By Ray Porter Jr. for Urban Media Today
PITTSBURGH, PA– The Pittsburgh Steelers continued their dominance over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, improving to 17-2-1 all-time against Atlanta with a hard-fought 20-13 victory at Acrisure Stadium.
The win also marked the Steelers’ fifth consecutive victory over the Falcons and extended their record to 4-0 against Atlanta since 2014. A paid attendance of 66,089 watched Pittsburgh open the season with a victory.
For Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, the win was especially meaningful as he secured his first victory as Pittsburgh’s head coach.
“It’s a great feeling, without a doubt. I’m glad it’s by us. It was emotional all day today,” McCarthy said.
The victory may not have been the prettiest performance Pittsburgh was looking for, but its defense ultimately made the difference against an Atlanta offense featuring one of the league’s most talented young running backs, Bijan Robinson.
Robinson, who rushed for 1,487 yards a season ago, delivered another impressive performance with 173 total yards and a touchdown. However, Pittsburgh’s defense prevented the Falcons from reaching the end zone again after Robinson’s score while constantly pressuring veteran quarterback Cooper Rush.
Rush, who signed with Atlanta as a free agent after spending time with the Dallas Cowboys, completed just 12 of 22 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers intercepted him twice and recorded four sacks.
T.J. Watt accounted for two of those sacks and delivered the game’s biggest play when he intercepted Rush and returned the ball 35 yards for Pittsburgh’s second touchdown. Safety Jaquan Brister recorded the Steelers’ other interception, while Alex Highsmith added two sacks of his own.
Defensive tackle Cam Heyward also made his presence felt, batting down three passes at the line of scrimmage.
“I think just like anything, we’re about defense first,” McCarthy said. “We made that clear when we started this journey, and I think it was clearly evident why today.”
McCarthy credited the defense with setting the tone throughout the afternoon. “It clearly takes all three phases. But I thought our defense really set the tone,” he said. “The only points really given up was when we gave them field position and created those scenarios.”
McCarthy singled out Watt’s interception return as the defining moment of the game. “T.J. [Watt]’s play was just – that’s a highlight play you’ll be watching the rest of your life,” McCarthy said. “Not only did he make the play, but the ability to get up and finish it was incredible. It was a great finish by the whole defense, and the momentum swing that came with that, that was obviously huge. That was clearly the biggest play in the game.”
While the defense carried much of the load, Pittsburgh’s offense did enough to secure the win.
Chris Boswell opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal before quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with tight end Pat Freiermuth on a six-yard touchdown pass, giving Pittsburgh a 10-7 lead.
Rodgers completed 24 of 40 passes for 221 yards. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. led Pittsburgh with three receptions for 58 yards, while running back Jaylen Warren rushed for 46 yards on 10 carries.
The Steelers’ offense struggled at times to find a consistent rhythm, particularly on third down, but McCarthy was encouraged by what he had seen from the unit throughout training camp.
“Offensively, it was a little herky-jerky, starting with me,” McCarthy said. “Getting into a flow was just a bit challenging. Third down was the thing that kind of stood out to me where we’ve got to maybe, A., get more favorable, and B., convert those. But I loved the way we battled back.”
McCarthy also pointed to the connection between Rodgers and the offense as an encouraging sign moving forward, particularly in the passing game.
“This has been a really productive training camp,” McCarthy said. “It started really at the end of OTAs, where once Aaron [Rodgers] was back and we were able to incorporate some of the downfield throws and the shot plays into the installs.”
The Steelers will now turn their attention to Week 2, when they travel to New England to face the defending AFC champion Patriots.
Pittsburgh will look to build on its 1-0 start while delivering a more complete performance against New England. The Steelers defeated the Patriots at Gillette Stadium last season and will look to repeat that success on the road.
McCarthy knows there is plenty for his team to clean up, but he was pleased to leave Acrisure Stadium with the most important thing: a victory.
“Glad we’re in a position where we can win the game and we can learn from those experiences we have, and that’s the game of football,” McCarthy said. “But it’s a good start. Most importantly, we got our first home win. You’ve got to win your home games, as we all know, in this league.”
Notes: Steelers CB Joey Porter Jr did not play Sunday, which sparked concerns after he and the team were unable to agree to a new contract. “Yeah, Joey, just where we left off – when was the last time I talked to you, Friday? I would clearly still put him just finishing up the ramp-up stage as far as where he is.” Said McCarthy. “We sat down and talked about it, talked about the plan for next week. He’s definitely ready to do more. So, we’ll see how that goes. He’ll do something tomorrow, and then hopefully we can take his snaps up at Wednesday’s practice.”
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