Pittsburgh Review

The Steelers celebrated their home opener with a decisive 20-10 victory over the previously unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday. This win marked the Steelers' third consecutive victory, keeping them unbeaten at 3-0 for the season.

Justin Fields, stepping in for an injured Russell Wilson for the third straight game, delivered a strong performance. Fields threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III and also ran for a touchdown. He finished the game with 245 passing yards.

The Steelers' defense effectively contained the Los Angeles offense, which had averaged 197.5 rushing yards over the first two weeks of the season. The Chargers were limited to just 61 rushing yards on 20 carries, forcing quarterback Justin Herbert to shoulder most of the offensive load. Pittsburgh's defense allowed negative-5 total yards in the second half, making them the first team in two decades to permit fewer than 10 points and under 300 total yards in each of their first three games.

"You know, we talked about it all week. We knew we were in for a fight. Styles make fights," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "They're assembled like we're assembled; we knew it was going to be a great game."

Herbert, who had been questionable due to an ankle injury, started but exited in the fourth quarter after aggravating his injury while being sacked. Before leaving, he managed to throw a touchdown pass that gave the Chargers an early lead.

After both teams struggled initially, Herbert connected with Quentin Johnston on a blown coverage for a 27-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter. The Steelers responded immediately with Fields running in a five-yard touchdown.

The Chargers briefly regained their lead with Cameron Dicker’s field goal before halftime. However, Chris Boswell's missed field goal attempt left Los Angeles leading 10-7 at halftime.

Pittsburgh tied it up again with another Boswell field goal early in the second half and later took control after capitalizing on defensive stops and Los Angeles penalties.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh commented on his team's performance: "(We) played great for a long time... And then the drive with three penalties... they were able to hold (us) to a field goal."

Herbert's exit forced backup Taylor Heinicke into action as injuries continued to plague Los Angeles' lineup.

A critical moment came when T.J. Watt sacked Heinicke during what appeared to be a promising drive by Los Angeles, forcing them to punt from midfield.

Fields later connected with Austin for another key play resulting in Austin outracing safety Elijah Molden into the end zone for what would be Pittsburgh's final score of the game.

The defensive efforts from Nick Herbig and Cam Heyward sealed any remaining hopes of a comeback from Los Angeles as Pittsburgh controlled possession until time expired.

Reflecting on his team's defensive performance throughout this young season so far Tomlin remarked: "They just wanted to be best defense on field... they respond those things take those challenges very personally."

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