The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of three teams with only one giveaway so far, a Justin Fields interception. While he has done a good job protecting the ball so far this year, he hasn’t let that one go. He mentioned that speaking with reporters on Thursday, knowing what his primary responsibility is and how it happened.
“The number one goal is no turnovers, so I’m still sick that we had one”, Fields said, via the Steelers’ website. “Especially in that situation right there. I could see if it’s end of half, trying to make a play happen, but that situation, first down, you already have a field goal pretty much and make that dumb mistake”.
Having just tied the game at 10-10, the Steelers forced a quick three-and-out. Thanks to a bad punt and penalty, Fields and his offense took over at the Chargers’ 41. From that range, they were already poised to try to take the lead, thanks to K Chris Boswell.
That’s part of the reason Fields is still downing himself, but he also knows it was the wrong decision. He tried to force the ball, something he had done a good job of avoiding, allowing defenders to attack it. Hands on ball, ball in the air, and then it’s a free-for-all. Bud Dupree came down with it, but he hasn’t been with the Steelers for years, so they awarded the Chargers possession on that technicality.
“Still kind of hard on myself about that, but that’s our biggest emphasis on offense is to take care of the ball and don’t let the defense create any turnovers”, Fields reiterated. Pro Football Focus did not charge him with a turnover-worthy play on that throw, for what it’s worth. It is the second time in as many weeks a defender had a hand on the ball, though.
Whether it was Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, protecting the ball was always going to be job one for the Steelers’ offense, just based on how the roster is built. If this is a high-powered offense, they’re going to have to prove it before they take the reins off. The last thing they want to do is waste a great defense with the offense putting them in losing situations.
Through three games, Fields ranks 11th in the league in interception percentage with one on 75 pass attempts. He is one of 12 qualifying quarterbacks with only one interception or fewer, 19 having multiple. Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Josh Allen, and Jacoby Brissett are the only ones without a pick.
Of course, Justin Fields and the offense—and the defense—overcame that mistake. The defense in particular, holding the Chargers to minus-five yards in the second half. And the offense added 10 points for a two-possession win, Fields capping it with a 55-yard touchdown pass. But he knows they are still working on a slim margin and can’t afford to give away quality possessions.
