Atlanta
Falcons
0-0
45
FINAL
31
Pittsburgh
Steelers
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn an explosive start to the 2026 season, the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers with a final score of 45-31. Both teams came into this Week 1 matchup looking to set a tone for the year, but it was Atlanta that emerged victorious, showcasing their offensive firepower.
Drew Allar made a statement for the Steelers, throwing for 318 yards and four touchdowns, highlighting his ability to connect deep with receivers. However, it was Brian Robinson Jr. who stole the show for Atlanta, rushing for 112 yards and providing a balanced offensive attack that kept the Steelers on their heels. Germie Bernard also turned in a standout performance with 159 receiving yards, but it wasn't enough to keep pace with the Falcons' relentless scoring.
On the defensive side, Jalon Walker led the charge for Atlanta with 1.5 sacks, disrupting Allar's rhythm and applying consistent pressure throughout the game. The turning point came in the second quarter when Walker's sack led to a crucial turnover, allowing the Falcons to capitalize and extend their lead. Despite T.J. Watt's solid eight tackles for Pittsburgh, the Steelers struggled to contain Atlanta’s potent offense, ultimately sealing their fate in this high-scoring affair.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Allar | QB | 43 | 23 | 53% | 318 | 4 | 0 | 108.4 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 28 | 19 | 68% | 259 | 4 | 0 | 136.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 12 | 112 | 9.3 | 63 | 1 | 45 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 17 | 94 | 5.5 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 13 | 61 | 4.7 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Trey Sermon | HB | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | — | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Rico Dowdle | HB | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Michael Penix Jr | QB | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Drew Allar | QB | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Germie Bernard | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | — | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germie Bernard | WR | 8 | 159 | 19.9 | 90 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
| Jahan Dotson | WR | 5 | 87 | 17.4 | 13 | 1 | 29 | 0 |
| DK Metcalf | WR | 4 | 73 | 18.3 | 11 | 2 | 30 | 0 |
| Drake London | WR | 5 | 72 | 14.4 | 6 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WR | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 7 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Roman Wilson | WR | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 18 | 0 | 22 | 1 |
| Darnell Washington | TE | 4 | 33 | 8.3 | 10 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Kyle Pitts Sr | TE | 1 | 25 | 25.0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Zachariah Branch | WR | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Bijan Robinson | HB | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Pat Freiermuth | TE | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Tonyan | TE | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Highsmith | REDG | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| T.J. Watt | LEDG | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Divine Deablo | MIKE | 7 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Payton Wilson | WILL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jamel Dean | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Harris | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Patrick Queen | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Hughes | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derrick Harmon | DT | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Ramsey | FS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A.J. Terrell Jr | CB | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalon Walker | LEDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Pearce Jr | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spears-Jennings | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Avieon Terrell | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jessie Bates III | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Donte Kent | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Bowman Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Da'Shawn Hand | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brandon Dorlus | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Murphy-Bunting | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daylen Everette | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Heyward | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole Holcomb | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kendal Daniels | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Boswell | K | 1 | 2 | 4 | 32 |
| Nick Folk | K | 1 | 1 | 6 | 50 |

