Most telling NFL games in Week 1 of the season
Joe Rivera, Chris Bumbaca, and Jacob Camenker give their thoughts on what game to keep an eye on in Week 1 od the NFL season.
Sports Seriously
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers picked up a 20-13 win against the Atlanta Falcons in their season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Acrisure Stadium.
It was the first win for coach Mike McCarthy, who was hired to replace Mike Tomlin in January after 19 seasons.
T.J. Watt made the decisive play with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, then quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the offense did just enough to finish the game.
Rodgers threw a touchdown to teammate Pat Freiermuth in the first half, and field goals from kicker Chris Boswell provided the rest of the scoring Pittsburgh needed.
Here are some takeaways from the matchup ahead of a Week 2 matchup against the Patriots next week in New England.
Mike McCarthy leans hard on the pass
The new coach wasted no time in transforming the offense that was predominantly run-focused in the later years of Tomlin’s tenure.
Rodgers registered 40 attempts on the afternoon, completing 24 of them for 221 yards and one touchdown. His season high was 41 attempts last season under Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Steelers ran the ball just 21 times.
McCarthy said afterward that he’d prefer not to be that lopsided in his calls moving forward, so perhaps things will swing the other way in future weeks. At least for the debut, though, it sure looked like the pivot many had been expecting away from the rugged final days of Tomlin’s tenure that were characterized by heavy personnel packages and conservative runs.
“You’ve definitely got to give your passing game a little more opportunity this time of year if you think you’re going to come out here and throw it in January, so I am cognizant of that,” he said. “But I definitely would like to be north of 25 (rushing attempts) each and every week, close to 30-plus running the ball if I was going to draw up the perfect game.”
McCarthy deployed quite a few three- and four-wide receiver sets and empty backfields. Tight end Pat Freiermuth and running backs Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren were frequently split out in formations that were rarely deployed in the Tomlin days.
The results were mixed. Misses from Rodgers and drops from receivers cost the Steelers big-play opportunities and kept Atlanta in the game. Rodgers also said afterward that he’d expected penalty calls on a few of the misses. Alas, the plays were well designed, so there appears to be room to grow in the coming weeks.
Defense dominates Cooper Rush, contains Bijan Robinson
First-year defensive coordinator Patrick Graham had the benefit of facing Atlanta’s third-string QB with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa out with injuries.
Rush unsurprisingly had little success against the Steelers’ ferocious pass rush led by T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. He was sacked four times – twice by each player – while completing 12 of 22 passes for 143 yards. His interception to Jaquan Brisker set up a touchdown from Rodgers to Freiermuth in the first half. The other was returned 35 yards by Watt for the game-deciding score.
“I liked it,” Watt said of the maiden voyage within Graham’s re-imagined 3-4 defensive scheme. “Obviously there’s going to be a lot to fix and adjust as the week goes on, but I think as you can see, the rotation. I think the way [Nick Herbig] has been playing, and we can move him around more. Me and Alex can flip sides, allows us to do a lot more things schematically.”
Bijan Robinson, meanwhile, was fairly well contained on the ground. He carried 21 times for a manageable average of four yards per carry. He added eight catches for 90 yards to push his scrimmage yard total to 173 for the afternoon. McCarthy said afterward that he was pleased that Robinson’s longest play went for only 24 yards.
Michael Pittman Jr. makes big-play impact in debut
Of all the Steelers’ offseason acquisitions, the veteran receiver definitely had the loudest afternoon.
He caught three passes for 58 yards to lead the team despite missing most of training camp and the preseason with an injury.
That’s the kind of playmaking GM Omar Khan was looking for when he traded for Pittman and signed him to a three-year contract following six productive seasons with the Indianapolis Colts in which he racked up 5,254 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns.
His presence seemed to open up more space for DK Metcalf to operate. The team’s top receiver had a relatively quiet day statistically with four catches for 40 yards. He was open enough for Rodgers to uncork a few deep balls in his direction, though. Pittman’s presence no doubt had an impact there, and Rodgers likes his chances to make more big plays to Metcalf soon.
“I love my guys,” Rodgers said. “Love DK. He’s had such a great camp. I’m going to keep going to him, give him as many opportunities as possible.”