The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out their preseason slate on Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium and after a quick start by the offense, they took home a 24-0 win. The Steelers finished the preseason 3-0.
The Falcons won the toss and chose to defer, so the Steelers’ offense got the ball first. On the opening kickoff, Pittsburgh was flagged for an illegal block in the back on RB Anthony McFarland Jr.’s 23-yard return, so they started the drive at their own 8-yard line.
After a 2-yard completion to WR Allen Robinson II, WR Calvin Austin III took a jet sweep 3 yards, setting up third and 5. QB Kenny Pickett went deep down the left sideline to WR Diontae Johnson for a 33-yard gain, setting Pittsburgh up at its own 46-yard line.
After a 6-yard carry by RB Jaylen Warren, RB Najee Harris rumbled for 12 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Pickett went deep again, this time down the right sideline to WR George Pickens, who made a catch for a 35-yard gain down to the Atlanta 1. Harris punched it on the next play. Boswell’s extra point put Pittsburgh up 7-0 with 10:56 left in the first quarter. Pickett was 3-of-3 for 70 yards on the drive.
Former Steelers WR Matthew Sexton returned the ensuing kickoff to the Atlanta 19, and LB Elandon Roberts shot the gap on the first play of the drive to force RB Godwin Igwebuike into a 4-yard loss. On the second play, OLB T.J. Watt sacked QB Taylor Heinicke for a 7-yard loss, and on third and 21, Heinicke’s pass was incomplete. The Falcons punted from their own end zone, and Austin returned the punt 21 yards to the Atlanta 29.
Pittsburgh’s offense had great field position on its next drive. Harris took a slip screen for a 16-yard gain and a first down on the first play, and two plays later Warren ran for eight yards and extended over the goal line for an eight-yard touchdown run. Boswell’s extra point put the Steelers up 14-0 with 8:09 left in the first quarter.
Atlanta’s next drive started at its own 21 but went three-and-out. Austin returned the punt 14 yards to the Atlanta 15, and the Steelers’ second-team offense took over. The offensive starters scored on all five preseason drives they played.
On first down, QB Mitch Trubisky hit TE Connor Heyward for a 16-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, McFarland took a carry for a 31-yard gain to the Atlanta 26. Two plays after that Heyward ran for 8 yards. Heyward got another carry, gaining 2 yards on the next play, and he continued carrying the ball with a 3-yard gain on 2nd and 8.
The Steelers went empty on third and 5, and Trubisky got sacked. Boswell nailed a 38-yard field goal, and the Steelers led 17-0 with 1:26 left in the first quarter.
Atlanta picked up its initial first down of the game on its third drive when QB Logan Woodside found TE John FitzPatrick for a five-yard gain and a first down on third and 5. Atlanta wouldn’t do much else and punted.
Pittsburgh’s fourth drive began at its own 22, and McFarland picked up a first down, running for 12 yards on the first two plays of the drive. On first and 10 from the Pittsburgh 27, Trubisky hit Austin for 8 yards. On third and 4, an 11-yard reception by Heyward gave the Steelers another first down, but a false start set Pittsburgh back on the next play. A defensive holding a few plays later gave the Steelers a new set of downs.
A deep ball to WR Gunner Olszewski was flagged for defensive pass interference by CB Breon Borders, and with Pittsburgh at the Atlanta 5, McFarland punched it in. Boswell’s extra point but Pittsburgh up 24-0 with 5:42 left in the first half.
Atlanta’s drive got off to a fast start with a 29-yard gain, but Roberts sacked Woodside following a false start and three plays later Atlanta punted. The Steelers would take over with 3:17 left at their own 29.
Right before the two-minute warning, Trubisky hit Olszewski for an 8-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, Trubisky scrambled for a 24-yard gain down to the Atlanta 34, and on third and 8, Trubisky was sacked by LB Mike Jones Jr. Harvin came out to punt, and he pinned Atlanta at its own 3.
On third and 3, from the Atlanta 10, WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside picked up a first down on a 14-yard reception, but the Falcons couldn’t move the ball downfield to score before the half. The Steelers held their 24-0 lead heading into the half.
The Steelers kicked off to begin the second half. The Falcons started on their own 23, and Igwebuike picked up the first down on a four-yard gain. But Nick Herbig picked up another sack on the next play, sacking Woodside for a loss of 6. Herbig then forced Woodside out of the pocket on the next pay, and he scrambled for a 6-yard gain. On third and 10, Sexton picked up 12 yards on a reception over the middle, and the Falcons had a new set of downs.
Atlanta got into Pittsburgh territory on a 9-yard completion to Arcega-Whiteside, and then a completion to Sexton gained 11. On third and 8 later in the drive, Atlanta picked up another first down on a reception by RB Carlos Washington Jr., and then an unnecessary roughness penalty against S Trenton Thompson set the Falcons up at the Pittsburgh 11. But on the next play, LB Mark Robinson punched the ball away from Washington and S Kenny Robinson recovered.
Starting their drive at their own 8-yard line, RB Xazavian Valladay ran for 15 yards on three carries to help the Steelers pick up two first downs, but they were forced to punt. Atlanta’s next drive would begin at its own 14 after the punt.
Atlanta picked up 19 yards on a reception to WR Keilahn Harris on first down, but that was pretty much all the Falcons would get. After the punt by Bradley Pinion, the Steelers began their next drive at their own 21.
Pittsburgh went for it on fourth and 1, and Mason Rudolph’s quarterback sneak on the first play of the first quarter gave them a first down. A 21-yard completion to WR Dan Chisena became a 31-yard gain after a facemask penalty added 10 yards. On third and 5, Rudolph was incomplete to Chisena and the Steelers punted. Braden Mann pinned the Falcons at their own 8-yard line.
They moved the ball but punted after seven plays. After a Pittsburgh three-and-out, Mann booted a 61-yard punt to pin Atlanta inside the 20 at its 19. The Falcons turned it over on downs after Washington lost three yards on a fpurth-and-1 carry, and Pittsburgh took over with QB Tanner Morgan coming into the game.
The Steelers failed to pick up any yards but given that their drive started at the Atlanta 25, they were able to attempt a field goal. Rookie B.T. Potter, however, missed from 43 yards.
On the first play of the Atlanta drive, OLB Quincy Roche strip-sacked Woodside and OLB Toby Ndukwe recovered. Pittsburgh took over at the Atlanta 22.
The Steelers got their offense some extra reps with an attempt to go for it on 4th and 11, and Rudolph’s pass to WR Aron Cruickshank was incomplete after Cruickshank landed out of bounds.
Atlanta had one final drive but couldn’t get points, and Pittsburgh ended the preseason 3-0 with an impressive shutout victory. The next time we see the Steelers take the field will be at Acrisure Stadium on Sept. 10 when they take on the San Francisco 49ers in Week One.
