The Pittsburgh Steelers had an ugly victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, as they won on the road by a score of 18-10. The offense did their part of not turning the ball over and taking some time off of the clock, and the defense was stifling during the second half. Atlanta was able to move the ball fairly easily early on in the game, but Pittsburgh's defense turned it on in the second half and didn't allow any points. The Steelers also forced two takeaways during the second half.
Steelers.com
Steelers' Donte Jackson and T.J. Watt got hyped against the Falcons in 2024.
It's no question the two biggest keys to the victory were Chris Boswell, who made six field goals, and the Pittsburgh defense. TJ Watt lived in Atlanta's backfield on Sunday, recording just one sack, but he had two strip sacks called back thanks to penalties.
Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce were talking about the game on the most recent episode of their podcast, New Heights. Both offered a ton of praise for the defense, and for Watt himself.
"Falcons, I know they didn't look good against the Steelers. But, do not be fooled. The Steelers, dude, the Steelers, [Mike] Tomlin, people have been getting on him for whatever. But you can't get on their defense, especially when TJ Watt is healthy. That defense is routinely one of the best in the league and TJ was on one in that game."
Watt was widely considered the best defensive player in the league from Week 1. His final stats weren't earth-shattering, but he had one strip sack that should have stood, and the referee even admitted to him at halftime that he had messed up. Even though he was held back by the officiating, he made his presence known. Jason spoke about how the Steelers didn't provide a fair evaluation of the Falcons' offense.
"The reality is, I don't think that's a fair evaluation of who the Falcons are as a team. I think that's a tough matchup for any offense going up against the Steelers."
Both Kelce brothers will get an up close look at the Steelers' defense, as the Steelers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles later on during the 2024 season. Jason retired after the 2023 season, but he has still remained close with the Eagles and has taken on a job as an analyst. Travis is obviously still a top-tier tight end in Kansas City.
Steelers.com
Steelers' TJ Watt nearly gets to Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in the 2024 season opener.
Watt is coming off of a season where he led the NFL in sacks, and he seemed to be a shoe-in to win the league's AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. Unfortunately, the outside linebacker got snubbed and the league gave the award to Myles Garrett. It seems as though Watt may have a chip on his shoulder because of this, and he will look to carry his success into Pittsburgh's Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Steelers Have An Extremely Difficult Second Half Of The Season
Pittsburgh's defense carrying the team to victories is nothing new, it has been happening for years now. This will be difficult for the unit to continue once Pittsburgh embarks on their gauntlet starting in Week 11. Starting then, they will play all six of their divisional games, plus their games against the Chiefs and Eagles.
NFL.com
T.J. Watt scoops a loose ball for the first score in Pittsburgh's Wild Card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
Watt usually makes big plays against the best in the league, and if he is able to do that throughout the second half of the season, he should be a lock for DPOY. The Chiefs will be tough to handle, especially with Patrick Mahomes at the helm and Travis still playing at a high level. The Eagles will also be difficult to get through, as the addition of Saquon Barkley seems to be paying off in Philadelphia.
What do you think of the comments made from the Kelces? Let us know in the comments below!
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