Falcons Fall to Steelers in Kirk Cousins Debut: 3 Takeaways

The Atlanta Falcons suffered a season-opening defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins struggled in his team debut Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons began the 2024 season with an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The game marked Atlanta's first under head coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Kirk Cousins, and left several questions to be answered surrounding a lack of preseason playing time and evident rust offensively.

Here are three takeaways from the Falcons' season opener ...

Cousins Has Difficult Day, Offense Battles Self Inflicted Wounds

During training camp, Cousins noted the value in playing in the preseason -- but his request fell on deaf ears. In his Falcons debut, Cousins trudged through a difficult first three drives. He went just 6-of-11 for 54 yards and an interception while Atlanta's offense mustered only 3 points.

The 36-year-old Cousins, playing in his first game since tearing his Achilles in Week 8 last season, finished the first half with a 12-yard touchdown to tight end Kyle Pitts, but failed to carry the momentum into the second half.

By day's end, Cousins was 16-of-26 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He tossed a crucial interception with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter right after Atlanta moved into Pittsburgh territory, trailing 15-10.

Atlanta's offense lacked vertical explosion. A 20-yard completion to slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud -- during which the Steelers hit Cousins and affected the flight of the ball -- was the Falcons' longest passing play of the day.

But most importantly, the Falcons lacked sustainability. Good drives -- such as the first after halftime, which ended when center Drew Dalman's snap hit the motion man, tight end Ross Dwelley, and led to a fumble recovered by the Steelers -- were ended by unforced errors.

The Falcons' offensive line struggled to stop a variety of Steelers defensive linemen. Cousins was hit eight times. Atlanta averaged four yards per carry but failed to eclipse 100 yards on 22 total carries.

Defense Bends, Doesn't Break -- And Does Its Part

The Steelers never reached the endzone Sunday. Kicker Chris Boswell made six field goals, three of which from 50-plus yards, to give the visitors all their points.

Atlanta allowed a handful of big plays, including a pair of 30-plus-yard completions from Steelers quarterback Justin Fields to receiver George Pickens, and steady drives -- but no touchdowns.

Time and again in the second half, the Falcons' defense stood tall, but the offense failed to deliver. Be it a 4th and 1 stop in the redzone or getting the ball back in quick nature late in the fourth quarter, Atlanta's defense did its part.

Fields finished 17-of-23 for 156 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He added 14 carries for 57 yards. The Steelers rushed for 137 yards on 41 carries, an average of 3.3 yards per attempt.

Also of note defensively, the Falcons started Mike Hughes at cornerback opposite A.J. Terrell, which came as no surprise given Hughes held down the spot throughout training camp. However, Clark Phillips III replaced Hughes to start the second half. Hughes came back in a few drives later.

Bijan Sees Heavy Workload

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson started his second professional season by touching the ball on seven of the first 12 plays from scrimmage. The first five came via handoffs, while the next two were passes from Cousins.

By halftime, Robinson had 15 touches -- 10 carries for 26 yards and five receptions for 43 yards. He touched the ball the first four plays of the second half, including an end-around to gain 10 yards and convert on 4th and 1.

Robinson's final stat line shows 18 carries for 68 yards and five receptions for 43 yards, 56 of which came after the catch. He had 23 total touches, which matches his two highest outputs last season.

It doesn't get any easier for the Falcons with their front-loaded schedule. Atlanta travels to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles (1-0). The Eagles' also play good defense but will present a much more dynamic offense than what Pittsburgh showed on Sunday.