Falcons Big Opportunity Intercepted by Steelers in Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers came to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and stole a win from the Atlanta Falcons.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 4, 2022

The Atlanta Falcons (5-8) are shaking their heads after a 19-16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7) Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Falcons offense started off extremely flat, and Atlanta could not push very far into Steelers territory. The run game was abandoned and Marcus Mariota could not find a rhythm in the pass game.

However, the defense held Kenny Pickett and the Steelers at bay, forcing them to three field goals instead of touchdowns in the first half to make it a 16-6 deficit.

The Falcons found some success in the run game in the second half and it led to two scoring drives which brought Atlanta within three points.

The Steelers had to play keep away on the final drive and was able to punt deep into Atlanta territory with less than a minute to go for the Falcons to push down field for a game-tying score.

However, Mariota threw an interception to Steelers defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick that crushed any small glimmer of hope the Falcons had.

With the loss, the Falcons move to a full game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South playoff race. Tampa plays Monday night against the New Orleans Saints, which could push Atlanta even further back.

The Falcons now move into their bye week before returning on Dec. 18 to face the Saints.

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Published Dec 4, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.