Take heart, Joey Bosa. Everyone finds out sooner or later that the Steelers are the toughest team in the NFL, regardless of who starts at quarterback or opposite of T.J. Watt on defense.
Tough and, judging from the personnel Pittsburgh used in a 20-10 win over the Chargers, deep. Head coach Mike Tomlin said Pittsburgh’s winning recipe included two primary ingredients: Defense and the ground game.
“We knew we were in for a fight,” said Tomlin, whose team improved to 3-0 for the fourth time in his tenure. “They’re assembled like we’re assembled, so we knew it was going to be a great game. They’re playing great defense. We’re playing great defense. We had to challenge our defense to out-perform theirs. I thought they did.”
That’s an understatement, considering Pittsburgh allowed just one first down and a combined minus-5 total yards over four second-half Chargers drives. The Chargers were without starting quarterback Justin Herbert and tackle Rashawn Slater for much of the game, but the Steelers have played short-handed all season.
On Sunday, they were short-handed when edge rusher Alex Highsmith exited with a groin injury late in the first half and didn’t return. Enter Nick Herbig, whose second-half performance generated so many postgame questions that Watt had to shut them down.
Herbig’s two sacks and forced fumble aside, Pittsburgh also suffocated J.K. Dobbins (44 rushing yards). Then, when they got the ball back, the Steelers used Cordarrelle Patterson and their offensive line to finish off the Chargers.
“We had a commitment to the run game,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, they came in with the league’s leading rusher and the No. 1 rushing offense. Our offense had to out-rush theirs, and we did, and that’s why the game unfolded the way it did.”
The Steelers’ final drive unfolded with a commitment to Patterson, who had 33 yards on four carries during that possession.
Meanwhile, Fields is 3-0 and improving each week with big plays in and out of the boxscore. Fields, who actually has won seven of his last nine NFL starts, has a 73.3 completion percentage and 95.3 passer rating this season for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have already opened a two-game lead in the AFC North and their next three opponents – at Indianapolis, home against Dallas and at Las Vegas – are a combined 3-6.