Though Justin Fields had slowly been building up steam to remain the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback, his 55-yard touchdown over the middle to Calvin Austin III may have cemented his job. The biggest play of the season and, frankly, arguably of Fields’ NFL career given the gravity of what a win Sunday meant, Fields zipped a throw over the middle to Austin in the fourth quarter. Perfectly placed, Austin did the rest, turning on the jets and outrunning the Chargers’ defense for the score.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Fields discussed what he saw.
“Huge play,” Fields said via the team website. “They were just in the zone, quarters. And you’re really high-lowing that hook defender. The hook defender took [George Pickens] underneath and Calvin was right behind him. Great play call in that situation.”
Nursing a 13-10 lead following a Chargers punt, the score was a dagger. A firework in a game that was rough and tumble and largely centered on a battle in the trenches. A zone-heavy team, you can see the underneath defender to the right side settle on Pickens, unsure of how the routes were breaking. While he did pass him off to the outside defender once Pickens broke away, Austin ran behind and Fields put the ball on him.
A strong read and completion with a lot of YAC. That’s how you draw it up.
“Appreciate the YAC, the yards after the catch that Calvin got us, and of course it was a huge play for us,” Fields said.
It was a big game for him on a day where the running game didn’t come alive until late. Fields finished the game 25-of-32 for 245 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Overall, he was still efficient and while he took the blame for his first interception of the season, it came off a wacky bounce that fell into Bud Dupree’s hands. Fields processed well, took what was there, and when the Chargers left an opening to seal the game, he found it.
