The Atlanta Falcons played their highly anticipated season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon and the game did not go as expected. The favored Falcons held a 10-9 halftime lead but were shut out by the Steelers defense in the second half of Sunday’s 18-10 loss.
With Russell Wilson (calf) unable to play, Pittsburgh went with Justin Fields at quarterback. The Georgia native completed 17 out of 23 pass attempts for 156 yards and added another 57 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins did not look comfortable in his Mercedes-Benz Stadium debut.
Atlanta’s defense was an overall bright spot but struggled to get off the field on third down. Here are five takeaways from the team’s Week 1 loss to the Steelers: