Atlanta
Falcons
0-0
24
FINAL
16
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a hard-fought season opener, the Atlanta Falcons topped the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-16, claiming an early victory in the 2026 campaign. The stakes were high as both teams sought to establish momentum for the season, but it was the Falcons who emerged victorious in this tightly contested matchup.
Leading the charge for Atlanta was Bijan Robinson, who showcased his versatility with an impressive 159 rushing yards and 91 receiving yards, making him a dual threat that the Steelers struggled to contain. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers put up a valiant effort for Pittsburgh, throwing for 289 yards and completing two touchdown passes, but it wasn't enough to secure a win.
Defensively, the Falcons made crucial stops, with Avieon Terrell contributing five total tackles and Brandon Dorlus adding a sack that helped stifle the Steelers' momentum. The turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Falcons' defense held firm on a critical drive, forcing a turnover on downs that sealed the game and allowed Atlanta to run out the clock.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Rodgers | QB | 33 | 19 | 58% | 289 | 2 | 0 | 106.7 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 21 | 18 | 86% | 201 | 2 | 0 | 138.2 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 18 | 159 | 8.8 | 79 | 1 | 55 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 7 | -4 | -0.6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 8 | 91 | 11.4 | 103 | 1 | 31 | 0 |
| Michael Pittman | WR | 3 | 60 | 20.0 | — | 1 | 31 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 4 | 59 | 14.8 | 31 | 1 | 27 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 2 | 59 | 29.5 | 9 | 0 | 34 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 3 | 51 | 17.0 | 25 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Austin Hooper | TE | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 21 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 3 | 34 | 11.3 | 26 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 2 | 29 | 14.5 | 5 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaquan Brisker | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sydney Brown | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yasir Abdullah | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spears-Jennings | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hughes | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Folk | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 19 |
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 1 | 1 | 43 |

