Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Atlanta Falcons Grade Report
The home underdog Pittsburgh Steelers came up with their eighth straight season opening victory on Sunday. The 15-9 overtime defeat of the Atlanta Falcons came as the result of a dominating defense and an emphasis on the ground game.
Pittsburgh held a talented Falcons offense without a touchdown and were able to run for 143 yards on 31 carries as a team while possessing the ball for 32:06 of the clock.
It was not the most dominating victory, but the Steelers were happy with the win according to Brett Keisel.
“We’ll take a win any way we can get it, anyhow we can get it.”
The Steelers will have to improve if they want to get a win next week at Tennessee, particularly at the quarterback position where Dennis Dixon had his share of problems.
But for now, Pittsburgh will take a 1-0 record without their franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and will look to improve heading into next week.
After the game, Mike Tomlin said, “It’s great to get a hard-fought win…We got some things to work on, absolutely like all 31 other teams do, but we get to do it while we’re 1-and-0…But we’re thankful that we were able to get the job done today with a big, collective effort in all three phases from about everybody in hats.”
Quarterback – C-
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Upon examination of the stat line, Dixon’s 18-26 for 236 yard performance does not look bad. However, he had one interception, thrown directly at the defender, and could have had at least three more, though one was the result of left tackle Jonathan Scott not getting his hands on the defensive end.
Dixon did not put his team in position to win and held the offense back.
On at least three occasions, he had a wide receiver open on third down and threw the ball near the receiver’s feet which Dixon believes he just missed.
“Yeah, I have to say it was probably aiming it. As far as the reads, I didn’t really make too many bad decisions out there. But that’s why you play the game of football, to make those connections.
Dixon also did not take off running, but instead stayed in the pocket throughout the course of the game.
“That was a main focus for me. Obviously, everybody knows I can run. I want to be able to read the defense and take what the defense gives me as far as the pass.”
Late in the game, Dixon took back-to-back critical sacks which cost the Steelers 20 yards of field position.
Dixon will need to step up next week if the Steelers are to get a win. He will need to put more zip on the ball and have more confidence in his abilities, all while avoiding the several potentially disastrous mistakes he made today.
Season GPA: 1.70
Running Back – B-
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The Steelers ground game was almost there, but still needs some work.
Rashard Mendenhall was close to breaking nice gains throughout the game, but the Falcons were able to close the gaps.
Regardless, Mendenhall was able to consistently pick up positive yardage and had the big 50-yard touchdown run in overtime to seal the Steelers victory. That carry gave him 120 yards on 22 carries and showed that the big play capability is there.
Prior to the overtime run, Mendenhall had only been averaging 3.3 yards per carry and this area must improve.
Pittsburgh did have good success in short yardage downs with Isaac Redman.
Redman only had 19 yards on six carries, but converted all but one of his third down attempts.
None of the running backs were very involved in the pass game.
Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore combined for four receptions for 18 yards.
Season GPA: 2.70
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends – A-
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With six receptions for 108 yards, Hines Ward went over 900 receptions and over 11,000 yards for his career. In addition, he also set a team record for 100-yard receiving games.
“It’s like Forest Gump, I can’t explain it. I’m 34 years old, and every year regardless of what people say it’s my mindset that I have to go in and prove everybody wrong. That’s my motivation. Every year I seem to amaze myself.”
Ward continues to amazing the Steelers and their fans as well. He once again helped set the tone for the Steelers’ offense with his playmaking and blocking abilities.
Mike Wallace came through with a big 52-yard reception that could have been a touchdown if hit in stride.
Pittsburgh tight end Heath Miller also had a big game with four receptions for 40 yards. Miller’s day could have been even bigger if not for Dixon missing the wide open Miller when throwing an interception.
Matt Spaeth was called for a penalty and Miller missed a couple of blocks, but David Johnson picked up a huge block for Mendenhall in overtime to help free him on the touchdown run.
Season GPA: 3.70
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Offensive Line – B-
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The already makeshift Steelers’ offensive line took another hit when Max Starks left the game with a leg injury.
Jonathan Scott stepped in and made a crucial mistake when he failed to block John Abraham on an attempted screen pass. This almost resulted in an interception.
Overall, the line played well, particularly considering their performance over the past few seasons.
Pittsburgh for the most part was able to give Dixon adequate protection despite the three sacks.
The running game, while not where it needs to be, showed signs of improvement. This is a positive sign considering the Falcons were looking to stop the run to force Dixon to make plays with his arm.
Flozell Adams picked up his first false start of the season.
Season GPA: 2.70
Defensive Line – A
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The defensive line welcomed Aaron Smith back Sunday and his presence helped the Steelers hold the Falcons to 58 yards on 25 carries for a 2.3 yard average.
This was an outstanding effort from the Steelers who had to matchup against the powerful Michael Turner and speedy Jerious Norwood.
Pittsburgh not only got contributions from starters Smith, Brett Keisel, and Casey Hampton, but also from backups Ziggy Hood, Nick Eason, and Chris Hoke.
Hoke stepped in for Hampton who suffered a hamstring injury and played very well.
Hood, who was invisible through much of the preseason despite his outstanding camp, also played well and was in on a quarterback pressure.
As a unit, the defensive line did a nice job occupying the line allowing the linebackers to make plays.
Season GPA: 4.00
Linebackers – A-
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LaMarr Woodley recorded a sack and set a club record for having at least a half sack in nine straight games.
James Harrison kept up adding a sack of his own and the Steelers linebackers disrupted the Falcon’s Matt Ryan quite often, forcing bad passes throughout the game.
Veteran linebacker James Farrior looked to be in good form and was a force in the run game.
One of the stars of the opener, though, was Lawrence Timmons.
Timmons who had flashed potential over his first three seasons but struggled against the run finally showed that he can be an every down linebacker, finishing with 11 tackles, nine solo, including three for a loss.
Timmons was also disruptive as a pass rusher even though he did not record a sack. More importantly, he was able to fight off blocks and close the gaps against the run.
The Falcons did have some success against the linebackers who were in coverage in the passing game.
Season GPA: 3.70
Defensive Backs – B
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The Steelers defensive backs were credited with four passes defended and kept the Falcons out of the endzone even though Ryan threw for 252 yards on 27-44 passing.
Ike Taylor had a good game and was rarely noticed, a good thing for a cornerback.
The Falcons picked on Bryant McFadden quite often. He was beat consistently on out patterns by Roddy White right at the first down marker. However, he was not beat deep.
William Gay looked much better in a reduced role and nearly had an interception.
At safety, the Steelers did not allow a big play.
Troy Polamalu was disruptive at times near the line but did miss some tackles. He did come up with a game changing interception late in the game which set up an attempt at a game-winning field goal.
Season GPA: 3.00
Special Teams – B
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The Steelers coverage units were much better allowing only one punt return for 10 yards and four kickoff returns for an average of 20.5 yards.
This was a positive sign for coverage units which struggled last year. One of the names that stuck out was second round draft pick Jason Worilds, who had two tackles.
Part of their success was the kicking game.
Sepulveda had an impressive 50.8 yards per punt on five punts, including a huge punt late in the fourth quarter that pinned the Falcons around their own 25-yard line.
Jeff Reed had plenty of hang time on his kicks and had one touchback.
Reed also connected with the longest NFL field goal in Heinz Field history at 52-yards. He nearly beat that record right before the half, hitting the upright on a 55-yard attempt.
Late in the game, Reed missed a second field goal which could have been the game winner. He finished 3 for 5.
The return game did not offer much with Emmanuel Sanders taking on kick return back for 23-yards and Antwaan Randle El finishing with seven yards on two punt returns.
Season GPA: 3.00
Coaching – B-
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Pittsburgh did a superb job on defense, holding the Falcons to only nine points while shutting down their ground attack. This was necessary if they were going to win.
The coaching staff used an effective defensive line rotation to keep them fresh which helped shut down Atlanta.
Offensively, the Steelers had the right idea trying to establish a run game.
However, they were also very predictable at times and found themselves in too many third down situations deep in their own zone. They were too conservative with Dixon and will have to use his skill set better next week.
The biggest coaching decision question came right before the half. Rather than try to pick up a few yards to make an easier field goal attempt for Reed as well as run the clock, the Steelers took a chance throwing the ball downfield.
It did not pay off. Reed missed the 55-yard field goal leaving the Falcons with good field position which they converted into a field goal prior to halftime.
Tomlin did not second guess this decision.
“Though it was a 55-yard kick we felt he was capable of hitting it. Distance wasn’t the issue; it just hit the up-right. If I had the do-over again I’d give him an opportunity again.”
Despite some miscues, the Steelers still came out with an opening week win.
Season GPA: 2.70
Study Up: What Must Improve
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Offensively, the Steelers will have to open up more. Dixon has the arm to go downfield and Wallace has the speed. They connected on their one attempt, but that was not enough. The Steelers need to take advantage of Wallace’s deep speed to get the defense thinking. This could then further open up the ground game and take pressure off of Dixon.
Dixon has to improve the velocity on his throws. Too often he floated balls which could easily be intercepted or dropped in front of his receivers.
The Steelers will also need to do some work on the offensive line. If Starks is out for an extended period of time, Tony Hills may be the player to step in since Scott is their swing offensive lineman.
On defense, Polamalu will have to continue to get his game up to speed after missing most of last season with injuries. They cannot afford to have him miss open field tackles and need him to be a disruptive presence.
Pittsburgh may also need to find a defensive tackle to step in if Hampton misses extended time. Hoke is an excellent backup, but there is no one to play the position behind him.
The Steelers will also look to get for more from their return game to help improve their field position. All too often Pittsburgh was pinned inside their 10 yard line because of the lack of a punt return game.
If these areas improve, the Steelers can get their record to 2-0 to start the season.
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