As the clock at Mercedes-Benz Stadium hit triple-zeroes to signify the conclusion of the Steelers’ 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, a collective wave of relief washed over Steeler Nation—they had gone on the road and won a game with their backup quarterback, a rookie center, and a second-year guard who was drafted in the seventh-round one year ago. It was not the most beautiful football game ever played—in fact, it was downright ugly at times—but the only thing that mattered at the end of the day was this: the Steelers were 1-0.
In a game where Chris Boswell was the Steelers’ MVP (and one could argue that those clad in black-and-white stripes were most valuable to the Falcons, as there were numerous questionable calls that went against the road team), there were certainly many items on which the Steelers can substantially improve.
The offense was mediocre, although I cannot say I expected much more under the circumstances. Arthur Smith’s play-calling generated 270 yards of total offense—133 through the air, and 137 on the ground. Fields was 17/23 for 156 yards and ran the ball 14 times for 57 yards, absorbing two sacks while not turning the ball over.
From Next Gen Stats, Justin Fields’ passing chart—he exclusively threw the ball to the perimeter, avoiding the middle of the field.
I am not going to sit here and pretend like Fields played a great game. He sometimes held the football too long, he threw some inaccurate passes, and he did not seem comfortable in the pocket at times. He also did not throw the ball over the middle of the field once, which is something for which last year’s quarterback Kenny Pickett was heavily criticized. However, multiple sources—including former writer for The Athletic and current Pat McAfee show correspondent Mark Kaboly—have reiterated that this was a part of the scheme, as the Falcons have two very good safeties in Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons, both of whom were second-team All-Pros last season.
Would I have liked to see more crossing routes across the middle? Of course—limiting passes to the perimeter of the field greatly inhibits a team’s ability to move the ball. But, when your defense is as smothering as it was yesterday—the TJ Watt-led D forced three turnovers, amassed two legitimate sacks (and a few others that arguably should have counted), and allowed a paltry 226 total yards to what was supposed to be a vastly improved, weaponized Falcons offense—unnecessary risks against one of the league’s better secondaries is not really a priority.
The main issue, of course, was the (in)ability to finish drives. Despite coming away with the victory, the Steelers’ entire point total was owed to the right foot of Chris Boswell, who converted six field goals, hitting from 57, 51, 44, 56, 40, and 25. If you are keeping track, that is 273 yards of field goals. Boswell also had to uncork a relatively impressive punt after free agent signing Cameron Johnston suffered a season-ending injury on a block attempt where a Falcon player collided with the knee of his plant leg.
In the NFL, it is very difficult to imagine winning enough games to make the playoffs when you cannot get the ball across the goal line, so there is certainly room for improvement when it comes to that aspect of the game, but Boswell’s kicking prowess—combined with suffocating defense—provides the team with a more joyful impetus for improvement than I expected with the circumstances the team faced going into the day.
As I said, Fields did not play great, but he did not turn the ball over, and he made some plays with his legs that gave the offense another dimension, allowing them to move the ball in a multi-faceted manner. As such, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff have a decision on their hands as to who takes the reins at quarterback for week 2. I think it is highly likely that Russell Wilson will be the team’s signal-caller in Denver on Sunday, but stranger things have happened. At the very least, Fields may have shortened the leash on which the team has Russ.
A win is a win. Kudos, Steelers, on a job…done.