The Falcons fell to the Steelers, 20-13, in the season opener Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Cooper Rush was the starter at quarterback, after Tua Tagovailoa was injured and was ruled out because of a back issue.
Here are some observations from the opening loss:
Rush job
Clearly, the Falcons had an uphill battle from the beginning, with Cooper Rush having to prepare for the start with fewer reps. After Tua Tagovailoa had back spasms in Thursday’s practice, Rush had little opportunity to get reps with the starters and to be ready for the game on short notice.
The Falcons didn’t put him in harm’s way much in the first half, with the offense mostly consisting of runs and short throws to Bijan Robinson, seemingly until Rush got comfortable. That meant fewer targets to Drake London and Kyle Pitts, making the offense more predictable.
Their dependence on the short game backfired early in the fourth quarter, when Rush tried to find Robinson on a screen pass, but TJ Watt stepped in front, intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown, boosting the Steelers’ lead to 20-10.
Things opened up a bit in the second half, but the damage was already done.
Watching Bijan
Bijan Robinson was a perpetual threat, even given the additional attention he was getting because of the quarterback situation. In almost any situation, he’s going to be the focal point of the offense, but he still finds ways to get free.
Late in the first quarter, the Falcons had third-and-8, and the best option was just giving Robinson the ball and letting him work. Robinson broke free and, with little room to operate, he made something out of nothing.
Robinson scored on the 23-yard screen play and gave the Falcons a 7-3 lead.
Defense
The Steelers had 20 points, but removing the pick-six by TJ Watt, the defense looked pretty good, holding firm and allowing just the 13 points.
Za’Darius Smith, who was added late in training camp, had a pair of sacks and helped the Falcons stay in the game late. His second sack, which came on third down, pushed the Steelers back, and they missed a field goal that would have extended the lead to 10 points.
Smith finished with three tackles for loss and Divine Deablo looked good with a tackle for loss and fumble recovery.
Flag day
The offensive line was mistake-prone in the first half, and they had trouble protecting Rush, who didn’t look comfortable in the pocket. Several holding calls in the first half made things difficult for down and distance, with the 10-yard penalties making it a rougher road to first downs.
The defense had a couple of pass interference calls and a good return on special teams was called back by a holding call.
They finished with nine penalties for 96 yards, which will need to be cleaned up for next week against Carolina.
Folk’s day
One of the under-the-radar additions in the offseason was kicker Nick Folk, who was brought in to solidify the position and for his accuracy.
On his first field goal attempt, Folk missed a 54-yarder wide right. The distance was there, but he just pulled it a little off the mark. He also missed his second attempt, from 45 yards, wide right.
His first field goal make was from 51 yards in the third quarter, bringing the Falcons within 13-10. He added another kick from 43 yards in the fourth quarter.
Folk is regarded for his accuracy, as the most reliable over the last three seasons, having missed just one in each of those years.
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