Steelers' Mike Tomlin Gave Justin Fields A Specific Challenge In The Middle Of The Team's Week 2 Victory

The Pittsburgh Steelers have started the 2024 season strong, as they sit atop the AFC North with a 2-0 record. A big reason for the small winning streak has been the efficient play of Justin Fields in the absence of Russell Wilson. Fields hasn't necessarily lit up the stat sheet, but he has done just enough to capture victories. The offense has been letting the defense dominate the game while Fields focuses on not turning the ball over and eating up clock.

The Steelers faced some adversity during their Week 2 victory over the Denver Broncos. The officials were quick to throw flags, and the Steelers had a slew of impressive plays wiped off of the board thanks to penalties. By halftime, it was a huge issue, as Pittsburgh had just 10 points on the board when it should have likely been a three-possession game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was speaking about how impressed he was with his quarterback, and he said during his press conference on Tuesday that he turned to his QB1 in the middle of the game and gave him a challenge. 

"Justin is included in that. The development of our relationship, with me getting to understand him and him getting to understand me, it just grows in in-game situations. There was some point in the game where I told him to challenge his unit to clean up their play so we could get out of the stadium and end the game. I asked him to do it in his own words, but those are some of the things that you ask a quarterback to do."

The Steelers weren't overly penalized in comparison to Denver. Pittsburgh had 10 penalties for 78 yards while the Broncos had 9 penalties for 124 yards. Denver's penalties were much worse, with a few of them being some long-distance pass interference calls. Pittsburgh had some big plays wiped off the board in all three phases of the game, and Tomlin wasn't happy about it after the contest, despite his team getting the win.

It seems as though Tomlin and Fields have a pretty close relationship, even though Fields just arrived in Pittsburgh during the 2024 offseason and he wasn't even named the starter at the end of training camp. This may say a lot about how Tomlin feels towards Fields, and the trust he has in the fourth-year quarterback. Tomlin spoke more about the relationship he has with Fields during games.

"It's not fun or realistic to fake that sometimes, and so it's just really good to just kind of be in an in-game circumstance because that gives you an opportunity to work together in a way that coaches and leaders, and specifically in that instance, quarterbacks, have to do in order to land the plane."

Tomlin clearly loves Fields as a leader, and that could say a lot as this odd quarterback situation continues with Wilson still recovering from his calf injury. Wilson will be limited during this upcoming week of practice, which means the team will be moving forward as if Fields will be starting in the Week 3 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Steelers Can't Have The Same Penalty Issues In Week 3

Pittsburgh is likely getting set to take on their toughest test yet with the Chargers. Los Angeles has also started the season 2-0, and they have been dominant in the run game. They have a similar identity to Pittsburgh, as they rely on the ground game and count on their defense to be stifling. This is the home-opener for Pittsburgh, and as long as Fields can play the way he has so far this season, he should be able to lead his team to a win. If the Steelers can stay out of penalty trouble, they should be able to kick the season off with a 3-0 record.

What do you think of Tomlin's remarks? Let us know in the comments below!

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