The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the second half in the Week 1 to defeat the Atlanta Falcons, 18-10, in the 2024 season opener on September 8. But if not for a second quarter offsides penalty against Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt, the Falcons may not have even reached double digits in points.
Atlanta’s lone touchdown of Week 1 came one play after an official flagged Watt for an offsides penalty. On the play, Watt recorded a strip sack against Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins and recovered the fumble. The offsides, though, nullified the huge defensive effort.
However, Watt told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo after the game that the official who called the Steelers edge rusher offsides told Watt he was wrong.
“Yeah, especially when the official says he messed it up. After the first half, he went in and saw it,” Watt told Garafolo when asked about how frustrating it was that his strip sack didn’t count. “[But] I’m glad to get the get-back.”
During the third quarter, Watt had another sack wiped out via a penalty against the Steelers defense. But Watt still found a way to impact the game with 4 total tackles, 3 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack.
His sack came with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter and officially sealed the victory for the Steelers.
TJ Watt, Steelers Defense Stifle Falcons New Offense
There was a lot of hype surrounding the Falcons offense over the offseason. Cousins signed a 4-year, $180 million deal to come to Atlanta, and the Falcons hired Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator.
Robinson was connected to the Steelers offensive coordinator opening before he accepted the job in Atlanta.
But in the first half, the Falcons appeared hesitant to allow Cousins to take any deep drops against the Steelers defensive front. Then after Pittsburgh captured a small lead in the third quarter, the Steelers created pressure on the 36-year-old signal caller when the Falcons tried to open up the offense.
Cousins finished 16 of 26 for 155 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He also took 2 sacks and lost a fumble on a botched snap in the shotgun formation.
In the second half, the Steelers forced 2 takeaways and held the Falcons to 26 yards.
Watt committed his offsides penalty on first-and-10 at the Steelers 17-yard line inside the final minute of the first half. Had officials not called Watt offsides, the Steelers would have taken over with roughly 40 seconds remaining in the second quarter while leading 6-3.
Instead, Cousins found tight end Kyle Pitts wide open in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown on the next play. That gave the Falcons a 4-point lead, which the Steelers shrunk to 1 point before halftime.
The Falcons, though, didn’t have another play go for at least 12 yards until the 3:19 mark of the fourth quarter.
Even before Watt told Garafolo that the official admitted to incorrectly calling Watt offsides, Steelers fans on X (formerly Twitter) were not pleased with the call.
Furthermore, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly complained on X just before the offsides call that the officiating crew missed two holding penalties against Watt.
Watt Raves About Steelers Crowd in Atlanta
The Steelers opened on the road in Atlanta on September 8, but it was arguably a home game for Pittsburgh. In fact, the black and gold were so well represented at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that Watt said Cousins used a silent count for Atlanta’s offense.
“Honestly, more than anything, just happy Steeler Nation came out today, had him on a silent count at home,” Watt told Garafolo. “That’s very demoralizing for opposing offenses, and super happy to start the season with a win.”
The Steelers have now won their first road game of the season in four consecutive years. They also improved to 9-2 all time in Atlanta and 16-2-1 overall against the Falcons.
Watt and the Steelers defense will play another road game during Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.
