PITTSBURGH - The Atlanta Falcons got enough from their defense and plenty from Bijan Robinson, but the quarterback situation dragged them right back into familiar trouble in a 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cooper Rush was forced into action late in the week, then dealt with back spasms on Saturday night, and the result was a rough afternoon that left him sounding frustrated after the game.
“I wish I played better,” Rush said after the game. “Wish I put us in a better position to win.”
Rush finished 12-of-22 passing with two interceptions, and the Falcons never found much of a passing game beyond Robinson. His lone touchdown throw went to Robinson on a screen, and the running back did the rest.
Robinson still put together a huge day, piling up 173 total yards and a touchdown. On the ground, he carried 21 times for 83 yards, but he was also the only receiver Rush could consistently lean on. He was targeted on 45% of Rush’s passes and accounted for 67% of his completions, while the rest of the offense combined for just four catches on nine targets.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski praised Rush for fighting through the late-week scramble and the physical issues, while also making clear the offense has to do more to help him.
“He battled, like I knew he would. I’m proud of him for how he fought through to the end,” Stefanski said about Rush’s performance. “Obviously, we don’t want to turn the ball over and those types of things, but we’ve got to look at ways that we can help him.”
Protection was a major problem. Pittsburgh’s front seven sacked Rush four times, hit him with four additional hurries, and repeatedly got hands on his throws at the line. Even when he had time, the Falcons didn’t get much out of the passing game, and his average air yards sat at just 2.1 per attempt.
The self-inflicted damage made things worse. Atlanta was flagged seven times for 87 yards in the first half alone, and holding calls repeatedly wiped out promising drives and pushed the offense out of field-goal range.
“This league is hard enough, but if we get penalties that put us behind the sticks, it’s hard,” Rush said. “I felt we were resilient and kept playing ball. We’ve got to clean those up if we want to win in this league.”
Rush’s first interception was a simple overthrow of Jahan Dotson and set up Pittsburgh’s first touchdown. His second pick turned into the game-winning pick-six for T.J. Watt.
The Falcons did not turn to rookie Jack Strand, and Stefanski said after the game that no quarterback change was under consideration.
There may still be some help coming. Tua Tagovailoa was supposed to start Sunday while Michael Penix Jr. continued recovering, but an oblique injury kept Tagovailoa out. Stefanski said Penix should be back in the mix next week, and NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning that Penix could be available as early as Week 2 against Carolina or Week 3 against Green Bay, calling that “the target for him.”
For now, though, the Falcons are 0-1 for the eighth time in the last nine seasons, and their margin for error looks awfully thin without at least one of their top quarterbacks available.
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