PITTSBURGH — The Falcons, despite starting the third-string quarterback, the wealth of penalties and the two missed field goals, were alive.
Then, as Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt jumped, snared Cooper Rush’s checkdown, rumbled forward, picked himself up and finished a 35-yard mission with a trip to the end zone alongside a convoy of blockers, the Falcons’ dreams of a Week 1 surprise were dashed.
Watt’s pick-six gave the Steelers a 20-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, and while the Falcons punched back, they still fell 20-13 to the Steelers in Sunday’s season opener at Acrisure Stadium. It was the Falcons’ ninth loss in Week 1 during the past 11 years.
Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush, who started because Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. were inactive with injuries, went 12-for-22 passing for 143 yards, one touchdown pass and two interceptions.
“He battled like I knew he would,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said postgame. “Proud of him for how he fought through the end. Obviously, we don’t want to turn the ball over and those types of things, but we’ve got to look at ways we can help him.”
Rush, 32, said it was “special” and “cool” to make his first Week 1 start, but he felt he didn’t maximize the opportunity.
“It’s never as good, never as bad (as you think), is the old saying,” Rush said postgame. “We’ve got to watch it. Obviously disappointing. Wish I played better right now. That’s how I feel. Wish I put us in the right position to win.”
Running back Bijan Robinson fumbled twice, recovered both, and finished as the team’s leading rusher and receiver with 173 total yards on 29 touches. He scored the team’s lone touchdown, a 23-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass in the first quarter.
Receiver Drake London caught two passes for 29 yards. Tight end Kyle Pitts was shut out for the third time in his 79-game career. Nick Folk, who missed three field goals total the past three years and was the NFL’s most accurate kicker in each season, went only 2-for-4 kicking Sunday, watching as 54- and 45-yarders sailed wide right.
“Nick’s not going to be perfect this year,” Stefanski said. “I don’t expect him to be perfect. I don’t expect our football team to be perfect. But you want your guys to respond to it, so I know he’ll respond.”
The Steelers outgained the Falcons, 264-238, but picked up only 15 first downs to Atlanta’s 16. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers went 24-for-40 passing for 221 yards and one touchdown, while the team rushed for 58 yards on 21 carries.
Penalties were a significant factor. The Falcons were flagged nine times for 96 yards, while the Steelers committed seven penalties for 52 yards.
“They seem to be post-snap rather than pre-snap,” Stefanski said of the team’s penalties. “We’ve got to look at our technique and look if there’s ways to be better. There’s some of this that happens on every play that you want your guys to have great technique and have your hands inside. There’s other ones where we got beat quickly and we resorted to holding.
“We’ll look at ways to be better there.”
The Falcons (0-1) return to action at 1 p.m. next Sunday against the Carolina Panthers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
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