The Pittsburgh Steelers have won consecutive games for the first time in 2022, this after a 19-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Steelers improved to 5-7 on the season, with a huge divisional matchup against their arch rivals, the Baltimore Ravens looming next weekend.
Kenny Pickett had a 197 yards and a touchdown on the day, while Najee Harris carried the ball 17 times for 86 yards. Pat Freiermuth had 3 catches for 76 yards and Diontae Johnson had 5 catches for 60 yards.
Pittsburgh’s offense looked good in the first half on Sunday, albeit with multiple drives stalling late, resulting in field goals instead of touchdowns. Matthew Wright was a perfect 4/4 on the day, including a long ball of 48 yards, which kept the Steelers in the lead throughout the game.
His first pair of field goals came in the first quarter, capping off drives of 18 plays and 12 plays respectively, helping the Steelers build an early 6-0 lead. After the Falcons responded with a field goal of its own, Pickett & Co. marched down the field on a seven play, 80 yard drive, finished off by a 17 yard touchdown pass to Connor Heyward to make it a 13-3 lead.
The two teams traded field goals in the second quarter, and Pittsburgh took a 16-6 lead into the half. Unfortunately for the Steelers, there wasn’t much scoring on their end in the second half, but their defense did enough to keep the Falcons’ offense from taking the lead.
Pittsburgh’s 16 play, 71 yard drive in the third quarter gassed the Atlanta defense, and despite not being able to punch the ball into the end zone, the Steelers did add to their lead with a 33 yard field goal, making it 19-6. A touchdown drive by Atlanta in the third followed by a field goal in the 4th cut the lead to 19-16, but Pittsburgh’s offense gained enough first downs late in the game to secure the victory.
This was, for the second straight week, a somewhat impressive performance by this Steelers’ team, being able to win a tough game on the road in a pretty hostile indoor environment. Certainly, there is still a long list of improvements this team needs to make, but they have found ways to come away with wins the past two weeks, perhaps building momentum has they return home for a divisional matchup against the first-place Ravens at Acrisure Stadium next Sunday afternoon.
Overall Record: 5-7
