The Pittsburgh Steelers started their season off on the right foot on Sunday after defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, 18-10.
If you're a fan of offensive games (who isn't?), chances are you didn't enjoy this game overall. Both teams struggled to get much going throughout the contest and only one of them (the Falcons) managed to find the end zone.
After the Steelers increased their lead to 18-10 late in the fourth quarter, Atlanta had one shot to send the game into overtime with 28 seconds left on the clock, but Pittsburgh's defense, which was stifling all game long, was having none of it.
Now, let's take a look at the Steelers' biggest winners and losers from the Week 1 victory over the Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
Pittsburgh Steelers winners and losers
Winner: K Chris Boswell
Boswell was a machine in Week 1, nailing 6-of-6 field goal attempts, including three from 50-plus. Boswell's three makes from 50-plus were the most by any Steelers kicker in a single game in franchise history.
Loser: QB Justin Fields
Fields completed 17-of-23 passes for 156 yards and added 14 carries for 57 yards. It was clear the Steelers don't totally trust him to push the ball downfield, even on third downs, and Fields struggled with accuracy on some of his easier throws.
After failing to lead the offense on a single touchdown drive in Week 1, Fields simply did not do enough to steal the job away from Russell Wilson, who we expect will be the starter in Week 2.
Winner: S DeShon Elliott
Elliott notched the Steelers' first turnover of the 2024 campaign when he picked off Kirk Cousins in the first half. Elliott added two passes defensed and four tackles in what was an impressive debut.
Loser: Arthur Smith
There wasn't much to be excited about when it came to Arthur Smith's play-calling, with the lowlight being the Steelers calling a run on a third-and-6 in Atlanta territory in the first quarter that showed zero faith in Fields.
Hopefully things will get better once Wilson takes over, but this was not a good start for the Steelers' offense.
In between: CB Donte Jackson
Jackson was on his way to being a loser in this game after dropping an easy pick and getting flagged for illegal hands that wiped out a strip sack. However, he made up for those blunders in a big way by notching a huge interception in the fourth quarter.
Winner: Steelers' offensive line
Run-blocking wasn't good in the first half, but it got better as the game progressed. Pass Protection was solid throughout the contest, with the group upfront giving up two sacks and not a ton of pressure on the afternoon.
There were some issues with snaps early in the game, but that got cleaned up rather quickly. Considering the Steelers had a rookie center and were missing arguably their best offensive lineman, the offensive line's showing was very promising.
Winner: T.J. Watt
Watt was an absolute menace on Sunday. He should've had two strip sacks, but one was called back due to a questionable offsides penalty , and the other was negated after the aforementioned penalty by Jackson.
Watt eventually got his hands on a turnover off a botched snap, and he sealed the game with a sack. Watt finished with four tackles (two for loss), one sack and three QB hits.
Winner: Steelers' defense
If not for a questionable offsides penalty, the Falcons wouldn't have scored a single touchdown all game. Other than that, Pittsburgh's defense put the clamps on the Falcons for much of the afternoon.
Atlanta had just 226 yards of total offense and just barely cracked four yards per carry. The Steelers limited the Falcons to just 2-9 on third downs and made a red-zone stop. It was an outstanding showing for Pittsburgh's defense on Sunday.
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