Taken from the gradebook of a teacher who wonders how his recent sabbaticals will impact him in the coming year, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for 2024 opening day win over the Atlanta Falcons.
George Pickens makes a sideline catch. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
Quarterback
In his first start with the franchise, Justin Fields went 17-23-156. He also went 14 for 57 rushing the ball, including several third-down conversions. Most importantly he took care of the ball, which is a big part of the reason why he’s in Pittsburgh and not Chicago. Fields will face stiffer tests, but he had a good day in Atlanta. Grade: B
Running Backs
Three separate running backs got carries which has not been typical for a Steelers offense for a long time. Najee Harris led the way with 20 carries for and 70 yards. He only average 3.5 yards per carry, but ran strong. Cordarrelle Patterson had 4 carries for 13 yards and generally looked good. With 2 carries for 7 yards and 2 catches for 13 yards Jaylen Warren had an uncharacteristically quiet day. Grade: B
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth led the team with 4 receptions including 27. MyCole Pruitt got into the act with 1 catch for 9 yards helping convert a key third down. Darnell Washington had one catch, and Connor Heyward made his presence known with a critical block late in the game. Steelers tight ends need to be a little more productive in the passing game. Grade: B-
Wide Receivers
George Pickens led the unit with 6 catches for 85 yards and frankly should have had 7 for 130 due to two horrendous calls by the officials. Calvin Austin had 1 catch for 7 yards and Van Jefferson had a 1 catch for one year. Pickens showed he’s a legit number 1 wide receiver but someone else needs to step up. Grade: B-
Offensive Line
The offensive line that took the field was missing two if not three projected starters from as recently as 3 weeks ago. That added question marks to a unit that had looked shaky during preseason. Against Atlanta, the Steelers offensive line turned in a solid performance. Run blocking was OK as so was the pass protection. Would Russell Wilson have had enough pass protection had he been healthy? We’ll never know, but today that’s an academic question. Grade: C
Defensive Line
On the negative side the Falcons averaged 4.5 yards per carry. On the positive side they only topped out at 86 yards total rushing offense showing they never got into rhythm. Cam Heyward led with 4 tackles an should have had at least half of the sack that Montravius Adams got credited with. And Larry Ogunjobi‘s pressure directly contributed to Kirk Cousins game ending interception. Grade: B
Linebackers
T.J. Watt had two strips sacks taken away by penalty and he was still the most dominant defender, recovering one fumble, notching the sack that ended the game and generally making life miserable for all members of the Falcons backfield. Alex Highsmith deflected a pass, and while Patrick Queen and Elandon Roberts has strong games, rookie Peyton Wilson led the inside linebackers in tackles. Grade: A+
Secondary
Donte Jackson’s interception ended any chance of a Falcons comeback and DeShon Elliott helped put Pittsburgh ahead with first quarter interceptions. Minkah Fitzpatrick was all over the field and Joey Porter Jr.’s name was seldom heard in a good way. Rookie Beanie Bishop played well but his blown coverage on the touchdown drops the grade. Grade: A-
Special Team
Cameron Johnston reminded Steelers fans of what it is like to have a booming punting. It was nice while it lasted. Calvin Austin looked good as a punt returner and the punt coverage solid.
- The real star of course is Chris Boswell.
Not only did he go 6-6 on field goal attempts, he hit them from 57, 51, 44, 56, 40, 25. And he didn’t stop there as Boswell also ripped of an impressive punt when call upon to do so in an emergency.
Coaching
In his first outing as offensive coordinator Arthur Smith delivered a mixed bag. His offense didn’t sniff the end zone making the game far closer than it should have been. However, for the first time in several seasons, the Steelers offense showed some rhythm. That helped them dominate did dominate time of possession, which clearly worked in their favor.
- The Falcons offense started a little too fast for comfort against Teryl Austin’s defense.
However, this fact has already been forgotten because Austin’s defense went into bend but don’t break mode when the Falcons reached the Red Zone. During the second half simply shifted into don’t break mode limiting Atlanta to 31 yards of total offense or 11 more than Jaylen Warren’s combined yardage total on what was a slow day for him.
Scotty Miller doing emergency holding duties. Photo Credit: Jefferson City News Tribune.
This was Mike Tomlin’s 18th season opener and the Steelers arguably delivered their best opening day performance since 2016. Tomlin’s team showed up ready to play and able to create opportunities for themselves. Grade: A-
Unsung Hero
He entered the game as one of the Steelers “no name wide receivers.” Had the Brandon Aiyuk trade gone through it would have likely cost him his roster spot. But he made a big difference for the Steelers in the win over Atlanta. As soon as Chris Boswell made his first regular season NFL punt he streaked down the field to make a tackle and a few plays later he was place holding for Boswell as he kicked the clinching field goal and for that Scotty Miller is the Unsung Hero of the Steelers win over the Falcons.
