What we learned from Steelers' dominant win vs. the LA Chargers

Well, the Steelers are still undefeated thanks to an impressive win in the home opener against a formidable and previously undefeated Los Angeles Chargers team. After two consecutive road victories, it frankly would have been a letdown had we not beaten the Chargers at home.

Fortunately, that did not come to pass. What did come to pass was, what I am thankful to state, a dominant performance against a good team. I think it's fair to say that we needed the type of performance we got on both sides of the ball.

Let's see what we learned on the offensive side of the ball.

Steelers' offense finally put it all together in what we hope portends what is to come as a result

Look, I will be the first to admit that I did not expect the Steelers to be sitting atop the AFC North Division after three games. I will also be the first to admit that I did expect us to be undefeated in the process, but that is exactly where we find ourselves.

The offense finally looked like the offense we were all hoping for when Arthur Smith was hired as our new offensive coordinator. We gained a total of three-hundred and forty-six yards on sixty-five plays. We averaged a little over five yards per play. That was awesome to see.

It was also awesome to see the play of Justin Fields, who arguably had his best game as a Steeler. Honestly, the type of performance Fields turned in against the Chargers is exactly what we needed and exactly when we needed it.

Fields was efficient and in control. To be fair, he did not play a perfect game, but we did not need him to play a perfect game. We just needed him to not put the ball in harm's way and he did just that. What he also did by not putting the ball in harm's way was allow the run game to take over in the second half.

The run game was the catalyst for winning the time of possession battle, which was the catalyst for winning the game. All facets of the offense were 'in sync' against the Chargers and, as I said, that was awesome to see.

Let's see what we learned on the defensive side of the ball.

Pittsburgh's defense continues to play at an elite level and that was on full display against the Chargers

Make no mistake, the Steelers defense is playing at an elite level right now. Let's hope that trend continues. Against the Chargers, the dominance was on full display, particularly in the second half, where we held the Chargers offense to net zero yards.

Yes, that is not a 'typo'. The Steelers defense 'pitched a shutout' in the second half not only in yards allowed but in points allowed. What is impressive about our defense thus far through games and, in particular, in this game, is the fact that we are playing as a unit.

Another aspect of our defense that is impressive, if you ask me, is the fact that we are getting contributions from not only the 'usual suspects', but the 'unusual suspects' as well. In other words, everyone is contributing to the winning efforts.

The defense held the Chargers relatively at bay, allowing a total of one-hundred and sixty-eight yards on forty-five offensive plays. It remains to be seen if the defense can replicate the performance against the Chargers, but, right now, let's enjoy what we are witnessing.

Let's see what else we learned.

Steelers are undefeated, in first place in the AFC North, and have no room for error

I think this may be the best coaching job Mike Tomlin has turned in through three games of a season for quite some time. Opening up with back-to-back road games is difficult enough, let alone being expected to win either game, but that's what we did.

We brought a two-win and zero-loss record into this matchup with the Chargers, who were also undefeated. Something had to give. Were were going to have a letdown following two surprising road wins? Fortunately, we did not.

I hope we don't experience that feeling for quite some time, but it would be interesting to see how we would respond following a defeat. I think there's a fine line between being undefeated and being winless. Our margin for error is nonexistent.

We played complimentary football against the Chargers and that must continue for us to amass enough 'equity' so that our margin for error grows to the point where we can afford less-than-stellar performances from our star players. Right now, Tomlin has everyone playing inspired football.

That may not last, but for right now, let's enjoy the spoils of victory.