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Week 1 was supposed to be a chance to make all things new for the Atlanta Falcons (0-1). However, it all felt too familiar after their 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0).
The coaching staff, led by head coach Raheem Morris, was new, as were a number of key players on both sides of the ball, most notably starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings. So, how did the results stay the same?
What really has to stick in the craw of Falcons fans after their loss to the Steelers on Sunday was that it marked former head coach Arthur Smith's return to Atlanta after being fired at the end of last season. Smith, now the offensive coordinator for the Steelers, couldn’t help lead Pittsburgh to a touchdown all evening. Even that has to sting for the Falcons.
The Steelers were also without starting quarterback Russell Wilson, who was made inactive not long before kickoff. Replacing him was Justin Fields. When you boil it down, the Falcons lost to a backup quarterback and their former coach without them scoring a single touchdown. Ouch.
It's only Week 1, so there’s no need to panic, especially with as much change as the Falcons have gone through in a year's time. But make no mistake—this home loss to the Steelers has Atlanta fans ready to point fingers. Here’s who’s most to blame for the Falcons’ loss to the Steelers in Week 1.
Kirk Cousins' Falcons debut falls flat
After signing a four-year, $180 million contract in the offseason, Kirk Cousins' performance on Sunday was not what Falcons fans were hoping for.
It should be taken into consideration that this was Cousins' first NFL game back since tearing his Achilles in late October last year. Also, he faced one of the toughest pass rushes in the NFL against edge rushers TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. It was Watt and Montravius Adams who came away with the two sacks against Cousins, with Watt's sack ending the game. Watt would have also had a strip sack late in the second quarter if not for being called offsides. in what looked to be a very close call.
Cousins completed just 16-of-26 passes for 155 yards with one touchdown and two costly interceptions. After the Steelers tied the game at 3-3 in the first quarter, on the Falcons' ensuing drive, they ran just two plays before Cousins threw an errant pass down the middle of the field, which was intercepted by DeShon Elliott. But it was the second pick that was the most costly for Atlanta and Cousins.
Down by five at the Pittsburgh 47-yard-line with 2:47 left to go, Cousins stared down Ray-Ray McCloud too long and was intercepted by Donte Jackson. Although the Falcons got the ball back later, this was the nail in the coffin and summed up Cousins' first day on the job in a Falcons uniform.
A.J. Terrell Jr. didn't have much of an answer for George Pickens
Someone else the Falcons recently secured for their future was cornerback A.J. Terrell Jr., who signed a four-year, $180 million contract extension just a couple of weeks ago. Terrell had quite the rough day guarding Steelers deep threat George Pickens, however.
Even though the Steelers couldn’t find the end zone, they flirted with it at times, thanks to some big plays by Pickens. Pickens had catches of 10, 12, 33, and 40 yards on the day. The 40-yarder helped increase the Steelers’ lead by five late in the third. Pickens also had another big play off Terrell that was later negated by referees who called it offensive pass interference—a call met with heavy criticism from Pittsburgh fans.
For the day, Pickens came away with six catches on seven targets for 85 yards.
Where was Bijan Robinson and the Falcons' running game?
Give credit where credit is due to the stout Steelers defense that held the Falcons to just 226 yards of total offense, averaging 4.5 yards per play and under 25 minutes in time of possession, while also causing three turnovers. Obviously, Cousins did not have a great first day and was the cause of two of those turnovers, but it’s not like the new signal caller's running game helped him much either.
Atlanta had just 89 rushing yards on the day, with Bijan Robinson leading the pack with 68 yards on 18 carries, good enough for 3.8 yards per carry. Tyler Allgeier had only four carries for 13 yards. This Falcons backfield is way too talented to be under 100 yards per game. This offense looks like it has some kinks to work out heading into Week 2.
