6 Steelers surprises in Sunday’s win against the Falcons
Each week our SCU staff and contributors picks the “surprises” from the Pittsburgh Steelers latest matchup. Check out more below to see which plays and situations surprised us the most!
The Pittsburgh Steelers earned their first victory of the 2024 season with an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Here are some surprises from that game.
Chris Boswell
Boswell is no hidden secret to those in the Steel City, but the “Wizard of Boz” put the league on notice with a history-breaking day against Atlanta.
According to an NFL press release following Sunday’s games, Boswell and Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn each made three field goals of 50 or more yards, becoming the first two kickers all-time to make three 50-yard field goals in a season-opening game. It also marked the first time in NFL history that multiple kickers converted three 50-yard field goals in the same week.
Boswell, with five of his six made field goals coming from at least 40 yards, became the first kicker in NFL history to record multiple career games with five field goals of 40-or-more yards. He also accomplished the feat on December 18, 2016.
Boswell was responsible for all 18 of the Steelers points on Sunday.
Cameron Johnston
Not all surprises are good ones and unfortunately for Johnston, an unexpected play saw him take a blow into his lower body, which has resulted in a reported season-ending injury.
The expectations for Johnston were high after signing a three-year deal as a free agent this offseason. The Steelers have been on a search for a consistent punter for several seasons and will now be on the search once again.
DeShon Elliott & Donte Jackson
Two of the Steelers newest additions this offseason each intercepted Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
Jackson, who was acquired in the Diontae Johnson trade, and Elliott, a free agent signing, were playing in their first regular season game with the Steelers. Along with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Joey Porter Jr. they combined as a secondary that limited Cousins to 155 passing yards.
Scotty Miller
Another new addition to the Steelers who is at the bottom of the team’s wide receiver depth chart, Miller made two major contributions to the team’s win over his former team, the Falcons.
The first was a key special teams tackle following Chris Boswell’s emergency punt in place of the injured Johnston.
The second was also on special teams when Miller had to sub as the holder on Boswell’s final field goal attempt which was a 25-yard conversion.
Not shabby for a player most didn’t think would make the team one month ago.
Tight End Usage
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith utilized the team’s tight ends much more than his predecessors.
Pat Freiermuth played 50 of the Steelers 68 plays which was the most aside from any offensive linemen and starting quarterback Justin Fields. MyCole Pruitt, another former Falcon, played a surprising 40 snaps. That was two more than RB Najee Harris.
Darnell Washington also played 37 snaps, one fewer than Harris. All three tight ends caught at least one pass in the win.
Big Plays Negated
Finally, it should come as no surprise that T.J. Watt is a generational, elite player in the National Football League. It’s a crime, however, that human error with the officiating crew cost him not one, but two sacks in the game.
One of those sacks would’ve been a strip-sack and recovery by the Steelers defense. The play was nulled by an offside penalty on Watt, who was later apologized to by the referee who flagged it as a “mistake”. The resulting plays ended with Pittsburgh giving up seven points.
Another egregious call occurred on a deep pass from Justin Fields to George Pickens for 36 yards. The ticky-tack call after hand fighting between Pickens and Atlanta CB A.J. Terrell put the ball back on the Steelers 36 rather than the Falcons 18. Two plays later the Steelers would be forced to punt.
Pickens was involved in another officiating mishap when Fields again connected on a deep throw with Pickens, who went to the ground securing the catch, and then got back up to gain more yards. The nearby official ruled Pickens “down by contact” but replay showed there was never any contact, costing the Steelers between 10-15 more yards of offense and a trip into the red zone.
These negated plays fail to show up in the 18-10 final score, where the Steelers may have not only had more opportunities in the red zone but would have limited Atlanta from also scoring ten total points in a tight game. The officiating was shockingly inconsistent and needs to improve as the season continues.
