Tag Archives: Steelers vs. Falcons

Is There Solution to Sloppy September Football? Maybe, Maybe Not….

Posted on by Standard Reply

Steelers scribes can use lots of adjectives to describe McCarthy’s inaugural win in Pittsburgh, but the one that best suits it is “sloppy” – a descriptor that applies to both teams.

D.K. Metcalf with one of several drops in the Steelers 2026 opening day win over the Falcons.

D.K. Metcalf drops another pass. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post-Gazette

Numbers don’t lie and they tell a disheveled tale:

  • The Steelers and Falcons combined to miss 3 field goals
  • Add one more “what was that?” botched field goal attempt
  • The Steelers and Falcons accepted a total of 13 penalties for over 150 yards
  • Aaron Rodgers targeted D.K. Metcalf 10 times and only came away with 4 catches
  • The Falcons and the Steelers went a cumulative 5 for 25 on third downs
  • For the record, the Steelers were 0 for 2 on fourth downs

OK. Those conversion stats present a double-edge sword, because the takeaway could easily be that the defense was playing exceptionally well. If you look at how Alex Highsmith ended Atlanta’s opening and closing drives with sacks, that conclusion has merit.

Mike McCarthy acknowledged the “herky jerky” nature of his offense and chalked the sloppiness up to “September football.” So be it. That’s now the norm in the NFL.

  • But the better question is:  Must it really be that way?

We know the reason: With each passing year, coaches play starters and even first-line backups less and less in preseason. And that has consequences, as Bob Labriola laid out about a year ago in “Asked and Answered.” Responding to a question about early season sloppiness, the Steelers Digest editor explained:

Once the regular season begins, a team doesn’t need to be a well-oiled machine to win games; it just needs to be better than that week’s particular opponent. Since no teams give significant playing time to their starters during the preseason, there are no well-oiled machines in the NFL in September. Or even into early October.

Two questions later, in the same chat, Labriola pointed to the goal of protecting starters from injuries, indicating that coaches will err on the side of keeping players healthy.

Fair enough.

The days of Chuck Noll using the final preseason game as his “dress rehearsal” where he’d play presumptive starters well into the 4th quarter are long gone.

Metcalf didn’t play a down in preseason and he had two egregious drops. Now, no one will ever confuse Metcalf’s pass-catching ability with Antonio Brown’s. But his 40% catch rate is 20 points below his career average. In this game, that translates to 2 catches. And one of Metcalf’s drops would have been a game changer.

  • It is tempting to wonder whether Metcalf would have been sharper with even a few preseason reps under his belt.

Couldn’t an enterprising coach create a competitive edge by finding a happy medium between playing starters just long enough to knock off the rust while keeping them healthy?

  • Maybe, maybe not.

We’ll likely never know the answer to the question.

The Steelers went into the game healthy, not counting DeShon Elliott and, er um, Joey Porter Jr., and came out of the game healthy. And the Steelers, while sloppy, were less sloppy than the Falcons.

So maybe it is OK that we’ll never learn the answer to the question.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for Win Over Falcons: New Era Edition

Posted on by Standard Reply

Taken from the grade book of a teacher excited to welcome both new students and a new era, here is the Report Card for the 2026 Steelers season-opening win over the Falcons at Acrisure Stadium.

Darnell Washington stiff arms Xavier Watts.

Darnell Washington lets Xavier Watts know who is boss. Photo Credit: Jordan Perez, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers went 24 of 40 for 221 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers looked comfortable and in command of the offense, made good decisions and suffered too many drops. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Jaylen Warren carried 10 times for 46 yards but coughed up the ball setting up Atlanta’s only touchdown. Warren also caught 5 passes for 27 yards. Rico Dowdle carried 8 times for 15 yards and caught 2 passes for 6 yards. The Steelers running backs didn’t keep any Fantasy Football owners happy but Warren did move the chains late in the game. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth had a solid afternoon catching 5 passes for 46 yards for the team’s only touchdown. He also blocked well. Darnell Washington only caught 2 passes for 18 yards and it is tempting to give the group an “A” just for his 15 yard catch (see the lead photo.) We won’t go that far, but the tight ends were easily the strongest unit on the offense. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
D.K. Metcalf caught 4 passes on 10 targets. He was robbed of a long gain by a non-pass interference call, but dropped a highly catchable ball that he could have taken to the house. Roman Wilson caught 3 passes on 6 targets but gave up a combat catch in the end zone. Michael Pittman Jr. had the best day of the trio, catching 3 for 58, and brings the group grade up. Grade: D

Offensive Line
This was an area of worry going into the game, but the line was OK. Aaron Rodgers only gave up two sacks and had more time to pass than he did a year ago. Dylan Cook still looks uneasy a right tackle and Spencer Anderson also had some difficult moments, but the center and the left of the line had a solid afternoon. Grade: C

Defensive Line
Is there anything that Cam Heyward can’t do? He stuffed  Bijan Robinson on a number of occasions and batted down 3 passes. The Steelers defensive line didn’t put up gaudy statistics, but they contained Robinson, which was critical to the success of the rest of the defense. Grade: B+

Linebackers
Payton Wilson led the group with 13 tackles including 2 for losses and was all over the field. Patrick Queen was next with 7. Nick Herbig was on the field for 60% of the snaps making 2 tackles and one QB hit. Alex Highsmith ended the Falcons opening and closing drives with sacks. The real star was T.J. Watt who was in Hall of Fame form with 2 tackles, 2 for losses, 1 pass batted down, 2 sacks and 1 pick six. Grade: A

Secondary
A brand new secondary started for the Steelers compared to what was on the field the last time they opened a season vs the Falcons in 2024. And the new unit played well. Neither Jamel Dean’s nor Asante Samuel Jr.’s name was heard much and for both cornerbacks that was a good thing. Jalen Ramsey was likely out of position on one of Robinson’s long gains, but he did step up with a critical pass defense. And Pittsburgh native Jaquan Brisker hauled in an interception that set up the first TD. Grade: A-

Special Teams
Jim Wexell quoted the legendary Bill Nunn as saying that Danny Smith was the most well-organized special teams coach he’d ever seen. After watching the Steelers special teams’ first game without Smith since 2013, that’s easy to believe.

Eli Heidenreich and Kaden Wetjen had solid though not spectacular debuts as return men. But the Steelers coverage units gave up more than you’d like to see, and had a long gain against them reversed by a penalty. Chris Boswell went 2-3 missing a makeable field goal, and the entire unit lost another with a “what was that?” moment. Clearly, Danny Crossman has work to do. Grade: D

Coaching
The last time someone other than Mike Tomlin coached the Steelers, MySpace dominated social media, Twitter was in its infancy and if you wanted to rent a movie, you drove to Blockbuster.

Outside of a handful of exceptions, this was an end-to-end overhaul of the Steelers coaching staff, and by and large new head coach Mike McCarthy and his coaches did well in their first game with Pittsburgh.

For all of the criticism of the new Steelers offense looking the same as the old offense, Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio’s play design and play calling choices differed greatly from what Pittsburgh has seen. And with just a little better execution, the score would have been very different.

Patrick Graham has no shortage of weapons to use on defense, and he deployed them wisely. This allowed several key players to step up at critical moments and this was the difference in the game.

September football is synonymous with sloppy football. The Steelers were no exception. But Pittsburgh was better prepared than Atlanta as the final score indicates. Grade: B

Derrick Harmon, Jack Sawyer and Payton Wilson gang tackle Brian Robinson during the Steelers win over the Falcons.

Jack Sawyer helps gang tackle Brian Robinson. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Unsung Hero Award
Sometimes less is more. T.J. Watt played well all day, but he exploded in the last 18 minutes. We’ve seen that before but not for a while. Over the past 3 seasons, Watt has played over 80% of the defensive snaps. Against the Falcons it was in the low 60s. And he was able to do that because a young, second-year defender was able to come in and spell him, and for that Jack Sawyer wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2026 opening-day win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

The Mike McCarthy Era Begins as Steelers Beat Falcons 20-13 at Acrisure Stadium

Posted on by Standard Reply

The Mike McCarthy era began as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 at Acrisure Stadium to open the 2026 season.

In securing victory, Mike McCarthy now joins his three immediate predecessors, Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin in winning his first game as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But, in an ironic nod to continuity, we can explain McCarthy’s first win by leaning into a time-tested Tomlinism: “Players play, coaches coach.”

T.J. Watt intercepts Cooper Rush and Jawaan Taylor cannot stop him.

T.J. Watt intercepts Cooper Rush in the 4th quarter. Photo Credit: Taylor Ollason, Steelers.com

Meet the New Steelers Offense, Same as the Old Steelers Offense?

Pittsburgh has fielded “pedestrian” offenses, put generously, since Ben Roethlisberger threw out his arm against Seattle in 2019.

And the consensus remedy for all that ailed the Steelers offense according to fans, podcasters and professional commentators alike has been to replace Mike Tomlin with an offensive-minded head coach.

That’s what Art Rooney II did when he hired Mike McCarthy. And, with one game out of 17 in the books, we can say that the new Steelers offense looks an awful lot like the old.

  • Steelers running backs couldn’t crack 60 yards total rushing
  • Its leading wide receiver caught 3 balls for 58 yards
  • The unit went 3 of 13 on third downs
  • It scored one touchdown and put up the same number of points as Atlanta’s offense

There were positives. Aaron Rodgers was only sacked twice – although he was hit a total of 6 times. Pat Freiermuth had the type of afternoon that eluded him last season, scoring the team’s only touchdown.

Michael Pittman Jr. caught 3 of 3 balls thrown his way and looked better than any other Steelers WR No. 2 has had in years.

  • The same can’t really be said for WR No. 1, D.K. Metcalf.

Aaron Rodgers looked to him early and often, yet Metcalf only came down with 4 balls that came his way. To be fair to Metcalf, Rodgers hit him perfectly on a deep, sideline route that most certainly should have been called as pass interference.

But, in one of those coveted “passes over the middle” at the tail end of the third quarter, Rodgers delivered the ball perfectly, and Metcalf couldn’t hold on. Had he caught the ball, it is possible that none of the defense’s 4th quarter fireworks would have been necessary.

A.J. Terrell breaks up a long pass intended for D.K. Metcalf in the Steelers 2026 opening day win over the Falcons.

D.K. Metcalf can’t quite hold on as A.J. Terrell interferes. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Roman Wilson got his most extensive, non-garbage time play of his career thus far, and the results were mixed. He did come away with 3 catches for 26 yards, which is OK, but he dropped a touchdown in the end zone.

To be fair, a flag could have been thrown on that pass too, but like Metcalf, Wilson must start finding ways to win these combat catches.

The deep shots that Mike McCarthy and Brian Angelichio took down the middle indicate that the coaching duo was trying to do something different on offense. But the execution left a lot to be desired.

  • How did it go again? “Players play, coaches coach?”

There were a few other hopeful signs at the tail end of the game, as we shall see.

The “Other” 10 on the Steelers Defense

Given what we saw in the 4th quarter, one could be forgiven for forgetting that there were 10 other players at any given moment whose name did not start and end with a “T.”

  • But it was far from a one-man show for the Steelers defense.

Much has been made of the “most expensive defense in the NFL” for the last several seasons. Football historians can debate that at their convenience, against the Atlanta Falcons in the 2026 opener, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense earned their money:

  • Payton Wilson led in tackles, including 2 for losses and was all over the field
  • Jalen Ramsey stepped up and broke up a pass, negating a long gain early on
  • Alex Highsmith wrecked Atlanta’s opening and closing drives with sacks
  • Newcomer Jaquan Brisker set up the Steelers only touchdown with a late 2nd quarter interception

And Cam Heyward, the legendary defensive lineman who seems to be making a parallel late career case to do double duty as a defensive back, led the team with 3 passes defensed, and as usual was a force up front at all other times.

Jalen Ramsey breaks up what would have been a long one to Kyle Pitts in the Steelers 2026 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Jalen Ramsey breaks up a pass to Kyle Pitts. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

It is true, the Steelers were facing second-string quarterback Cooper Rush, who himself had injury issues going into the game. But Atlanta has weapons on offense. Bijan Robinson is one of the NFL’s most dangerous rushers. Robinson had a respectable day, but never threatened to take over the game.

And while the Steelers offense only converted three third downs, that was 50% more than the Falcons, who converted two. Patrick Graham is already earning accolades from the social media chorus for calling a much better game than Mike Tomlin or Teryl Austin would have.

  • And Graham does deserve credit.

But, the entire Steelers defense was firing on all cylinders. And if they hadn’t been, it may not have mattered. Because the 11th player on the field was performing on a different level.

T.J. Watt Grounds the Falcons

Neither 2024 nor 2025 were kind to T.J. Watt. In 2024 Watt started off strong, but an undisclosed injury hampered him late in the season, just as the Steelers entered their critical late-season stretch.

Watt’s lightning quick tackles of Derrick Henry, when in fact Lamar Jackson had the ball, seemed emblematic of everything wrong with the Steelers defense during the 2024 season’s playoff ridiculing suffered at the hands of the Ravens.

Watt had his moments in 2025 and played better than his 7 sacks suggest, but he still appeared to be a player in decline.

His name wasn’t called much early in the game against the Falcons, aside from a sack late in the first half. And late in the 3rd quarter, Joe Davis and Greg Olsen got to talking about Watt’s decline in play.

T.J. Watt with one of two sacks of Cooper Rush in the Steelers 2026 opening day win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Watt breaks a hold to sack Cooper Rush. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

If you didn’t know better, you’d have thought Watt was listening.

Because on the next play he stopped Robinson for a loss. Then, despite being blatantly held, he sacked Cooper Rush, helping to force Atlanta to settle for a field goal.

  • Unfortunately for the Falcons, Watt was only getting warmed up.

The field goal gave Atlanta 10 points, putting them within three of Pittsburgh. The fourth quarter was just starting. The Steelers offense followed with one of those three-and-outs that looked way too familiar to the fare the Fitchner, Canada and Smith offenses treated fans to.

Atlanta ended the 3rd quarter with a 20-yard Bijan Robinson run: The Falcons appeared to be taking flight as the 4th quarter began.

T.J. Watt thought otherwise.

Watt opened the 4th quarter by stoning Robinson for no gain on first down. On second down, after Patrick Graham radioed in the play, Patrick Queen looked at Watt and told him, “Bro, go get me one.” This was Watt’s response:

There are 3 things to take away from this play:

  1. It took incredible concentration for Watt to intercept that ball
  2. Watt’s commitment to playing to the whistle drives him to get up and finish the play
  3. Notice how Benton, Ramsey and Wilson rally to ensure Watt makes it to the end zone

Yes it is a long season. Yes, Watt will have to sustain this level.

But I have pretty good feeling pushing the “Watt’s Washed Up” storyline in the Atlanta Falcons locker room this morning would be a pretty hard sell.

A Finish the Steelers Offense Can Build On?

The Steelers offensive performance did feature a different, hopeful wrinkle. After Highsmith ended the Falcons’ final drive, the Steelers got the ball back with 4:16 remaining.

In just about any similar situation during the post-Roethlisberger era, it would have been nail-biting time. Not against the Falcons. Rodgers opened with passes to Metcalf, Pittman and Darnell Washington.

From there Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren banged out 4 and 9 yard runs respectively, allowing Mike McCarthy to deploy the victory formation.

This wasn’t exactly the type of attrition football that we witnessed in the days when Jerome Bettis or Le’Veon Bell salted away games. But seeing the Steelers spend the final minute of the game taking a knee as opposed to watching their DBs scramble around playing prevent defense was a welcome change.

Perhaps that’s something that Mike McCarthy can build on.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Special Teams Are Special – Steelers Beat Falcons 18-10 on 6 Boswell Field Goals

Posted on by Standard Reply

Mike Tomlin opened his 18th year in Pittsburgh by going down to Atlanta and leading the Steelers to a 18-10 win over the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Understanding the story of this game requires understand its backstory.

Look at what has happened since the Steelers closed the preseason against the Lions:

That’s three blows to an offense that was already a question mark. But there’s another way of looking at it:  The Steelers had the Falcons just where they wanted them.

No, this certainly wasn’t Mike Tomlin’s ideal situation going down to Atlanta. But it was one he and the team was prepared for. Everyone knew the Steelers offense would be work in progress early in the season.

The question was could the defense and special teams carry the Steelers while Arthur Smith’s offense found its footing? Against the Falcons both units answered with a resounding “Yes.”

Chris Boswell, Chris Boswell 6 Field goals, Steelers vs Falcons

Chris Boswell kicking 1 of his 6 Field goals. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Holding Their Own on the Margins

Politics has been and will remain a verboten topic on Steel Curtain Rising. But we are in election season and from now until November both blue, purple and red pollsters will remind us: Elections are won on the margins.

  • The same holds true for many football games.
  • The Steelers win over the Falcons offers a perfect example.

The first 24 minutes against the Falcons featured one of the lowest octane games that you’ll ever see, as both offenses exchanged field goals and punts. DeShon Elliott gave the Steelers a shot at opening up the game with an interception of Kirk Cousins on Atlanta’s second possession, but Pittsburgh had to settle for a Chris Boswell field goal.

Things perked up with just under 4 minutes remaining in the half, as Atlanta put together an impressive 90 yard drive that ended with Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts to score a touchdown with just over 30 seconds remaining.

On the touchdown rookie Beanie Bishop appeared to botch his assignment by sticking too closely to his zone and allowing Pitts to get behind him in the end zone. He blinked, to use a Tomlinism.

  • There were just 32 seconds left in the half. Would Mike Tomlin blink too?

During the Ben Roethlisberger era, this would have been a no-brainer. For all the grief Tomlin took over clock management, he always tried to put more points on the board in these situations. Most often, his offense succeeded.

However, with Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett helming Matt Canada’s offenses, Tomlin would often just play it safe. With Justin Fields Tomlin opted not to play it safe. Perhaps two chink and dink passes to Calvin Austin and Pat Freiermuth lent the illusion that Arthur Smith was calling this conservatively.

But on 1st and 10 from Pittsburgh’s 42, Justin Fields found George Pickens downfield for a 41-yard pass which brought them to Atlanta’s 25-yard line, giving Chris Boswell a chance to make his 3rd field goal of the day, which was “only” a 44 yarder.

The Steelers were still going into the locker room at halftime down, but they were down by only one point. But more importantly, they went into the locker room having grounded the Falcons momentum.

An Efficient, If Not Entirely Effective Offense

In his return to Atlanta, Arthur Smith fielded an offense that was efficient, if not entirely effective. Do it leave a lot for negative nitpickers to pick at? Absolutely:

  • Zach Frazier and Justin Fields had two more fumble exchanges
  • Fields gave up 2 sacks
  • The attempt to run a reverse failed disastrously
  • The offense only didn’t reach the Red Zone until just over 9 minutes remained in the game
  • Inside the Red Zone the offense failed to convert on fourth down
  • The Steelers didn’t even sniff a touchdown

Yes, Arthur Smith does leave Atlanta with ample opportunities to improve. But the evidence also makes it clear that he has a solid base to improve upon.

  • Najee Harris authored a strong afternoon
  • Cordarrelle Patterson flashed that he can give the offense a third option rushing
  • 8 separate players caught balls, offering hope that the passing game won’t soley depend on George Pickens
  • The Steelers were reasonably good on third downs
  • Pittsburgh posted an 11-minute time of possession
  • The Steelers protected the ball

Moreover, the Steelers remained committed to the run. That kept the Falcons defense honest, which allowed Fields to find Pickens for several long gains.

Defense Dominates, Special Teams Special

One of the downsides of watching a close game where your team’s offense is efficient but not necessarily effective is that it can mask an exceptional defensive performance. And the Steelers defense turned in a good performance in the first half before thoroughly dominating in the second half.

Cam Heyward, Montravius Adams, Steelers vs Falcons, Kirk Cousin

Cam Heyward and Montravius Adams fold up Kirk Cousins. Photo Credit: AP, via Tribune-Review

  • Just how dominant were the Black and Gold?
  • Well, if ESPN’s play-by-play stats are correct, they limited the Falcons to 31 yards in the 2nd half

T.J. Watt had two strip sacks taken away from him before closing the game with a sack the finally counted. Cam Heyward was stout at the line of scrimmage and should have been credited with a half sack that he and Montravius Adams logged. Alex Highsmith helped kill another drive by deflecting a pass. Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi helped keep the pressure on Kirk Cousins.

And just when Atlanta just might be mounting a comeback after the Steelers were forced to punt, Donte Jackson picked off Cousins and set the Steelers up for their final score.

But for as efficient as the offense as and for as much as the defense dominated, special teams were the difference maker for the Steelers.

Calvin Austin made some nice returns, and the Steelers punt gunners did a great job of covering Pittsburgh’s final punt.

  • But Chris Boswell’s performance was not of this word.

Not only did he go 6-6 on field goals, but he knocked them in from 57, 51 and 56 yards. And when  Cameron Johnston went down, Boswell stepped right in and booted a 43-yarder.

  • Can the Steelers expect ride Chris Boswell’s leg all the way to their 7th Lombardi?

Of course not. But thanks to Boswell’s seemingly bionic leg and his nerves of steel, the Steelers have taken their first step in that direction and finish week one with the AFC North division lead.

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Steelers Report Card for Win Over Falcons: Dark Tower Edition

Posted on by Standard Reply

From the gradebook of a teacher who is almost as pleased by the fact that he was able to work a Dark Tower reference into his analysis (see the link at the end) as he is about the Steelers back-to-back wins, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the 2022 road win over Atlanta.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Falcons

Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepts the final Falcons pass. Photo Credit: USA Today SteelersWire

Quarterback
Kenny Pickett went 16 of 28 for 197 yards with one touchdown and for the fourth straight week – no interceptions. Steadily but surely, Pickett continues to improve. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
Najee Harris had 86 yards on 17 carries, followed by Benny Snell with 24 yards on 6 carries, Jaylen Warren with 15 yards on one carry and Derek Watt with 1 carry for 4 yards that converted a 3rd down. So the top 3 running backs plus the full backs get carries in consecutive games for the first time in memory. And the Steelers get their first consecutive wins of the season. Coincidence? I think not. Grade: A

Tight Ends
The stat sheet tells you with Pat Freiermuth caught 3 passes for 76 yards on 5 targets and that Zach Gentry caught 1 for 8 yards on one target, and the Connor Heyward caught 1 pass on one target for 17 yards. Gentry’s catch set the Steelers up with a 2nd and 2 with 4:50 left in the game; teach of Freiermuth’s touchdowns converted a 3rd down, and Heyward scored the only touchdown. The Steelers tight ends showed just how much damage you can do with 5 catches. Grade: A

Wide Receivers
Diontae Johnson led the unit with 5 catches for 60 yards on 11 targets. But he dropped at least one critical catch and got gift call on a play that should have been a fumble. Steven Sims didn’t catch either of the passes thrown his way, but did look good on reverses. Gunner Olszewski had 2 reverses for 2 yards. George Pickens had one catch for two yards and made little secret of his unhappiness with getting targeted – this attitude must NOT continue. Grade: C-

Offensive Line
Kenny Pickett was not sacked for the entire day and he only took 4 QB hits. Equally impressively, the Steelers offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage opening holes for the runners. This unit is coming along. Grade: B+

Defensive Line
Cam Heyward had a difference making sack early in the game. Larry Ogunjobi decisively dropped Cordarrelle Patterson for a loss that forced a field goal. Expecting the pass the Steelers took Montravius Adams and the Falcons ran very well in the second half. The line shoulders some of that. Grade: B-

Linebackers
Myles Jack led the unit with six tackles and Devin Bush and Robert Spillaine logging QB hits as pass rushers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith had quiet games. Grade: B-

Secondary
The Falcons were 3-10 on third downs. Minkah Fitzpatrick led the unit and the team in tackles, including one for a four yard loss that helped stall a drive, and of course he authored the interception that ended the game. The secondary did get a little squishy in the 2nd half, but went into “Bend but don’t Break” mode in the Red Zone. (Although Arthur Maulet should have been flagged for pass interference). Overall a strong afternoon for the secondary. Grade: B+

Special Teams
What a difference 1 week makes. Matthew Wright hit all four of his field goals and completely neutralized Cordarrelle Patterson on kick returns. Pressley Harvin did a spectacular job pinning the Falcons down, while Myles Boykin downed the ball deep Steven Sims shaky punt returns drops this grade, but special teams was a difference maker for the Steelers. Grade: A-

Coaching
Is it me or does Matt Canada’s play calling suddenly look smarter now that his rookie quarterback is maturing and his offensive line continues to jell? During the first half the Steelers executed their physical, ball control brand of offense to perfection outside of the 20s. They didn’t do quite as well in the 2nd half, but killed the clock when necessary.

  • Getting touchdowns instead of field goals and Red Zone performance must improve, but that should come.

One defense the Steelers completely unhinged the Falcons during the first half. During the second half the Falcons reverted to their roots, and ran the ball effectively. Some of that success likely can be laid to the feet of the Steelers moving away from their base defense.

Cam Sutton, Cameron Sutton, Steelers vs Falcons

Cam Sutton keeps the Falcons from landing in the end zone. Photo Credit: AP, via Tribune Review.

George Pickens temper tantrums are a cause for concern as is the coaches obvious attempt to pacify him with a cheap catch, which would only seek to encourage the temperamental rookie. With that said, it was the Steelers, and not the Falcons who were playing like a team 1/2 game out of first place, as Mike Tomlin led the Steelers to their road win since playing a road game on Monday Night Football. Grade: B

Unsung Hero Award
Atlanta didn’t have a lot of luck through the air. But they did take their shots down field. And although he’s only credited with one pass defense, Cam Sutton played a huge role in keeping the Falcons from landing in the end zone on more than one occasion and for that he is the Unsung Hero of the Steelers win over Atlanta.

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Stack ’em: Steelers Beat Falcons 19-16 as They “Remember the Faces of Their Fathers”

Posted on by Standard Reply

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 19-16 at Georgia’s Mercedes Benz Stadium. The win came in their second road game on a Monday Night Football shortened week giving them their first consecutive victories of the 2022 season.

  • Just how and why were the Steelers able to accomplish this modest yet important milestone?

The Steelers won in Atlanta because, to borrow the words of Roland Deschain from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, “They remembered the faces of their fathers.”

Connor Heyward, Connor Heyward 1st touchdown, Steelers vs Falcons

Connor Heyward scores his first touchdown. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

Steelers Remember the Faces of Their Fathers

Roland Deschain is the Dark Tower’s protagonist acting as a sort of mythical knight in the form of an old Western gunslinger (Clint Eastwood’s character in Pale Rider is a good metaphor). A fully summary of an 8 book a 4,250 pages’ series is impossible here, but whenever Roland implores something critical to his katet or posse, he does so by reminding them to “Remember the face of your father.”

Roland Deschain

Roland Deschain

“Remembering the face of your father” serves as a fitting motif for a game that saw Cam and Connor Heyward step with big plays in honor of their father, the late great Craig “Iron Head” Heyward, but that’s part of the motive driving this motif.

After the Steelers 2009 season, Art Rooney II called out his team’s inability to rely on the run in critical situations, describing rushing the football as one of the franchise’s foundations.

A week ago, the Steelers defeated the Colts because they were able to lean on backfield depth after losing their top two backs to injury.

And both players played well. But Mike Tomlin and Matt Canada didn’t hesitate to rotate in Benny Snell when necessary. They even continued to rely on Derek Watt who converted yet again in short yardage situations.

Najee Harris, Steelers vs Falcons

Najee Harris looked like a first round pick vs Falcons. Photo Credit: AP, via Tribune Review

Najee Harris’ 86 yards on 17 carries were impressive as were Benny Snell’s 24 yards on 6 carries. Jaylen Warren’s 5 yard carry was more economical, but it converted a third down on a field goal drive.

  • Statistics paint an incomplete picture, however.

The Steelers running backs hit holes with authority and ran decisively. On several occasions Najee Harris stiff armed his way to additional yards and as a group, the Steelers running backs forced piles to fall forward.

Pittsburgh’s running game wasn’t perfect. Matthew Wright’s 4 field goals show that the Steelers are still struggling in the Red Zone, but by relying on an effective running game, the Steelers gave themselves a chance to win.

Pickett Continues to Progress

Even since Mitch Trubisky came off the bench and sealed the win over Tampa Bay, plenty of outsiders have called on Mike Tomlin to bench Pickett and allow the rookie to learn from the sidelines.

After the Philadelphia disaster, Bill Cowher suggested Tomlin was putting Pickett’s confidence in jeopardy. Following the beating from the Bengals, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pointed to other rookies who’ve been shown the bench around the league suggesting the Steelers follow suit.

  • But Mike Tomlin has kept his own counsel and during these last two weeks we’re seeing why.

A week ago, Kenny Pickett stepped up and put a tough throw trhough a tight window to George Pickens on third down in what would be the game winning touchdown drive. Against the Falcons Kenny Pickett hit Pat Freiermuth 3 times on third down, converting each one.

And with Pittsburgh holding a 3 point lead and sitting on 5 minutes of clock to kill, the Steelers alternated effective running with passes to Zach Gentry and Diontae Johnson, both of which converted third downs.

  • Beyond that, Pickett’s game-IQ continues to improve.

This goes beyond not throwing an interception.  He’s also tucked and run with it when it’s been wise to do so and otherwise thrown it away rather than force a dangerous pass.

And as the read he made on Connor Heyward’s touchdown catch shows, Pickett is doing far more than just driving without denting the back bumper.

Defense Dominates, Slips, Then Stiffens

Taking a 16-6 lead into half time isn’t normally an occasion for saying that the leading team is stomping on its opponent, but that was indeed the case with the Steelers defense in the first half.

Cam Hewyward, Marcus Mariota, Steelers vs Falcons

Cam Heyward sacks Marcus Mariota. Photo Credit: AP, via Tribune-Review

There weren’t a lot of fireworks, save for Cam Heyward’s sack of Marcus Mariota, but the Falcons could get nothing going. Indeed, had the Steelers been able to trade one of Matthew Wright’s field goals into touchdowns, they very well may have put the game away at the half.

  • But in the 2nd half it was time for the Falcons to remember something.

They remembered that they had the trio of Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley who could run the ball. And Atlanta began letting them run the ball, daring the Steelers to stop them.

  • For much of the 2nd half, the Steelers struggled to do that.

As Atlanta played Smash Mouth football to work its way down to the Steelers 10 yard line with 7 minutes left to go, it looked like the lead to this article was going to be that the Steelers had forgotten the faces of their fathers.

But thanks to stout play by the two Cams, Cam Heyward and Cam Sutton, the Steelers defense forced a field goal. But two more players were to step up before this was over.

Harvin Hits It on a Dime, Setting Up some Minkah Magic

Cam Heyward, Steelers vs. Chargers 2015

Cam Heyward honoring his father, Craig “Iron Head” Heyward on MNF. Photo Credit: Twitter

After forcing a field goal the Steelers offense couldn’t put the game away, but thanks to the smart play by Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris and Benny Snell mentioned above, they burned off four minutes and 45 seconds off of the clock – including all of Atlanta’s time outs.

  • Pressley Harvin boomed off a 38 yard punt that Myles Bokin downed at Atlanta’s 2.

Marcus Mariota had 42 seconds to get the Falcons into field goal range with no timeouts. He wasted little time in taking a deep shot to Drake London and Minkah Fitzpatrick wasted even less time in jumping the route, intercepting his pass and returning in 16 yards before running out of bounds.

With the game on the line, Harvin and Fitzpatrick made big, smart plays – truly remembering the faces of their fathers.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

L.J. Fort’s Snap Count with Steelers Deserves to Go Up after Performance vs Falcons

Posted on by Standard Reply

If you tuned into the Steelers’ Week 5, 41-17 win against the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday at Heinz Field, you may have been anticipating the defensive debut of an athletic and mostly-unproven player at inside linebacker.

  • After all, reports that this young lion had been getting reps with the first team tantalized during the preceding week.

Only that athletic inside linebacker wasn’t Matthew Thomas, the Steelers 2018 undrafted free agent out of Florida State, who dazzled in the preseason and had many clamoring for him to get an increase in playing-time thanks to the struggles of the Steelers’ defense through the first four weeks.

Instead, what the fans got was more playing time for L.J. Fort, the 2012 undrafted rookie free agent of Northern Iowa, who bounced around the NFL for a few years before winding up with the Steelers in 2015.  L.J. Fort saw playing-time on defense sparingly over his first three seasons with Pittsburgh, but he did have a knack for dazzling a bit in preseason action.

L.J. Fort, Matt Ryan, Steelers vs Falcons

L.J. Fort rushes Matt Ryan. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, via Steelers.com

Witnessing L. J. Fort in action in recent years (as limited as that action may have been), you could see that he possessed athleticism superior to the likes of Vince Williams and Tyler Matakevich. In-fact, L.J. Fort appeared to come about as close as humanly possible to having the abilities of a Ryan Shazier, whose athletic gifts seemed to be super-natural for an inside linebacker.

Yet, when Ryan Shazier suffered his gruesome and life-altering spinal contusion injury against the Bengals last December at Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium, it was Tyler Matakevich who stepped in at inside linebacker, albeit only briefly, before he suffered a pretty serious shoulder injury on the same night.

  • Ah, but with Tyler Matakevick out, the Steelers turned to the unproven L.J. Fort but down-the-stretch and into the playoffs? Right?

Alas, they did not. Instead, they went out and signed Sean Spence, who was out of work and sitting on his couch, when head coach Mike Tomlin and Co. came calling.

  • The results, as you know, were not great, as the Jacksonville Jaguars exposed Sean Spence and the rest of the Steelers’ defense during that ugly playoff loss January 14th.

Fast-forward to this past Sunday. The veteran Vince Williams was out of action due to a hamstring injury, and even though Tyler Matakevich started at inside linebacker alongside Jon Bostic, this meant that L. J. Fort, who had just 11 snaps on defense through the first month of the season, would see increased action, particularly on third down.

L.J. Fort’s snap count with the defense only reached 27 on Sunday, a number that was significantly less than both Jon Bostic and Tyler Matakevich, but Fort  got the most bang for his buck, recording six tackles and a sack of Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan. L.J. Fort was also credited with three quarterback hits and played well in pass coverage.

Fort even put the finishing touches on a 41-17 win by using his quickness to pounce on a fumble in the end zone after outside linebacker T.J. Watt stripped Ryan of the football near the Steelers’ goal line.

  • Does this mean Fort is the answer to the Steelers’ lack of a dazzling play-maker at the inside linebacker spot?

Not necessarily. What it could mean is that the injury to Vince Williams may have been a blessing in disguise, as it left the Steelers with almost no choice but to utilize L.J. Fort and make him a bigger part of their defensive game-plan.

The Steelers may have gotten stronger at inside linebacker this past Sunday; no, not because Matthew Thomas got a chance, but because L.J. Fort finally got his.

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Defeo Demands and T.J. Watt Delivers – Add to Defeoman’s Wish List

Posted on by Standard Reply

One doesn’t need a Ph.D. in football to know that the Steelers defense needed someone to step up in a big way heading into their 41-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Several Steelers defenders did indeed step up, and perhaps we have Tony Defeo to thank for the defender who made the biggest bang.

T.J. Watt, Matt Ryan, T.J. Watt Matt Ryan strip sack, Steelers vs Falcons

T.J. Watt strip sacks Matt Ryan. Photo Credit: AP, via Sharon Herald

Writing on Behind the Steel Curtain, Tony Defeo made a simple statement, but one strong enough to merit a game day Retweet:

And just like that, T.J. Watt delivered, leading the Steelers in tackles, tackling 5 players behind the line of scrimmage, hitting Matt Ryan 4 times, and sacking him 3 times, including a forced fumble which L.J. Fort recovered in the end zone for a game clinching touchdown.

Articles like that remind me of the days back at the legendary Purple Goose Saloon, where I’d jaw with buddies Mike and Todd.

“Bill Cowher needs to use Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala to give Jerome Bettis a breather, and while he’s at it, they need to throw more to Mark Bruener, especially when they’re in the Red Zone….”

Then one of us would quip “Yep, and we’ll tell him you said that the next time we see him!”

  • Of course now that the blogesphere exists, it is a lot easier to fool one’s self into thinking an average fan can exert such influence.

We can’t . But it’s nonetheless a little uncanny that our beloved Defeoman would see such a demand transformed into reality in such dramatic fashion. In the event that Tony’s DOES have some sort of mystical connection allows such wishes to be granted, here are a few to add to his bucket:

This list is just for starters. Feel free to add yours, although be judicious because Tony must wield his power wisely….

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Steelers Report Card for Win over Falcons – Is Defense Finally Finding Its Way without Star Pupil Shazier?

Posted on by Standard Reply

Taken from the grade book of a teacher who wonders if the rest of the class is finally compensating for the loss of its star pupil, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the Falcons at Heinz Field.

Cam Heyward, Jon Bostic, Matt Ryan, Steelers vs Falcons

Cam Heyward & Jon Bostic put Matt Ryan under duress. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger had an efficient day, posting his lowest yardage and passes thrown totals. It was certainly his most complete performance, as the Steelers converted 9 of 12 third downs and Big Ben tossed 3 touchdown passes. Still, Ben Roethlisberger took time to get warmed up and took points off the board with a costly end zone interception. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Back
James Conner delivered just as many were questioning the Steelers confidence in him and fans were warming to welcoming Le’Veon Bell back. James Conner dominated with 110 rushing yards and 75 yards receiving, while scoring 2 touchdowns. James Conner fumbled, which is worrisome. Roosevelt Nix saw little action, but he road graded Conner into the end zone. Stevan Ridley got 8 yards on 5 carries. Grade: A-

Tight Ends
Vance McDonald, Jesse James and Xavier Grimble’s combined 4 catches for 48 yards might not be that impressive, but Vance McDonald’s blocking helped James Conner author his dominating opening drive. Grade: B+

Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown finally managed to get aligned with Ben Roethlisberger, and the duo clipped the Falcons for 2 touchdowns and 101 yards. JuJu Smith-Schuster made a leaping catch to haul in Pittsburgh’s 2nd touchdown. Ryan Switzer caught 1 pass for 5 yards. Grade: B

Offensive Line
Mike Tomlin argued that the Steelers “Big Men” decided this game by winning their 1-1 matchups. That would include an offense live that didn’t give up a sack, only allowed its quarterback to be touched once and only saw one running back dropped behind the line of scrimmage. Grade: A

David DeCastro, James Conner, Steelers vs Falcons

David DeCastro obliterates a hapless Falcons defender. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Defensive Line
Cameron Heyward led the unit with 3 tackles, 1.5 tackles for losses and a sack and a half. Javon Hargrave also had ½ of a sack, while Stephon Tuitt had two tackles. Falcons running backs only gained 52 yards on the ground, and that starts with the line. Grade: A

Linebackers
After lurking in the background for the last few weeks, T.J. Watt was a man on fire, sacking Matt Ryan 3 times, forcing a fumble, dropping 5 Falcon runners behind the line of scrimmage and leading the Steelers in tackles. Bud Dupree helped drop two runners behind the line of scrimmage and helped pressure Ryan. Anthony Chickillo also helped drop two runners for a loss. Jon Bostic also had a piece of a sack and drop for a loss.

Tyler Matakevich had six tackles while splitting time with L.J. Fort, who book ended the defense’s splash plays with a sack of Matt Ryan on the first series and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Grade: A

Secondary
Despite the 1-3 record the Atlanta brought to Pittsburgh, the Falcon’s passing attack had been prolific. That looked to spell disaster for the Steelers-sieve like secondary.

  • Instead it was a disaster for Matt Ryan.

The Steelers secondary didn’t post a lot of flashy statistics, but they contained the Falcons passing attack, and forced them off the field on third downs. Mike Hilton showed his versatility as a pass rusher, and Terrell Edmunds made key stops. While Matt Ryan was often under duress, there were also times when he had time to throw, but failed to find anyone open. Grade: B+

Special Teams
The Steelers coverage units were strong and Ryan Switzer had a nice 23 yard return. Jordan Berry punted well. The key special teams play was of course Roosevelt Nix’s punt block, which sealed the game for the Steelers. Chris Boswell missed another extra point, but made his next five. Grade: A-

Roosevelt Nix, Roosevelt Nix blocked punt, Steelers vs Falcons

Roosevelt Nix blocks Matt Bosher’s punt. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Coaching
Is this the same Steelers team that we saw in September?

While Randy Fichtner’s offense has produced points in fits and starts this season, the Falcons game was the first time the Steelers offense played consistently for an entire game. Sure, the passing game had its hiccups, but constancy in the running game more than compensated.

  • Many will say that Keith Butler’s defense had its best afternoon since losing Ryan Shaizer.

That would be the wrong conclusion, because the Steelers defense played its best game since Joe Haden got hurt last year against the Colts. For the first time since that afternoon, it actually felt like the Steelers defense was executing its game plan as opposed to reacting to an offense.

  • September was a bad month for the Steelers offense, defense, and special teams.

The loss to the Ravens had the potential to be particularly deflating, because the Steelers looked inferior throughout the night. However, if that was the perception outside of Pittsburgh, it was not shared on the South Side.

Not only did Mike Tomlin keep negativity from taking root, he had the Steelers out there playing with confidence for the first time all season, and it was confidence that allowed the Steelers to take control of the ball game. Grade: A

Unsung Hero Award

In the words of Jim Wexell, Julio Jones arrived at Heinz Field “on pace to become the first 2,000-yard receiver in NFL history” and he left Pittsburgh “on pace to become a 1,805-yard receiver.”

  • And that is because Joe Haden shut him down until garbage time arrived.

Joe Haden didn’t record any “Splash Plays.” Instead, he simply took the Falcons most potent offensive weapon out of the game, and for that Joe Haden wins the Unsung Hero Award for the win over Atlanta.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Steelers vs Falcons Week 5 Preview: Pittsburgh At a Crossroads as Atlanta Arrives at Heinz Field

Posted on by Standard Reply

Over the previous four years in-which the Steelers ultimately reached the playoffs — including three where they were AFC North champions — they encountered some rough turbulence at some point during the regular season.

As Pittsburgh prepares for the Falcons to come to town for a 1 p.m. clash at Heinz Field on this afternoon, it, again, is having a rough time of it. At 1-2-1 after four games, it appears the Steelers’ season has already hit a fork in the road.

  • Which route will they take?

Will they take the path many predicted before the start of the season, a path that leads them straight to the postseason for a fifth-straight year? Or will they take the direction that continues them down the road of self-destruction and the first sub-.500 record during the Mike Tomlin head coaching regime?

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers vs Falcons preview

Ben Roethlisberger has had his ups and downs in ’18 thus far. Photo Credit: Getty Images, via New York Post

If I had to bet money, I’d say the Steelers will win impressively on Sunday against an equally-struggling Falcons team and, at least temporarily, take the more desirable route. But, then again, this adversity has hit everyone — coaches, players and fans – -like an unexpected round-house kick to the temple.

  • Unlike those aforementioned previous seasons that included adversity and strife, I don’t think anyone was really prepared for the struggles of  2018.

When the team was coming through a two-year transition phase, like in 2014, you were prepared for some turbulence. In-fact, Pittsburgh’s AFC North crown was a bit of a surprise four years ago, after the team missed the playoffs the previous two campaigns and was 3-3 after six games.

When the Steelers were hit with a rash of injuries–including the loss of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for a combined four games in 2015 and 2016–you weren’t surprised by the struggles and even the mediocre (or worse) records late into both seasons.

  • But, again, who was prepared for the start to 2018?
  • Who was prepared for all the turmoil?
  • Who was prepared for the on-going struggles of Roethlisberger?

Who would have thought Ben Roethlisberger and superstar receiver Antonio Brown would suddenly lose their almost magnetic connection and on-field chemistry?

Yeah, maybe the failure of disgruntled star running back Le’Veon Bell to report to the team for the first regular season game threw everyone for a loop. But with such a decorated and prideful offensive line, did anyone think the lack of a constant running game would become such a harsh reality?

Maybe you were prepared for the struggles of the defense. But were you prepared for the level of incompetence we’ve seen through four weeks, especially the two losses at Heinz Field, in-which the Steelers were down a combined 35-0 before the start of the second quarter?

  • Were you prepared for the lifeless and listless pass rush? How about the hopeless pass defense?

This is a start to a season in-which you really can’t place the blame on unfortunate circumstances. You can’t point to injuries. You can’t point to bad luck.

This is all mostly on a lack of execution and, if we’re being honest, perhaps a little less talent than many realized the Steelers possessed.

But, as I’ve already stated, the Steelers have been in this position before in recent years, and they’ve always come out of it smelling pretty rosy.

  • Can Mike Tomlin work his magic so that Pittsburgh pulls it off again?

If the Steelers are who we thought they were at the beginning of the 2018 campaign, the time to start showing it is this afternoon against the Atlanta Falcons.

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.