In a twist of irony, Justin Fields’ first loss as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback came on a day where he made franchise history.
When the dust settled the Colts’ 27-24 win over the SteelersFields made history by becoming the first player in franchise history to record 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN. All told, Fields threw for 312 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 34 passes. He rushed for 55 yards on 10 carries that included two runs that ended in the Colts’ end zone.
Before Fields, Kordell Stewart was the player who came closest to fulfilling that fear. Stewart, the first player in NFL record for throwing for 20 touchdowns and running for at least 10 more in the same season, threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 49 yards and two scores in Pittsburgh’s win over the final Super Bowl champion Broncos in Week 15 of the 1997 season.
Fields’ record-setting day didn’t result in a win, but it showed what he and the Steelers offense are capable of after yet another slow start. Trailing 17-3 at halftime, Fields and Co. scored touchdowns on three straight drives in the second half.
Unfortunately for Fields and the Steelers, the explosion of the offense was not enough, as the Colts offense (led by Joe Flacco, who replaced Anthony Richardson in the first quarter when Richardson left the game with an injury) did enough in the second half to hold on for the win.
In the end, the Steelers didn’t execute enough while denying many of the good things the offense did in the second half. Fumbles by Fields and George Pickens, in particular, threatened big in Pittsburgh’s first loss of the season. The defense also played a big role in the loss. The unit struggled for the run and was unable to pressure Flacco for most of the game. It also missed an opportunity to come up with a momentum-changing turnover when cornerback Joey Porter Jr. was unable to contain Flacco’s pass in the end zone during the second quarter.
“I appreciate his fight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Fields’ performance later, “but he and we were a little sloppy at times, too lazy, to comfortably secure victory.”
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