Following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 13-6 victory over the Denver Broncos, Justin Fields, who started in place of the injured Russell Wilson, revealed an interesting detail about the team’s offensive strategy. Fields mentioned that the Steelers were aware that the officiating crew for this game had called the most defensive pass interference (DPI) penalties the previous season.
This insight, according to Fields, influenced the team’s decision to attempt more deep passes. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported Fields saying, “We knew this crew had the most DPI calls last year, so we took that into account and it affected our decision to take shots downfield.”
Surtain II also received a defensive holding penalty. In total, the Broncos faced nine penalties totaling 124 yards.
Before this Week 2 game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated his preference to keep using the “hot hand” at quarterback, as per NFL insider Ian Rapoport. If Fields continues to perform well, there may not be a quarterback controversy when Wilson returns from his injury.
Rapoport noted, “If Fields keeps playing effectively, Tomlin might stick with him even if Wilson is back, focusing on what’s working under center rather than benching Fields.”
Fields completed 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown to tight end Darnell Washington and added 27 rushing yards. He shared his thoughts on the win and its significance with the media, according to the Associated Press.
The Steelers initially rotated Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu at right tackle in Week 2, but the approach was short-lived. Fautanu played the first two series against the Broncos before Jones took over on Pittsburgh’s third offensive drive.
Fautanu then played the remainder of the game at right tackle. When asked if Jones’ lack of further snaps was due to his penalties, Tomlin simply replied, “You got it.”
Jones accumulated three penalties in just 12 snaps. Despite overcoming his false start, the Steelers had to punt after Jones’ holding penalties stalled their drive. One of his penalties negated a 51-yard completion to George Pickens.
Jones, who started at right tackle in Week 1 due to Fautanu’s knee injury, is expected to be a long-term fixture in the Steelers’ plans, likely at left tackle. With veteran Dan Moore Jr. currently starting at left tackle, the Steelers opted to start Fautanu at right tackle and rotate Jones in against the Broncos.
Fautanu performed well initially, but Jones’ penalties disrupted the game plan. The Steelers, after overcoming Jones’ penalties, managed to extend their lead to two possessions before halftime. However, the offense struggled to regain its rhythm after Jones’ penalties.
