Atlanta
Falcons
0-0
36
FINAL
27
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling season opener, the Atlanta Falcons beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 36-27, showcasing their offensive prowess and resilience. With both teams eager to kick off the 2026 season with a win, this matchup set the tone for an exciting year ahead.
On the offensive side, Aaron Rodgers led the Steelers with a strong performance, throwing for 315 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was Bijan Robinson who shone for Atlanta, rushing for 81 yards and contributing significantly to the Falcons' ground game. Meanwhile, Michael Pittman made his mark for Pittsburgh, racking up 108 receiving yards in a losing effort.
Defensively, the Falcons made key plays that turned the tide of the game. Xavier Watts stood out with nine total tackles, while Christian Harris added a sack, creating pressure on Rodgers. The turning point came when Billy Bowman Jr. intercepted a crucial pass in the fourth quarter, allowing Atlanta to secure the victory and escape Pittsburgh with a hard-fought win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 45 | 30 | 67% | 315 | 2 | 2 | 83.1 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 31 | 19 | 61% | 234 | 1 | 1 | 81.9 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 17 | 81 | 4.8 | 34 | 1 | 38 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 11 | 72 | 6.5 | 26 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 8 | 20 | 2.5 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Trey Benson | HB | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Tua Tagovailoa | QB | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Pittman | WR | 8 | 108 | 13.5 | 30 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 5 | 108 | 21.6 | 75 | 2 | 70 | 2 |
| Drake London | WR | 4 | 93 | 23.3 | 58 | 1 | 55 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 8 | 50 | 6.3 | 19 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 4 | 22 | 5.5 | 24 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Trey Benson | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Harris | WILL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 6 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joey Porter | CB | 2 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Zach Harrison | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeShon Elliott | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Asante Samuel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sydney Brown | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anterio Thompson | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandin Echols | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Folk | K | 5 | 5 | 3 | 56 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 2 | 3 | 3 | 49 |