Falcons Trail Steelers at Halftime as Defensive Tackling Woes Continue
The Atlanta Falcons (5-7), in need of a win to draw even atop the NFC South, have plenty of work to do in the second half of Sunday's contest, trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-6 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Steelers, who entered the game leading the NFL in drives with 10 or more plays, established themselves early, taking almost half the first quarter off the clock on a 15-play series, but the Falcons defense stood tall when it needed to, forcing a 46-yard field goal from kicker Matthew Wright that hit the right upright ... but took a Pittsburgh bounce and went through.
Atlanta's offense started well, moving close to midfield before a holding penalty on tight end Feleipe Franks put the unit behind the chains, leading to a punt from Bradley Pinion.
The Steelers responded with another lengthy drive, featuring four-consecutive conversions of second down. In all, they put together a 12-play possession that took nearly five and a half minutes, but once again had to settle for a 46-yard field goal from Wright, who hit it without controversy on the second occasion.
In need of points, Atlanta turned to the ground game, and leading rusher Tyler Allgeier delivered, turning in a 21-yard run on his first touch of the day. Completions of 16 and 13 yards from quarterback Marcus Mariota to tight end Parker Hesse and receiver Drake London, respectively, pushed the Falcons to the Steelers' 22-yard line.
The drive stalled when center Drew Dalman gave up immediate push from Pittsburgh defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who dropped running back Cordarrelle Patterson for a three-yard loss. Two plays later, Mariota was sacked, but the Falcons still put points on the board for the first all-time day as kicker Younghoe Koo connected from 50 yards out.
With Atlanta seemingly settling in, its defense had a chance to make a quick stop on 3rd and 4 ... but Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett hit tight end Pat Freiermuth just past the chains, and he proceeded to break several tackles en route to a 57-yard gain that put Pittsburgh inside the red zone.
After a false start, the Falcons defense had a chance to bend but not break once more, but the third time proved to be the charm for the visitors, as Pickett found wide-open tight end Connor Heyward for a 17-yard touchdown.
Atlanta quickly punched back, as Mariota connected with London for a 37-yard pickup. However, the series stalled once again, and Koo rescued the Falcons with a 51-yard field goal that sneaked past the left upright, trimming Pittsburgh's lead to 13-6.
The Steelers regained possession with five minutes left in the half, and took just over three and a half minutes off the clock before putting another field goal on the board. Pittsburgh scored points on each of its first four possessions in the first half, as Freiermuth proved difficult to stop on third down and running back Najee Harris ran through Atlanta's defenders time and again.
The Falcons had a minute and a half and all three timeouts, moving near midfield in just two plays, but three consecutive incompletions from Mariota took the drive to an end. Pittsburgh received the ensuing punt deep in its own territory and proceeded to run out the clock, content with its 16-6 lead.
Mariota finished the half nine of 16 for 122 yards as London starred for Atlanta, hauling in four passes for 72 yards on seven targets. The Falcons' third-ranked rushing attack was held quiet, mustering just 28 yards on six atttempts.
Pickett went 10 of 19 for 145 yards and a score, with Freiermuth leading all receivers at three catches for 76 yards.
The Falcons, in need of a tone-setting drive, will get the ball to start the second half.
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