ATLANTA — Justin Fields didn’t expect to make his first regular-season start as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers just 30 miles south of his hometown. But when Russell Wilson walked up to him before Sunday’s game and told him he was coming, that’s exactly what happened.

Although Fields and the offense failed to score a single touchdown, the Steelers managed to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 thanks to six field goals from kicker Chris Boswell, making Fields’ debut.

“Personally, it’s awesome,” said Fields, who completed 17 of 23 attempts for 156 yards. “I have a lot of family here, family and friends, old high school teammates, so just the setting, I really couldn’t ask for anything better.

“God definitely works in mysterious ways, so I’m just thankful for him, and really just for this moment with my team. But just coming home, getting a dub against the home team was awesome.”

Fields declined to speculate on what his performance would mean for his chances of starting another game as Wilson continues to recover from the calf injury he suffered during training camp.

“Honestly, I’m not worried about that at all,” Fields said. “I just came in with the aspiration to win, and I’m happy that we’re coming out of here with a win. So as far as who’s starting and who’s not, at the end of the day, all I want to do is win. I’m not even going to get into that. … At the end of the day, I came here to win. It didn’t matter if I threw 300 yards, 100 yards, or no yards at all, I came here to win. So that was the only focus I had.”

Wilson got a 15-minute warmup, testing his calf while making a series of throws with the help of Steelers staffers. About two and a half hours before kickoff, he returned to the locker room to tell Fields he would play.

Coach Mike Tomlin praised Fields’ resilience as he weathered the somewhat unexpected start, the penalty-riddled run and the stalled drives.

“The way I’ve gotten to know him, man, he’s a real steady Eddie,” Tomlin said. “He’s not overly talkative, but he’s got a steady, strong demeanor and just being in the ballpark with the guy, some of the things I’ve seen in team development have been validated. It’s just good to be able to communicate with a guy when things get tough, and you see the bright eyes. He’s there. He’s solid as a rock, and I think his play and our play kind of reflects that.”

But the coach provided little insight into how Fields’ performance could impact the quarterback depth chart ahead of the Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos.

“You can come ask me that question on Tuesday,” he said when asked about the starting quarterbacks.

Fields’ afternoon didn’t exactly start out promisingly. He and rookie center Zach Frazier misstepped on the first snap exchange, something that happened multiple times in the preseason, and Fields’ first snap was a fumble.

Then he missed a throw to a wide-open Van Jefferson on the next play and another to Najee Harris a few plays later. That drive ended in a 57-yard field goal by Boswell, one of three from 50-plus yards, setting a franchise record.

“We definitely started off slow, especially the first play and I missed the throw to Van, but after the first drive I feel like we settled down a little bit, and that happened especially as the game went on.

“…I have no reason (for the slow start), but just know this won’t happen again.”

The Steelers trailed 10-9 at halftime and Fields was 11 of 13 for 83 yards, though 33 of those yards came on a big pass play to George Pickens just before halftime. Without that throw, Fields averaged just 1.7 air yards per attempt and attempted just three passes of more than 5 yards down the field in the first half.

Instead, Fields used his legs to gain ground. He had five carries for 26 yards in the first half, including a 12-yard dash, and finished with 14 carries for 57 yards.

“Justin being able to run is a huge asset to our offense because once you can run the ball, it opens up so many possibilities,” offensive lineman Broderick Jones said. “So if he’s going one way and Najee or Jaylen is going the other way, it’s hard for the defense to keep their eyes on both. We’ve just got to continue to implement that into our offense and just keep making it work.”

Although the offensive line featured two new starters, one a rookie, Fields was sacked only twice, both in the second half. Once when Grady Jarrett beat James Daniels from the inside and the second time when Fields held on to the ball instead of throwing it away.

“I felt clean all day,” Fields said. “I think on one of the sacks I just could have gotten the ball out quicker. But I think overall they did a great job and I know they’re going to do nothing but keep getting better.”

In the second half, Fields made his longest play of the game with a 40-yard dime to Pickens in the third quarter. Pickens fell as he made the catch, but not believing he had been touched, he jumped up and ran the ball several more yards before eventually being brought down. However, officials ruled that Pickens had gone down due to contact after making the catch and allowed the play to stand at a 40-yard gain. The completion, made on the first play of the series, did not jump-start the offense, however. False starts and illegal shift penalties killed the drive, and Boswell came out for a 40-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 15–10 lead.

Even after Fields threw the ball out, the Steelers continued to rely on short throws and the ground game in the second half. Still, that recipe helped the offense move the ball fairly well in the second half. Fields connected with Pat Freiermuth for a 10-yard gain on a dart in the fourth quarter, and Najee Harris had a run of 20 yards.

“It gets us going,” Fields said of the deep balls. “I think the O-line did a great job today protecting, keeping me clean on those longer developing plays. And of course GP, he’s always going to make plays for you downfield. So really just a compliment to the O-line, running backs, blocking and receivers doing their thing.”