10 Thoughts: Steelers take charge in old-school fashion

“I’m not really worried about that,” Fields said of his detractors. “I’m more into proving myself right. I know what kind of player I am. I haven’t changed my whole life. At the end of the day, my teammates help me be great. Shout-out to them, shout-out to our defense, shout-out to everybody else on the offense for pushing me each and every day at practice, and it’s just a credit to them. Definitely glad and just feeling good to be in this position, to be honest with you.”

The Steelers are 3-0, and Fields has the first three-game winning streak of his career.

Fields had won two games in a row three separate times in his days with the Bears. But winning three in a row had eluded him until Sunday.

We’ll see if he gets a shot at going 4-0 or if Russell Wilson is ready to go next week against Indianapolis.

“It means a lot, but at the end of the day, it’s not just me winning games. It’s the whole team,” Fields said. “I’m just happy to be a part of this team, happy to be a part of this organization, and we definitely look forward to keeping it going next week versus Indy.”

• Sunday’s win, coupled with Cleveland’s inexplicable loss at home to the Giants, leaves the Steelers with a two-game lead in the AFC North.

More importantly, getting to 3-0 has some significance.

Since 2000, teams that have opened the season 3-0 have made the playoffs 75.2 percent of the time, winning their division 51.5 percent of the time.

It’s a big difference over starting 2-1. Those teams have made the postseason 54.8 percent of the time and won the division 32.1 percent of the time.

The Steelers are playing well in many phases, but they’re still not where they want to be just yet.

“That’s just any team in general,” said Queen, one of many new faces in this lineup. “The longer the season, the more you mesh with each other. The chemistry gets better. The more the coaching staff learns what you like. For us, it’s still getting a feel, learning how we like plays.”

Injuries, particularly on the offensive line, have hit the Steelers hard early. But they could get left guard Isaac Seumalo, who has missed the first three games with a pectoral muscle injury, back next week against the Colts.

And after the Indianapolis game, reserve offensive tackle Dylan Cook will be eligible to return from injured reserve. That might not seem like a big deal, but with rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu placed on injured reserve Saturday, the Steelers’ offensive line depth has been tested early.

Getting those two players back will go a long way towards replenishing some of that.

For a team that wants to run the ball as much as the Steelers, that’s huge.

The Steelers planned on utilizing some six-offensive linemen looks in this game with Fautanu healthy, utilizing Broderick Jones in those instances. But with Fautanu injured, rookie guard Mason McCormick was forced into action as the additional lineman.