Steelers 20, Chargers 10
Q. How big of a moment was it to get that scoring drive right after the Chargers had scored that first one in the first half?
TJ WATT: Yeah, it was huge. I think the offense, we did a great job responding, and we knew what kind of game it was going to be, so just proud of the guys out there for responding like we did, especially after they scored that first touchdown, like you said, and going down and putting a drive together. It was good.
Q. On that touchdown, what were you looking for there? Can you talk about what happened and just how big that play was?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, of course huge play. They were just in the zone. Quartersing, you're really just high-lowing that hook defender. The hook defender took GP underneath and Calvin was right behind him. Great play call.
In that situation of course you always appreciate the YAC, the yards after catch that Calvin got us, and it was a huge play for us.
Q. Can you speak to what Calvin and Scotty Miller brought to the offense?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, those guys definitely stepped up today. Calvin doing everything on offense and special teams, as well, and then Scott, too. I don't think he played last week, so just coming in, he had a big 3rd down conversion for us, broken tackle with some yards. They both played great today.
Q. They were going to throw some exotic blitzes at you guys and you guys were prepared for some of those strikes over the middle. You had the 3rd down conversion and the touchdown. How does it feel to execute something like you guys planned it out, saw it, and you got those big plays?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, feels great executing. We were preparing for it all week on certain looks we would get in certain situations, and like you said, we did a great job executing it. O-line did a great job today holding up and receivers just being at the right time at the right place.
Q. We heard all week that the dam was about to break on the offense. You stopped short of scoring that one touchdown, but is this when it looks like when that dam is in the process of breaking?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, it is. I think we could have scored one more touchdown if I didn't throw that interception. Like we said, we're just going to keep working and keep getting better and keep improving.
Q. What did you see on that interception?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, he just matched the sticker out way too fast, and I shouldn't have thrown the ball, got tipped. But at the end of the day either should have worked the other side of the field, thrown it to the flat because they were so soft, or just throw the ball away, especially we were already in field goal range at the 40-yard line. That can't happen again.
Q. Do you feel like you're proving your detractors wrong?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I'm not really worried about that. I'm more so into proving myself right. I know what kind of player I am. I haven't changed kind of my whole life. At the end of the day, my teammates help me be great. Shout-out to them, shout-out to our defense, shout-out to everybody else on the offense for pushing me each and every day at practice, and it's just a credit to them. Definitely glad and just feeling good to be in this position, to be honest with you.
Q. You talked about improving; your three last drives (indiscernible) touchdown and running the clock out. What do you feel like you improved on as this game went on and how did you make some adjustments to finish strong like you did?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, in the first half we didn't run the ball like we wanted to, so second half, especially late in the game when we had to run the ball, the running backs and O-line did a great job, even in situations where we knew we had to run the ball. They did a great job executing. Naj and CP, they were hitting the hole great and we were getting 1st down after 1st down. Anytime you can get that run game going, it just helps us out overall.
Q. How good does it feel for the offense to put together a performance like this against such a good defense like the Chargers?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, feels great. We kind of knew what we were up against, two great edge rushers, and I think they were ranked No. 1 defense in the NFL coming into this thing. We knew we had a big test in front of us, but we have a pretty good defense that we go up against every day, as well.
Just going up against those guys on the other side of the ball on our team, just kind of prepared us for this moment, and like I said, everybody came out, executed, and we put points up on the board, so it felt great.
Q. Do those line drives make you more confident in the sense that the longer their defense stayed on the field you could open up some more pathways to run as well as play action?
JUSTIN FIELDS: For sure. Anytime you can stay on the field as long as possible definitely tires them out. I think the second quarter maybe before the two-minute warning, they were glad that we actually didn't run a play because they were so tired. Our linebacker kind of made a joke over to us. Was like, appreciate you all, because they were so tired. But anytime you can keep their defense on the field for a long time with their run game and with the play action pass, like you said, and have our defense on the sideline resting, that's a positive for sure.
Q. This is the first time in your career that you've won three consecutive games in the NFL. What does that mean to you, and what kind of momentum do you feel like you have through the first three weeks of the season?
JUSTIN FIELDS: It means a lot, but at the end of the day, it's not just me winning games. It's the whole team. I'm just happy to be a part of this team, happy to be a part of this organization, and we definitely look forward to keeping it going next week versus Indy.
Q. Each opportunity you get, do you feel yourself getting more comfortable, more confident within the system?
JUSTIN FIELDS: For sure. I think I've just grown a lot over the past year, over the past few months. Really just this year. Definitely feeling more confident and feeling more comfortable out there on the field.
Q. Some of the guys were saying they read a confidence in you in the second half that you were going to win the game, and they fed off that. What was it? What made you confident in the second half?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I think we kind of knew. We knew what kind of game we were going to be in, and we knew that we didn't play well enough in the first half. We had a couple of miscues in the first half, and we knew we were better than that. Like I told a reporter out there, Coach T challenged us at halftime to play better and be better, and we came out in the second half and did just that. It was good.
Q. You said you've done a lot of growing over the last year and a half. Where do you feel like you've grown the most or shown the most growth?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Just overall seeing the field. I feel like I'm just very calm out there, cool, calm and collected on the field, and really just that sense of peace out there on the field and not really rushing things, and turning in my brain. I'm staying calm in the pocket, just making plays when I can and just doing my job.
Q. Broderick Jones stepping out there today, of course he was benched last week, and this week he comes out, looked like he was a big part of the offensive line having a good day.
JUSTIN FIELDS: Huge part of the offense. When that situation pops up, he's not really thinking all week that he's going to play, and then Troy goes down Friday. It just shows how prepared he was. He prepared all week like he was a starter, and definitely showed up big for us, especially with this defense that we faced, showed up huge. Big shout-out to 77 for sure.
Q. This is the second time you've had 20 something completions in your last eight games. Do you feel that (indiscernible)?
JUSTIN FIELDS: For sure, yeah. I think the biggest thing is getting completions on 1st and 2nd down and staying in that 3rd and manageable. I think that's the biggest thing, and taking shots when they come. Yeah, anytime you can get in a rhythm as a quarterback, you just feel that confidence kind of overflow, and kind of like I said earlier, you just feel very calm in the pocket.
Q. I think you maybe completed the first 10 passes. Does that help you get in a rhythm and does that help you later in the game?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I think so, but our game plan was kind of -- we knew they were going to give us completions on 1st and 2nd down, kind of keep a shelf over the top. They don't really want big plays, so they kind of played off and soft, so we knew completions were going to be there on 1st and 2nd down, so it really wasn't a big surprise. Just pitching, catching with the guys, them making great plays and run after catch.
Q. We asked you Thursday about starting the home opener. What were your first impressions of playing here in Pittsburgh and in this environment?
JUSTIN FIELDS: Yeah, it was great. Definitely a little bit different from preseason for sure, but the fans showed out. Great turnout, and it was awesome. It was definitely getting loud out there, especially when the defense was on the field. Great turnout by Steeler Nation for sure.
Q. With the success of the run game, what was your thoughts on Kordell Patterson's contribution?
JUSTIN FIELDS: He's huge, man. I'm just seeing some of those hits. I'm just handing the ball off and watching him go. I know I can't do that, so the fact that he's been in the league this long and still doing that, it's really crazy to see, to be honest. He definitely did his thing today for sure.
Q. You had two very pinpoint passes, one Freiermuth might have dropped and then to Calvin. Is that accuracy something you've gotten better at? They were pretty flawless throws?
JUSTIN FIELDS: I think I've always been kind of accurate, but I might be a little bit biased. Just those situations, like you said, I'm just trying to get in good field goal position before the two-minute, but yeah, definitely need accuracy at this level for sure.
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