The Pittsburgh Steelers ran away with a hard-fought 20-13 win over the Cooper Rush-led Atlanta Falcons.
Despite the quarterback situation on Atlanta’s side, players like Bijan Robinson and Drake London were going to be a huge test for the Steelers’ new defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham.
The defense responded greatly to the challenge and was the reason for Pittsburgh’s victory.
The Defensive Line Took Over for Steelers
T.J. Watt looked like his usual Defensive Player of the Year self throughout the game. He had Rush’s cadence timed perfectly, allowing him to get a step ahead of Falcons tackle Jawaan Taylor. Atlanta’s heavy reliance on throwing screens to Robinson set the stage for the play of the game: Watt’s interception at the line followed by a 35-yard return for the score.
This interception also put Watt in even more elite company: Watt became the second player in league history (alongside Julius Peppers) to have 100+ sacks and 10+ interceptions. This performance was also the second time Watt recorded two sacks and a pick in a home opener; the last was his rookie season in 2017 against the Browns.
Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith also made splash plays against the Falcons. Highsmith lived in enemy territory, recording two sacks and two TFLs opposite Watt. Heyward continued stifling Atlanta’s rushing attack while making Rush’s day even harder. Heyward even had 3 batted passes at the line today, leading the league in this stat since 2021 with 34 (Watt is second with 31, adding one today).
Pittsburgh’s staunch defensive line prevented Rush from getting comfortable and forced Atlanta to get Robinson outside in space. Bijan still performed excellently, but keeping him at four yards per attempt slowed him down enough to stop the Falcons’ offense.
Zone Coverage & Light Rushes from Patrick Graham
With Joey Porter Jr. out, Graham had a plan and stuck to it. The Steelers ran a 2-5-4 defense for most of the game, which allowed them to load up on linebackers up front. It also let Graham selectively call defensive back blitzes without losing any athleticism behind the line, such as when Jamel Dean forced Robinson to fumble right after the handoff.
Even more interesting is that Graham ran zone coverage in all of Rush’s 26 dropbacks. This happened only once across the league last year, but today it proved highly effective. Drake London and Kyle Pitts were kept to only two catches combined, which included an impressive pass breakup by Jalen Ramsey early on.
The secondary stepped up despite missing two stars. Dean and Ramsey made plays, while Jaquan Brisker picked off Rush in a sailed throw over Jahan Dotson. Even in zone, FOX’s Greg Olsen noted that the Steelers’ DBs went into a sort of “match-man” defense while sitting in zone. This came up on a pivotal 3rd-down play in Atlanta’s last drive that ended in a Highsmith sack.
Ramsey told SteelersNow’s Brendan Howe after the game that he thought everyone did their job “for the most part.”
“We all have things to correct, that’s why I say ‘for the most part.’ But we had great communication,” added Ramsey.
Hot Start to the Graham Era
In the afternoon after the front office failed to sign Porter to a long-term deal, Patrick Graham crafted an effective game plan for the Falcons that brought out the best of his defensive stars. Watt and Heyward tormented Rush all day, while Ramsey and Brisker kept Pittsburgh’s airspace clear.
The Steelers defense will go from facing career backup Cooper Rush to playing Drake Maye at New England next week. The New England Patriots’ offense is coming out of a lackluster performance against the Seattle Seahawks in the opening game of the season.
Graham already seems to have the formula to stop Maye, since the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Pats last year almost exclusively in zone coverage.
It might only be Week 1, but this is an excellent start for the Patrick Graham-led Steelers defense. Week 2 awaits.
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