The Pittsburgh Steelers offense stumbled out of the gates against the Atlanta Falcons but a strong effort by T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense led the way and Pittsburgh starts the season 20-13 after a crucial home win.
Pittsburgh's offense looked rusty, which is understandable after all of the skill-position players sat out the entirety of the preseason. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for just 221 yards on 40 attempts and one passing touchdown and no interceptions. Meanwhile the run game was non-existent with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle combined for just 61 yards, Warren getting 46 of those.
On defense, it was all about putting pressure on Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush and trying to minimize the damage of running back Bijan Robinson. They
were able to accomplish one of those by harassing Rush all game long. Watt led the way with two sacks and a pick six, with Alex Highsmith two sacks of his own.
The Steelers now prepare to travel to New England to take on the 0-1 Patriots and try to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers sneak past Falcons despite struggles on offense
