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T.J. Watt and Darius Slay admit that they had Justin Fields right where they wanted him ahead of game-saving defensive stand

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Rob Gregson | Last updated Sep 8, 2025 1:17 PM ET

Justin Fields came out with something to prove in his debut with the New York Jets. Arguably the best performance of his career, Fields added 0.29 expected points per passing play, and he gave the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense fits all day long.

But when it was crunch time and a unit that struggled all day needed a stop, Pittsburgh was confident. They knew they could take away Fields' best trait: his legs. They knew they turned the game one-dimensional, and that they had Fields right where they wanted him.

“Felt like blood in the water," T.J. Watt told Steelers media after the game. "We knew they were one-dimensional. We wanted to get after them as best we could, and we did a good job of it.”

Steelers knew they could win by turning Justin Fields into a passer

“We made them one-dimensional," said CB Darius Slay after the game. "[Justin] Fields had to actually drop back and pass the ball. They did a great job all game, controlling the clock and keeping themselves in manageable downs. We just gotta do better getting that team behind the sticks.”

Look, there is no absolving the Steelers' defense of what happened on Sunday. You cannot preach all offseason that the big, bad, physical run defense will be back, and then get your teeth kicked in for a total of 182 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

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But to bow up when it mattered most, force a three and out and setup the game-winning kick for Chris Boswell, that is to be commended. Pittsburgh needs Derrick Harmon back , Keeanu Benton has to play better and Cam Heyward needs to get back into football shape now that his contract situation is behind him.

You can't let the New York Jets, who were abysmal in rushing last year, come out and look like the greatest show on turf and put up 32 points while they are in a rebuild.

And guess what, they got the win, and that's all that matters. The special teams unit forced a fumble, and Chris Boswell made it happen.

But at some point, the Steelers' process has to be more important than their results. They have to be sound in the run game and against the run to win when it matters. So it's good they made Fields one-dimensional on his last drive, but that needs to happen a lot sooner.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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