The Atlanta Falcons came into this game with a third string quarterback, which increased the degree of difficulty significantly. They looked like a team starting their third string quarterback.
Because the Steelers are shaky themselves and because the defense largely was game, Atlanta hung around in this one until very late. But the team looked like a squad clinging to experience instead of upside and hoping for the best, and they got what they asked for, with Rush assuredly throwing them out of the game throughout this one and Bijan Robinson and the D battling valiantly to make up for that.
The whole game felt like that. The Falcons would get a key stop and the offense would set up a field goal try that didn’t convert or turn the ball over, with special teams and the offense falling short again and again in this one. It was once again an example of this team having one phase hold up their end of the bargain and the other two fall short, and for what seems like the hundreth time in the past few seasons, it led to a tough loss against a team that would’ve been beatable if all cylinders were firing.
It’s difficult to say much more about a game that felt tough going in and was tough to watch throughout. Rush looked every bit like a limited quarterback injury-wise and a limited quarterback skill-wise, and Nick Folk missing two kicks with some other miscues on special teams and penalties hurting the Falcons on defense sounded the death kneel for Atlanta. They never beat Pittsburgh, basically, and they ruined any shot they had at winning this one.
Where the Falcons go from here is anyone’s guess, but they have to figure out a quarterback solution and settle into something better to avoid 2026 being something other than another 2o25, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 20219, and 2018. For those of us who are beyond weary of watching this team lose, hopefully this proves to be an uncharacteristic, ugly Week 1 for the next era of Falcons football, rather than more of the same.
Here’s the drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.
Nick Folk kicked things off by…kicking things off, with the Steelers returning it to about the 33. Aaron Rodgers was immediately pressured and threw it away. Jaylen Warren took it about four yards going left. Rodgers badly overthrew DK Metcalf on third down. Punt, and the Falcons got it after it bounced out at the 16.
Cooper Rush handed off to Bijan Robinson for a yard going left. A screen to Bijan got about three yards. On third down, Rush took a look, pumped the ball, and was swarmed by the Steelers pass rush for a sack. Punt, and Jake Bailey got the Steelers back around their own 30.
Rico Dowdle plunged ahead for six yards. Rodgers threw a short pass to Pat Freirmuth on second down and he bullied through contact for 10 yards and a first down. A quick slant to Metcalf picked up six yards. Rodgers had an eternity in the pocket and found Michael Pittman for 21 yards. One yard gain on the ground followed. On second down, the Falcons blitzed and tipped Rodgers’ pass into the air, after which it fell incomplete. Rodgers was under a ton of pressure on third down and Maason Smith tipped the pass into the air, where it once again fell incomplete. The Chris Boswell field goal was good to make it **3-0 Steelers.**
Brian Robinson Jr. hesitated taking the ball out of the end zone and ended up getting it back to about the 22 yard line. Bijan took a poorly throw ball from Cooper Rush and made a one-handed grab, turning it into about a seven yard gain. Bijan then took it about four yards on second down for a first down. Rush then threw another very quick one to Bijan for six more yards. Brian Robinson then did a nice job plunging ahead for six yards and a first down. The bobbled snap turned into a handoff to BRJ for a yard. Bijan then took it a yard or so, but Matthew Bergeron was called for holding. Rush then took a deep shot to Kyle Pitts and it was broken up by Rayshawn Jenkins, as it was thrown a bit short. Rush then missed Jahan Dotson on a sideline ball. Punt, and a fair catch at the 13.
Rodgers hit DK Metcalf against Mike Hughes for nine yards. Warren then plunged ahead for two yards and a first down. Warren was stopped by Kendal Daniels for a minimal gain. A swing pass to Warren went nowhere, was fumbled, and the Falcons recovered after Mike Hughes and Cameron Thomas knocked it out and Divine Deablo recovered.
The Falcons got a couple yards on first down, but the toss to Brian Robinson went nowhere after Kyle Pitts missed a block. A screen pass to Bijan Robinson went for a touchdown after a couple of nice blocks from Charlie Woerner and Chris Blair and Bijan got loose. **Falcons 7, Steelers 3.**
The kickoff got to about the 30 yard line. Rodgers had zero chance on the next one, with Maason Smith coming in for the sack, but a defensive holding call on A.J. Terrell erased that good work. Dowdle was then tackled after three yards.
Brandon Dorlus ate Dowdle for lunch on second down. A.J. Terrell was called for pass interference on a Rodgers deep shot to Roman Wilson. Rodgers then went for a touchdown shot to Metcalf, but Hughes did a nice job in coverage to prevent it. Metcalf then had a first down catch that popped out, but was ruled a fumble that he recovered. Dowdle then got four yards. A quick pass to Freirmuth went for a yard, but Daniels crushed him. Rodgers had to throw it away under pressure from LaCale London. The field goal try was good to make it **7-6 Falcons.**
The Falcons had a killer return by Zachariah Branch erased by a Josh Woods holding call, and it looked pretty borderline. Rush then threw an ugly interception to Jaquan Brisker, missing badly over Jahan Dotson’s head.
A trick play with multiple handoffs and a toss back to Rodgers resulted in a quick route to Warren for a first down. Seven yards followed. Rodgers was then low on his second down pass. On third down, Rodgers found Freiermuth for a touchdown. **13-7 Steelers.**
Bijan took it five yards, and then spun out of contact for a first down. Rush then tried to escape and was sacked on first down, but a holding call on the Falcons superseded it. On second down, Rush hit Bijan for about nine yards. Bijan was hit as he rushed, fumbled, and fell on it for a loss of six. Punt.
Warren got maybe a yard, with Dorlus on the tackle. Rodgers scrambled on the play for a close to a first down, but a holding call on the Steelers backed it up to 2nd and 16. Rodgers threw a ball low and it was incomplete. A delay of game then made it 3rd and 20. On third down, Rodgers got away from pressure and threw it away, but Metcalf shoved Terrell on the play as well. Punt.
A goose through the air to Drake London went for eight yards. Bijan then took it for three yards and a first down. On first down, Bijan was hit quickly and picked up a yard. A quick pass from Rush to London went for close to a first down, but Chris Lindstrom got hit with holding. Rush was had his pass tipped and it fell incomplete. A quick screen to Robinson got about six yards. The Falcons ran out the clock on fourth down to set up a long field goal try by Nick Folk, but he just missed it.
A quick pass to Warren was taken down for no gain by Deablo. A quick shot to Wilson then got five yards. A third down pass to Metcalf went for a first down, but he was called for an offensive pass interference again. On 3rd and 15, Roman Wilson sat down in the middle of the zone and got the first down on a pass from Rodgers. Rodgers then spiked it into the ground with the pressure coming. Warren then lost multiple yards. Rodgers then took a touchdown shot to Wilson working against Hughes, but Hughes did a nice job and managed to keep it from being complete. Then the Steelers tried an awful fake field goal and failed badly.
Rush tried a first down pass to Kyle Pitts but it was bad and got knocked down, and then another holding call on Jake Matthews backed the Falcons up further. Rush then had his pass knocked down. Rush then hit Olamide Zaccheaus over the middle for five yards. Another quick pass to Bijan got about six yards, but he stepped out of bounds to stop the clock at 38 seconds. There was a delay of game on the Falcons on the punt, which bounced into the end zone.
Rodgers missed Wilson on a shot working against Avieon Terrell. A quick shot to Freiermuth went for a good gain after Deablo leapt and couldn’t come up with it. On third down, Za’Darius Smith came up with a clutch sack after a relentless pursuit and ended the half.
Brian Robinson took the opening kickoff to the 40 yard line. A five yard pickup from Bijan ensued, and then three yards on the next carry. Bijan then stumbled his way forward for another first down. BRJ then took it about five yards. Bijan plunged ahead for a first down and then some, and a five yard penalty for defensive holding gave the Falcons even more. Bijan got hit quickly and picked up a yard. Rush had another pass tipped to Bijan and it fell incomplete. Then Nick Folk missed from 45 yards.
Warren went for four yards. Dorlus then got Warren for no gain. On a sideline shot from Rodgers to Metcalf, a fully extended Terrell (who arrived early) got Metcalf and forced an incompletion but was hurt on the play. Punt, with Branch getting back to around the 20 before a holding call backed the Falcons up. A solid Bijan run was bolstered by a penalty on Pittsburgh. A quick run by Bijan went for two yards. Finally, Rush went for London downfield on a sideline shot and got 21 yards, with Pittsburgh penalized for an additional 15 yards. Bijan went for no gain on first down. Rush then tried one but got hit as he threw and it fluttered incomplete to the sideline. Rush then went for London and missed behind him, and it fell incomplete. Punt, and it bounced into the end zone.
A quick shot to Pittman went for a first down and then some. A false start on Pittsburgh backed them up five yards. A quick pass to Freiermuth went for 10 yards. Harold Perkins Jr. then pushed Dowdle out of bounds on a short pass for two yards. Rodgers then missed terribly deep downfield. A pass to Metcalf on fourth down was out of bounds with CJ Henderson ensuring he couldn’t get two feet down.
Bijan took a screen 27 yards but had it knocked out, with Jahan Dotson falling on it. Brian Robinson was then stopped for a small loss. Rush was then sacked on second down. Bijan then got three yards. Folk then finally got his first field goal try, hitting it from 50 yards to make it **13-10 Steelers.**
Darnell Washington’s first catch went for three yards with a tackle from Sydney Brown. A quick pass went for four more yards. Rodgers tried to hit Metcalf over the middle and he couldn’t come up with it. Punt, and Branch took it to the 24.
Bijan took it about 20 yards on first down.
Bijan was hit in the backfield and got back to about the line of scrimmage. The Falcons then had to call a timeout. Rush then threw a pick to T.J. Watt for a touchdown. **20-10 Steelers.** Robinson brought it back to about the 35.
Brian Robinson bounced off a tackle attempt and made it about 15 yards. Rush hit Dotson for 20 yards. Robinson then picked up two yards. London then took a jet sweep five yards. Bijan then took a toss and cut it inside, slamming into a defender for no gain. Folk then hit a 42 yarder to make it **20-13 Steelers.**
Warren took it seven yards, and then ran for 17 yards with the Steelers pushing him forward. A quick pass to Warren went for about five yards. A quick pass to Wilson went for a couple of yards before Jessie Bates got him. On third down, Za’Darius Smith got the sack again and Boswell just missed the field goal.
Bijan hit the seam for 14 yards. Brian then took it for no gain. Robinson picked up five yards on second down up the middle. On third down, Rush couldn’t find an opening and was sacked for a loss of 10, with a fair catch inside the 10 yard line.
LaCale London immediately tackled Warren for no gain. Metcalf got a 14 yard grab for a first down. Dowdle was tackled for a small loss by Deablo. Pittman was tackled after a 10 yard gain to make it 3rd and 2. A pass to Washington from Rodgers then went for 14 yards before going out of bounds. Dowdle then picked up four yards. Warren then made it to 1st and 10 with a first down pickup. The Steelers then kneeled it out to make the Falcons 2-17-1 against Pittsburgh.
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* [Atlanta Falcons scores and results](/atlanta-falcons-scores-results)