Steelers Aftermath: Special Day for Heywards, Offense Moves Forward
Matthew Wright kicked four field goals, Kenny Pickett continued his growth and development and Minkah Fitzpatrick put the win on ice as the Pittsburgh Steelers won their second straight game, 19-16 over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
It was a storybook first NFL touchdown for rookie tight end Connor Heyward, who was playing in his hometown for the first time as an NFL player.
George Pickens seemed unhappy with his level of involvement in the offense, with an expletive-laden sideline tirade late in the game. Kenny Pickett and Diontae Johnson downplayed the incident, calling Pickens a “competitor.”
Minkah Fitzpatrick could probable have scored a touchdown on his game-sealing interception, but he was more than happy to just take the win.
Mike Tomlin said the Steelers got the win because they “did not blink” in the face of fourth-quarter adversity in all three phases.
The Steelers could probably have made the late-game heroics not necessary if they had done a better job of converting field goal opportunities into touchdowns, which is a notable next step for the development of Kenny Pickett and the offense.
The Steelers got the win in front of thousands of fans, with Southern transplants and traveling Pittsburghers combining to even the number of Falcons fans in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Steelers fans take over.
The win was the 500th for the Steelers since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the first franchise to reach that milestone.
Watch: Najee Harris dribbled a grown man like a basketball. Pat Freiermuth bulldozed his way to the longest play of the season for the Steelers offense.
Pregame Primer: How did Alan Saunders’ pregame predictions turn out?
T.J. Watt said he’s pretty beat up, with the rib injury that held him out of practice this week significantly limiting him in the game. Watt,, Malik Reed and Jaylen Warren were are dressed for the game, despite being listed as questionable in the final injury report. Steelers inactives.
OTHER STEELERS NEWS AND LINKS
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson left his team’s game with a knee injury and was replaced by Tyler Huntley. John Harbaugh said Jackson will be out days to weeks, which means he could miss next Sunday’s game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
The Ravens still prevailed over the Broncos, and the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns also both won as the AFC North went 4-0 on Sunday.
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STEELERS SCHEDULE
The Steelers will open the locker room to the media at 12:15 p.m. — Alan Saunders, Nick Farabaugh
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