South Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons offense struggled in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, as evidenced by the game statistics.

The Falcons managed 226 net offensive yards, with only 52 coming in the second half. They scored one touchdown in the first half but did not reach the red zone again. The team committed three turnovers and three offensive penalties, faced seven quarterback hits, and failed to convert on seven third-down attempts.

"Need to play better," said Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. "That's the bottom line. I thought our defense played very well. I thought our special teams played very well. And we didn't complement that enough on offense."

The Falcons (0-1) will face the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) in a Monday Night Football matchup for Week 2.

This raises the question: What stat line must the Falcons change for offensive improvement? The Falcons editorial staff of Tori McElhaney, Terrin Waack, and Amna Subhan provide their insights below.

McELHANEY: Play counts. The Falcons ran only 50 plays throughout Sunday's loss, gaining just 52 total yards of offense in the second half. The Steelers led time of possession by more than 10 minutes.

Stringing together longer drives is essential as this offense progresses. Drives were shortened by penalties and turnovers. The Falcons faced too many third-and-long situations, converting only two of nine third downs. Pass protection issues also affected overall offensive movement.

At the end of the day, there is not one specific thing that caused the low play count; it's an all-encompassing issue.

WAACK: Sacks and quarterback hits are critical areas needing improvement for protecting the passer. Kirk Cousins was sacked twice and hit seven times overall.

For instance, Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt was credited with only one sack in the fourth quarter but could have had three if not for penalties negating two strip sacks earlier in the game. One of those negated fumbles was recovered by Atlanta, which would have increased their turnover count.

Regardless of Cousins' injury history — with head coach Raheem Morris confirming his health — that's a significant amount of contact for a 36-year-old quarterback to endure in a single game. Better protection is necessary for their $180 million investment.

SUBHAN: Head coach Raheem Morris called turnovers "the story of the game." Kirk Cousins threw two interceptions and miscommunicated with center Drew Dalman for a lost fumble. Pittsburgh scored half its total points off these mistakes.

"That's the big difference," Morris said. "It just goes back to the turnovers... We've got to get that right, and that can't happen."

Limiting turnovers is crucial against a Super Bowl contender like the Eagles on Monday Night Football.

While Pittsburgh excelled at takeaways last season, ranking top 10, Philadelphia ranked in the bottom 10 but remains formidable with players like Reed Blankenship who tied for sixth in interceptions last season and picked one off in Week 1.

Ultimately, limiting turnovers depends on minimizing mental mistakes such as fumbled snaps—something Cousins and his teammates likely understand well.