Daily News & Links: Justin Fields Glad to Win in Hometown; T.J. Watt Thanks Steelers Nation

Steelers Daily News & Links: Your daily stop for all of the news and links from the Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL and around the Sports Now Group

🏈 Overall, it was a solid performance by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields in Sunday’s season-opening win over the Atlanta Falcons. There’s still a lot to work on, of course, but he was just glad to leave his hometown of Atlanta with a victory.

“Personally, it’s great,” Fields said. “I have a bunch of family here, family and friends, old high school teammates, so just the setting, I really couldn’t ask for it a better way. God sure does work in mysterious ways, so I’m just thankful for him, and really just this moment with my team. But just coming back home, being able to get a dub against the hometown team was great.”

🏈 Justin Fields also was glad to get the win for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was the Falcons head coach for three seasons before being fired at the end of last year.

“Oh, it meant a lot. I know Art, I know how fiery he is,” Fields said. “I know how competitive he is, so it definitely meant a lot. And I know, shoot, he wishes just like me that we could have put even more points on the board.”

🏈 Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt finished with four total tackles (two solos), a sack, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a fumble recovery in Sundat’s win over Atlanta. He gave props to Steelers Nation for taking over Atlanta and forcing the Falcons to be on a silent count.

“Steelers Nation is incredible, man,” Watt said. “It’s extremely demoralizing for an offense to be on a silent count at their home field. Silent count is incredible. Honestly, a lot of those plays go to them. The fumble that I was able to land on was because they had to be on a silent count at their own place. Any time that happens when you have a lot of shifts and motions, snaps can go anywhere, balls on the ground, you get to recover them. So Steelers Nation was absolutely incredible, but I’m not surprised.”

🏈 Deshaun Watson’s 169 passing yards in Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys is tied for the sixth-fewest in Pro Football Reference’s database by a QB with 45+ pass attempts. Ben Roethlisberger’s 123 yards passing on 46 attempts against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 of the 2022 season is the fewest.

Deshaun Watson's 169 passing yards are tied for the 6th fewest in our database by a QB with 45+ pass attempts.#NFL pic.twitter.com/floIYp4UTF

— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) September 9, 2024

🏈 Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky gave props to Justin Fields for his 40-yard completion to George Pickens in the third quarter.

Great throw

Absurd camera angle pic.twitter.com/7iS6GgXJN8

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 9, 2024

🏈 Chris Boswell and Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn each made three field goals of 50-or-more yards today, becoming the first two kickers all-time to make three 50-yard field goals in a season-opening game. It also marked the first time in NFL history that multiple kickers converted three 50-yard field goals in the same week.

🏈 The Steelers have now won three games where they did not score a touchdown of any kind under Mike Tomlin: 3-0 win over Dolphins in Week 12 of 2007 and a 11-10 win over the Chargers in Week 11 of 2008 … and Sunday’s 18-10 win over the Falcons, according to ESPN Stats % Info.

🏈 Justin Fields had no completions in the middle of the field on Sunday. The Steelers had the same issue under Matt Canada. It will be interesting to see if Week 1 was just an anomaly.

LOL. No comment. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/MWWCuTOR38

— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) September 9, 2024

🏈 Justin Fields is the third quarterback with a 70% completion percentage and 50 rushing yards in a team debut since the merger. He joins Cam Newton (2020) and Roger Staubach (1970), according to CBS Sports.

🏈 Happy Birthday to former Steelers defensive coordinator and Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau, born on September 9, 1937 in London, Ohio.

Happy 87th, Dick LeBeau!

DB, #Lions 1959-72
Coach/DC/HC/AHC, 1973-2017 (PHI, GB, #Bengals, #Steelers, BUF, TEN)

• PFHOF Class of 2010
• 2x Super Bowl Champ (DC)🏆🏆
• 6x AFC Champ (coach/DC)
• 3 Pro Bowls; 2x Second-Team All-Pro
• 62 career INT (#3 all-time at retirement) pic.twitter.com/stx48yFYaQ

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) September 9, 2024

NEWS FROM AROUND THE SPORTS NOW NETWORK

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: What the Crosby fallout would look like for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Billy Cook makes immediate impression in MLB debut for Pirates.

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Pitt receives votes in the latest Coaches Poll.

West Virginia Sports Now: WVU experiences slight tick Up in ESPN FPI after first win.

Nittany Sports Now: Penn State WR Omari Evans on interference call: ‘That’s crazy.’

Pittsburgh Soccer Now: Duquesne women soccer team proves opportunistic in Senior Day triumph.