The Pittsburgh Steelers did what they do and won an ugly game against the Atlanta Falcons. The game looked similar to how the Steelers won last year, with their defense forcing turnovers and the offense doing just enough to win. However, the offense still moved the ball well and looked improved, despite their struggles. That’s a credit to Arthur Smith, helping to defeat the team that just fired him.
Speaking to the media after the game, Fields was asked how much he thinks this win meant to Smith.
“It meant a lot,” Fields said via the team’s website. “I know how fiery he is. I know how competitive he is, so it definitely meant a lot. I know he wishes, just like me, that we could have put even more points on the board. I know that he’s glad that we came out with the win.”
Smith was the head coach of the Falcons from 2021-2023. He didn’t find a ton of success, but he never had much to work with at quarterback. Leading up to this game, Smith wasn’t willing to say how badly he wanted to win this game, but it would make sense that he’d want to prove the Falcons wrong.
Fields became QB1 late last week with Russell Wilson dealing with an injury, so it’s likely no one was working closer to Smith than him. If anyone on the team has an idea what Smith’s true feelings are, it’s Fields. He gave Smith and the Steelers a good, turnover-free game, helping to gift his coach with a win.
There were some plays that were frustrating, like the designed run for George Pickens, but overall, Smith did a good job. The play call to end the half where Fields hit George Pickens to set up a field goal was especially beautiful. It’s only one game, but it’s better than Matt Canada.
For what it’s worth, it didn’t seem like this was a true “revenge game.” Both Smith and Falcons players seemed to have no animosity. For Smith, it was probably more about proving a point to Falcons management.
Now, the Steelers are looking ahead to a game with some actual tension. It doesn’t seem like there’s much love lost between Wilson and his former team, the Denver Broncos. We’ll see if he’s healthy, but if he is, the Steelers may have to do for Wilson what they just did for Smith.
