The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, and the difference was a defensive touchdown. T.J. Watt returned an interception 35 yards for a score early in the fourth quarter. That was the only touchdown of the second half.

Atlanta won the ground game and the clock. The Falcons ran for 120 yards to Pittsburgh's 58 and held the ball for just over 31 minutes. None of it mattered, because Atlanta never got into the red zone and threw 2 interceptions while Pittsburgh threw none.

How It Happened

Chris Boswell opened the scoring with a 43-yard field goal at 8:30 of the first quarter. Atlanta answered late in the period when Cooper Rush found Bijan Robinson for a 23-yard touchdown. Nick Folk's kick made it 7-3 Falcons after one.

Pittsburgh took over in the second quarter with 10 points in under two minutes. Boswell hit from 28 yards, then Aaron Rodgers threw a 6-yard touchdown to Pat Freiermuth at 10:39. Neither team scored again before halftime, and the Steelers led 13-7.

The third quarter was empty until Folk drilled a 51-yard field goal with 1:50 left. That cut the lead to 13-10 and put Atlanta one score from the lead heading into the fourth.

Watt ended that hope at 14:05, picking off an Atlanta pass and taking it back for the touchdown. Folk added a 43-yard field goal at 10:35 to make it 20-13. Neither offense scored over the final 10 minutes.

Key Performers

T.J. Watt: 35 YDS interception return, 1 TD
Chris Boswell: Field goals of 43 and 28 YDS, 2 extra points
Aaron Rodgers: 6 YDS TD pass to Pat Freiermuth
Cooper Rush: 23 YDS TD pass to Bijan Robinson
Nick Folk: Field goals of 51 and 43 YDS, 1 extra point

Watt's play was the game. Pittsburgh's offense managed just one touchdown and averaged under 3 yards per carry, so the defense supplied the margin.

What It Means

Pittsburgh opens 1-0 with a home win it did not dominate. The Steelers converted just 3 of 13 third downs and came up empty on both fourth-down tries. They also lost a fumble.

Pittsburgh's offense ran through the air. The Steelers piled up 206 net passing yards and 10 first downs through the air, while the run game produced only 3 first downs. That is not a balance that holds up for long.

Atlanta falls to 0-1 and has plenty to clean up. The Falcons converted 2 of 12 third downs and were flagged 9 times for 96 yards.

The passing game also struggled. Atlanta completed 12 of 22 passes for 118 net yards, managed only 4 passing first downs and took 4 sacks. The Falcons outrushed Pittsburgh and won time of possession, but the turnovers and empty drives cost them the road opener.

Final: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Atlanta Falcons 13
Total yards: PIT 264 – ATL 238
Rushing: ATL 31 ATT, 120 YDS – PIT 21 ATT, 58 YDS
Passing: PIT 24-41, 206 YDS, 0 INT – ATL 12-22, 118 YDS, 2 INT
Penalties: ATL 9-96 – PIT 7-52
Time of possession: ATL 31:07 – PIT 28:53