ATLANTA — Chris Boswell made all six of his field goal attempts, including three longer than 50 yards, to guide the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers to an 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener on Sunday.
In his team debut, Justin Fields completed 17 of 23 passes for 156 yards for Pittsburgh, adding 57 rushing yards on 14 attempts. Najee Harris ran for a team-high 70 yards, while George Pickens caught six balls for 85 yards as the Steelers improved to 16-2-1 all-time vs. Atlanta.
Also making his first start with his new team, Kirk Cousins was 16-for-26 for 155 yards, throwing for one touchdown and two interceptions. Bijan Robinson ran for 68 yards for the Falcons.
In a defensive battle, Pittsburgh totaled 270 yards to Atlanta’s 226.
The Falcons capped off a 12-play, 64-yard opening drive with Younghoe Koo’s 24-yard field goal, giving Atlanta a 3-0 lead at the 9:06 mark. After converting on a pair of third-down plays, Pittsburgh tied the game on Boswell’s 57-yard field goal with 4:37 remaining in the first.
Two plays into the ensuing Falcons drive, Cousins was picked off by DeShon Elliott at the Steelers’ 49-yard line. Pittsburgh settled for Boswell’s 51-yard field goal with 12:54 left in the second quarter.
After the teams traded punts, Cousins led a 90-yard drive that resulted in a 12-yard passing touchdown to Kyle Pitts, giving the Falcons a 10-6 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half.
On the final possession of the half, Fields found Pickens for 33 yards to the Atlanta 25-yard line, setting up Boswell’s 44-yard field goal as time expired.
After Pittsburgh punted on the second half’s opening drive, a fumble in the Falcons’ backfield was recovered by T.J. Watt, setting up the Steelers on their own 38-yard line with 10:29 to go in the third. A nine-play, 24-yard drive was then stamped with Boswell’s fourth field goal, a 56-yarder that gave Pittsburgh a 12-10 advantage at the 7:45 mark.
Following an Atlanta punt, Fields’ 40-yard pass to Pickens pushed Pittsburgh into Atlanta territory, but the Steelers had to settle for Boswell’s 40-yard field goal, extending the lead to 15-10 with 25 seconds left in the third.
Atlanta’s ensuing drive was stymied, and it punted for a second straight possession. Starting on their own 22-yard line, the Steelers marched down to the Falcons’ 6-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-1, Fields’ quarterback sneak was stopped for no gain, giving the ball back to the Atlanta offense with 7:09 left in the fourth.
After another Atlanta punt, Grady Jarrett and Matthew Judon combined to sack Fields on third-and-13, forcing a punt.
Taking over on their own 40 with 3:19 left, Robinson ran for 13 yards on first down, but Donte Jackson picked off Cousins on the next play and returned it to the Atlanta 18 with 2:47 remaining.
Boswell’s 25-yarder punctuated his perfect day with 31 seconds left.
–Jack Batten, Field Level Media
