Start faster.
That's the biggest thing Steelers quarterback Justin Fields is looking to do as he heads into his fourth consecutive start for the team when it travels to Indianapolis to face the Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Steelers have consistently put points on the board in the opening halves of their first three games, but not enough to keep them from trailing after two quarters in two of those games.
A strong second-half surge – both offensively and defensively – has pushed the team to three-straight victories to open this season, but Fields would like to see the offensive unit get off to a faster start to make things a little easier.
Fields threw for a season-high 245 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for a score as the Steelers rallied from a 10-7 halftime deficit last week to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 10-7.
But that game included two-straight three-and-outs to start the game. After that, the Steelers scored on four of their next six possessions that didn't include taking a knee or the end of a half.
"Looked pretty good," said Fields of watching the film of that game. "Still some room to improve, some stuff to get better at. But you know, this next game, we want to emphasize starting faster, so not warming up to things, but overall solid."
Head coach Mike Tomlin would like to see that, as well.
"Offensively, we didn't start with the level of fluidity that I would like," Tomlin said. "We've got to get that solved and get it solved quickly. I think particularly in the early stages of the season, as you pursue and attain victory, you better continually work on things that could be troublesome for you as you continue through the journey. And lack of fluidity in our starts, three-and-outs and things of that nature, just doesn't tee us up to play the type of ball that we desire to play."
The Colts could be a good elixir for that issue.
Indianapolis has allowed opposing offenses to convert third downs at a 50 percent rate this season. And even when the Colts have gotten a stop on third downs, opponents have converted six-of-seven attempts on fourth downs.
That has led to a deficit in time of possession for Indianapolis where opponents are holding the ball for 38:24 on average, while the Colts have held the ball for just 21:36 in their first three games, by far the worst time of possession in the league.
The Steelers, meanwhile, despite their issues with three-and-outs early in games, are converting a respectable 43.2 percent of their third downs, largely by staying on target in terms of gaining positive yardage on first and second downs.
"I think everybody is more successful when it's third-and-six or less to go than that," Fields said. "So, anytime you can be third-and-medium or third-and-long, you never want to be in a course, just because of the defense can kind of sit back, bring their four-man rush and have eyes and vision towards the quarterback.
"So, that's why we emphasize our biggest third-down rate is be great on first and second downs and not even be in those positions. So we're going to continue to focus on first and second downs, and then when we do get in those situational moments, we're going to execute best we can."
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Fields also has been a big part of that by handling the blitz better than he has at any point in his career previous to this season.
For example, last Sunday against the Chargers, Fields was 8 of 9 for 119 yards and a touchdown when blitzed. Handling the blitz was something with which Fields struggled in his first three seasons in the league in Chicago before joining the Steelers via trade this offseason.
What's helped him get better?
Perhaps it is the Steelers winning on first and second down and staying out of third-and-long situations.
"I'm not sure why. The biggest thing is, for me, I'm just trying to stay on schedule on first and second down and always try to have a manageable third down," Fields said. "So, you know that might be the reason. But you know, I just haven't been emphasizing against the blitz. You want to be good, but you always want to just try to stay on schedule on first and second down and put yourself in a good spot on third down."
