Everything that Falcons fans were excited about for this season came to a crashing halt in Week 1 against the Steelers.
The defense was mostly good but gave up several big plays to George Pickens by way of A.J. Terrell. The offense is where most of the disappointment lies, though. Kirk Cousins and Zac Robinson were awful in their Falcons debut.
Cousins missed several targets, looked out of sorts, couldn’t feel the pressure coming, didn’t protect the ball at all, looked immobile and lacked power on some throws.
Robinson, on the other hand, seemingly didn’t put Cousins in a position to succeed because he was either limited by Cousins’ Achilles or his own scheme. I don’t which is worse. After expecting a lot of under-center/play-action style of offense from Robinson, the Falcons exclusively ran shotgun and pistol formations, something Kirk Cousins didn’t do a lot of in Minnesota.
Another disappointing aspect of Sunday’s contest was Mercedes Benz Stadium. Falcons fans have never made the Benz a home-field advantage, but this season was expected to be different. With so much hype, Week 1 was an opportunity to finally give the Falcons that Georgia Dome feeling.
That wasn’t the case. Steelers fans, who are notorious for traveling well, showed up in Atlanta waving their Terrible Towels. There were so many of them that Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense had to go to a silent count in their own stadium, which played a big factor in T.J. Watt‘s impressive outing, he said.
Fun stuff from T.J. Watt after Sunday’s win at Atlanta. Which was overrun by Steelers fans. pic.twitter.com/Niyhi0C32A
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 9, 2024
This really isn’t anything new. I’m sure there were a lot of Falcons fans present and going nuts. I could hear them on the television, but the fact of the matter is Watt is correct. An offense having to go to the silent count is a damning indictment of the stadium and was a huge benefit for pass rushers trying to time their snaps.
Having to go to a silent count at home, while never going under center, is just another embarrassment of a gross Week 1 for the Falcons. It’s only the first game, and teams have to evolve over the course of a season, but as of right now, it seems like nothing has changed except for the names on the backs of the jerseys.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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