Steelers were ‘too sloppy’ in first loss. But did they also unlock version of Justin Fields that will help them win?

Justin Fields had engineered the near-comeback.

He’d rebounded from his own fumble to score touchdowns on three straight drives, the Pittsburgh Steelers getting the ball down three with 2:39 to play.

Could they at least tie the game, if not take a lead against an Indianapolis Colts squad down its starting quarterback?

Fields scrambled 12 yards to jumpstart the drive before finding receiver Van Jefferson for what would become a 9-yard gain. But a favorable second-and-1 would soon turn costly. Because after Fields kicked his leg to signal to his center that he was ready for the snap, he saw Colts defensive backs rotating and wanted one last glance at the coverage he’d ultimately be throwing toward.

Steelers center Zach Frazier did not know that, so he snapped a ball that would hit Fields in the facemask and come loose before Fields hurried to secure it. This wouldn’t become an official turnover for Pittsburgh, but the 22 yards to gain to move the chains were too much to overcome.

Two incompletions later and an 11-yard gain in which running back Najee Harris stayed in bounds later, the Colts had secured a 27-24 win.

And the Steelers had suffered their first loss of the season, though their 3-1 record was still sufficient to stay atop the AFC North.

“I was just trying to get that final picture before the snap came,” Fields said. “After I kick my leg, I got to be ready for the ball no matter what.”

Fields shrugged: “It’s on me.”

The Steelers’ offensive day was a tale of two game periods, Fields and his teammates flashing through much of the second half but ultimately unable to overcome their defense’s worst performance yet.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of celebrating how his team rebounded from repeated 14-point deficits to lose by three.

Nearly winning the game isn’t enough, Tomlin said, when the Steelers spent so much time losing it. Fields wasn’t immune from that criticism.

“I’m appreciative of the fight but I’m not congratulating them for it — that’s the business that we’re in,” Tomlin said. “I appreciate his fight. But he and we were a bit sloppy at times. Too sloppy to comfortably secure this victory.”

Justin Fields and Co. turned it on too late as Joe Flacco confounded Steelers

Fields echoed his head coach’s sentiment.

He was confident entering the final drive but knew his team ultimately lost because of more than just a botched snap. If anything, the snap miscue reflected why his team lost.

“We knew the whole day they weren’t stopping us; we were just stopping ourselves,” Fields said. “It’s kind of crazy we stopped ourselves in the last drive too.

“We knew we were shooting ourselves in the foot.”

When Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor anchored an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, the Steelers responded with a punt.

When Joe Flacco replaced Richardson after a hip injury on the second drive (reports after the game suggested Richardson could play next week), Flacco found receiver Josh Downs for a 4-yard touchdown two plays after coming on.

The Steelers responded with a turnover on downs after failing to convert a fourth-and-1.

Pittsburgh would luck out in ways beyond facing the Colts’ second-string quarterback (which may or may not be lucky, depending whom you ask). The Colts managed just a field goal after their turnover on downs, punted after George Pickens fumbled in the red zone, and later stalled and missed a 54-yard field goal attempt when Fields fumbled after tripping as he tried to extend a play.

But the Steelers needed Fields and the offense to lift them on a day when the defense struggled to adjust from a game plan curated to defend Richardson rather than Flacco.

The Steelers surrendered 24 points after yielding less than nine on average through their first three games, allowing the Colts to convert 53.3% of third-down attempts after averaging a league-best 21.9% allowed through the first three weeks.

Tomlin didn’t feel comfortable pressuring Flacco more if it meant sacrificing help on the back end for a quarterback whom he called “the much more proficient passer than Richardson.”

The notion that a second-string quarterback could be the more proficient passer shouldn’t be a surprise coming from Pittsburgh, which will have a decision to make once Russell Wilson recovers sufficiently from an aggravated calf injury.

Wilson arrived this offseason with a 334-touchdown resumé that includes nine Pro Bowl berths and a Super Bowl victory. His 100.0 passer rating in that stretch bested Fields’ 83.2, the Steelers now determining how their current scheme and personnel fit with each quarterback at a different stages of their careers.

The Steelers’ loss to the Colts was a reminder of how the offense has stalled and erred at times with Fields but also how his dual-threat abilities can create a rare rhythm.

“I thought the significant component of the outcome of the game is obviously the turnover game and the self-inflicted wounds we had,” Tomlin said. “We felt comfortable with our ability to get back in the game. First, we had to stop kicking our butt.”

What does Fields’ near-comeback mean for his future as Steelers starter?

What does it look like when the Steelers’ offense stops turning the ball over and finds a rhythm?

After managing three points in their first seven drives, Pittsburgh ironically settled in immediately after Fields’ third-quarter fumble.

Fields had 233 of his 367 total yards in the second half, including all three of his touchdowns. The offense seemed to reach another gear during this stretch, a rhythm the quarterback attributed in part to a schematic decision to pass more on first down due to how the Colts were defending against the run.

Fields moved the ball downfield well with deep passes to Pickens, climbing left from the pocket and firing 38 yards on the first touchdown drive as the pair capitalized on Pickens’ outside leverage.

His arm began the progress, his legs finishing it. Scrambles for 6 and then 5 yards completed the Steelers’ first scoring drive.

The next drive unfolded similarly, Fields completing passes to three different teammates, including a screen pass that running back Najee Harris taken from behind the line of scrimmage to 32 yards ahead of it. Fields also drew a roughing-the-passer penalty.

After Fields missed Pickens low, he scrambled left, holding the ball out briefly as if to fake a pass and then taking the touchdown himself.

And on the third drive, Fields passed most effectively, finding Pickens for 37 yards and Jefferson for 12 before ultimately dropping back and nailing an upfield pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth close enough to the end zone for Freiermuth to muscle and fall backward for a touchdown.

The three-point deficit in the final three minutes was tantalizing but ultimately unfulfilled.

In his postgame media conference, Fields preached ball security and faster starts as he described the fixes as matters of execution rather than ability.

“What we were doing in the second half we should have done at the beginning,” Fields said. “It’s no mystery. It’s not mystical.”

As the Steelers continue to navigate their quarterback depth chart, they’ll look at a game in which Fields posted several season-bests in productivity and efficiency but the team took its first loss.

Fields’ 312 passing yards topped his previous best of 245, his three total touchdowns edging out his previous high mark of two. His 104.0 passer rating was his best by 6.7 points, and Fields avoided an interception for the third time in four games, though he did lose a fumble in addition to the botched snap he recovered.

Tomlin didn’t address Fields’ play in the context of Wilson’s roster spot, keeping his remarks on Fields to praise for his fight and concern about the “sloppy” turnovers.

Fields, for his part, spoke as if he would be back to start next week when the Steelers host the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

“I have to be better,” Fields said. “We have to be better as a whole. Got to come back next week and bounce back.