Steelers' Justin Fields fumbles away otherwise outstanding performance vs. Colts

After digging themselves into a 17-0 hole in the first half, the Pittsburgh Steelers didn't stand a shot in this one... or at least we thought. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers haven't had a quarterback capable of fighting back from a multiple-score deficit. We didn't see this changing anytime soon.

That's when Justin Fields nearly did the impossible in Week 4.

From the gate, Pittsburgh's defense was flat. The Indianapolis Colts marched down the field and effortlessly scored touchdowns on each of their first two drives. After jumping out to a 17-point lead, Fields tried to do too much and ended up making a disastrous play in the second quarter.

The athletic quarterback tried to buy extra time by escaping the pocket and extending the play. However, he slipped when cutting back inside. This play ultimately resulted in a forced fumble on a sack. The ball was recovered by the Colts.

All hope felt lost when the Steelers entered the tunnel at halftime, but Fields lit up the scoreboard in the second half. The 25-year-old quarterback led three touchdown drives late in the game to bring the contest within a field goal with a score of 24-27.

With a chance to march down the field for a game-tying field goal or a win in under two minutes, Fields and rookie center Zach Frazier had a miscommunication. The ball was snapped early -- resulting in a fumble. Though Fields recovered the ball, he took a 12-yard sack in the process and the clock continued to run.

This proved to be the final nail in the coffin, as the Steelers would only get off three more plays before the game ended.

The 24-27 loss for the Steelers in Week 4 stings, but it was more than encouraging to see what Justin Fields could do when the defense was playing poorly and the pressure was on.

Steelers have a football player in Justin Fields

Steelers fans are sick about this loss... and rightfully so. Pittsburgh was just a few plays away from mounting a successful comeback and advancing to 4-0 on the season. Meanwhile, there were a few questionable calls (and no calls) that could have potentially made the difference. But even with two fumbles, nobody should be disappointed in the performance of Justin Fields.

Despite his defense failing to show up and putting the team in a hole early, Fields finished the game completing 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards (9.2 yards per attempt) and 3 total touchdowns to go with an impressive 104.0 passer rating.

Fields' outstanding work through the air was accompanied by 10 carries for 55 rushing yards -- leading all Steelers rushers. Two of his scores came on the ground with Pittsburgh near the goal line.

While taking four sacks for minus 30 yards and fumbling twice is a recipe for disaster, Fields was playing an impressive game with very little help from his supporting cast. This should be a wake-up call for Pittsburgh's defense which played so well in the first three games of the 2024 season.

Though the Steelers are going home empty-handed, fans can be thankful that Pittsburgh still sits atop the AFC North with a 3-1 record. More importantly, they can take comfort in knowing that Justin Fields is the type of QB who can rise to the occasion -- even if the rest of his team doesn't show up to play.

Fields was a one-man wrecking crew, and if he can start taking slightly better care of the football, he can carry the team on his shoulders in games like this.