RB duo of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards have plenty of experience agains the Steelers dating back to their days with the Ravens. Dobbins ran for 120 yards and a TD on 15 carries in Baltimore's 2022 win in Pittsburgh. Edwards ran for a career-high 130 yards on 21 carries in Baltimore's 2019 home win against the Steelers.
A key matchup today is the Chargers' O-line vs. the Steelers' defensive front, specifically rookie OT Joe Alt against T.J. Watt
Pittsburgh only has four wideouts active today, which makes it clear that the Steelers want to employ three tight ends to help offset Joey Bosa/Khalil Mack's impact while pounding the ball with Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. Warren didn't get a ton of work the first two weeks as he was continuing to work his way back from a hamstring injury, but I expect that to change today.
Look for lots of play-action from Fields today. A big focus for Steelers is cleaning up the penalties that took away two big plays last week in Denver.
As you can see, Justin Herbert is active and is expected to start despite having a high-ankle sprain that was sustained last Sunday. Herbert's ankle has gotten better each day and he didn't appear to have any issues moving around during pregame warmups.
For a third straight game, Russell Wilson will serve as Pittsburgh's emergency No. 3 quarterback. Rookie WR Roman Wilson is inactive despite not having an injury designation this week. Broderick Jones is starting in place of Troy Fautanu after Fautanu sustained an injury during's practice on Friday that is expected to keep him sidelined for a while.
