Atlanta
Falcons
0-0
34
FINAL
28
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn an exhilarating Week 1 matchup, the Atlanta Falcons narrowly defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, clinching a 34-28 victory. Both teams entered the season with high hopes, but it was the Falcons who emerged victorious in this tightly contested battle, setting the tone for their 2026 campaign.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr. showcased his prowess for Atlanta, throwing for three touchdowns and making critical plays when it mattered most. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's Justin Herbert put on a stellar performance, racking up 337 passing yards and keeping the Steelers in contention. TreVeyon Henderson added a solid ground game for the Falcons with 66 rushing yards, while Tee Higgins led the Steelers' receiving corps with an impressive 121 receiving yards.
Defensively, the Falcons were led by Darien Porter, who made a game-changing interception that shifted momentum in the second half. The Steelers' defense, anchored by Terrel Bernard's ten tackles and Za'Darius Smith's sack, fought hard but struggled to contain the Falcons' explosive offense. The turning point came late in the third quarter when Porter's pick set up a crucial touchdown, allowing Atlanta to maintain their lead and ultimately secure the win.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justin Herbert | QB | 38 | 26 | 68% | 337 | 3 | 1 | 111.4 |
| Anthony Richardson Sr | QB | 33 | 20 | 61% | 255 | 3 | 0 | 115.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 12 | 66 | 5.5 | 9 | 1 | 13 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 12 | 57 | 4.8 | 31 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | HB | 9 | 43 | 4.8 | 15 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Damien Martinez | HB | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Kaelon Black | HB | 5 | 11 | 2.2 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Justin Herbert | QB | 3 | 8 | 2.7 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| De'Zhaun Stribling | WR | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Tee Higgins | WR | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Richardson Sr | QB | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Burton | FB | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tee Higgins | WR | 9 | 121 | 13.4 | 21 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Jayden Higgins | WR | 5 | 102 | 20.4 | 72 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 7 | 79 | 11.3 | 19 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Nico Collins | WR | 5 | 58 | 11.6 | 8 | 2 | 17 | 0 |
| Chris Brazzell II | WR | 3 | 55 | 18.3 | 16 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Kyle Williams | WR | 5 | 53 | 10.6 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Kenyon Sadiq | TE | 2 | 32 | 16.0 | — | 0 | 24 | 1 |
| De'Zhaun Stribling | WR | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Luke Schoonmaker | TE | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Noah Gray | TE | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | — | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Omarion Hampton | HB | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Damien Martinez | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Sam LaPorta | TE | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Devaughn Vele | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin | HB | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darien Porter | CB | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Terrel Bernard | MIKE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Cisse | CB | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Andre Cisco | SS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Channing Tindall | MIKE | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nick Emmanwori | SS | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Charvarius Ward Sr | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Green | LEDG | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Za'Darius Smith | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaq Thompson | WILL | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedric Gray | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Travon Walker | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Terrion Arnold | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Malik Muhammad II | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dane Belton | FS | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kenneth Grant | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T'Vondre Sweat | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Verse | REDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lewis Cine | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grover Stewart | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deonte Banks | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Kilgore | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baron Browning | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Allen | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mac McWilliams | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Isaiah Pola-Mao | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Davon Godchaux | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Mevis | K | 2 | 2 | 4 | 48 |
| Jack Fox | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wil Lutz | K | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 |

