Well, NFL fans, we made it; football season is officially back, and Week 1 is officially in the books. The Pittsburgh Steelers started their season off with a 20-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. They will get ready to hit the road and take on the New England Patriots next Sunday at 1:00 Eastern Time. While a win is a win, the Steelers played far from perfect and have plenty to clean up on if they want to have a successful season. With that being said, let’s take a look at what seems to be positive and what needs work and concerns after Week 1.
Steelers Week 1 Review
Why the Steelers Will Be Just Fine
While the game was far from pretty, the Steelers still have plenty to be proud of. For starters, the defense played really well overall. Bijan Robinson was really the only offensive player for the Falcons who made a huge impact, and the Steelers intercepted Cooper Rush twice, once by Jaquan Brisker and T.J. Watt. Pittsburgh held the Falcons to just 13 points and put pressure on Rush.
The next positive after Week 1 is Watt as a whole. He looked absolutely incredible and like a completely new player; he had a big interception and two sacks, proving he is still the anchor of the defense. Watt’s interception was returned for the touchdown that won the game for the Steelers, so he not only made big plays but also scored points thanks to his dominant defense.
The final real positive is that it is only the first game and Aaron Rodgers is getting back in his groove. Rodgers was not great, but he also did not play in the preseason, meaning he came into the season not fresh and warmed up, ready to go. Rodgers will get going, and it is important to remember that it is only going to be week 2.
Why the Steelers Might Be In Some Trouble
Unfortunately for the Steelers, there might be more negative from Week 1 than positive. It starts with D.K. Metcalf and the offense. Metcalf had a lot of drops, and on top of that some penalties that messed up the offense and led to no score. The Steelers only scored one offensive touchdown, and that is not good enough when they play better teams, and it was very close to not being good enough against the Falcons.
The next negative after Week 1 is Chris Boswell. He missed a relatively easy kick in this game, and it could have been a difference maker if Watt did not get that pick-six. Boswell is known for being a highly accurate kicker, so there is a good chance it was a fluke, but as he continues to age, you can never be too sure if he will start to slow down.
Lastly, how about Rush and how the Steelers prepare for harder matchups? The Falcons played with a third-string quarterback and still almost beat the Steelers. Pittsburgh cannot be struggling with third-string quarterbacks if they want any chance to find success this season. Again, the offense was really struggling, and at the end of the day they will have to play a lot better as the schedule gets tougher.
The Steelers were able to get the win in Week 1 and improve to 1-0 on the season, but they will need to play much better to have a chance to beat better teams, and it starts next week with the Patriots. If the Steelers can clean up penalties and move the ball down the field, they could be a sneaky team with their defense. Do you think that Pittsburgh will have a better performance next week?
Main Image: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
