FALCONS DOWNED

This was a great football effort. A lot of things worked. In the end, the Steelers put together the win.

I am going to start with the best, most consistent effort. The defense. Pittsburgh’s defense did everything they were asked to and then some. The Steelers defense allowed on average 21.8 yards per Atlanta possession.. The Falcons crossed the fifty on 46% of their drives. They reached the Red Zone only once. The deepest the Falcons got was the Steelers 5 yard line. There was the beautifully orchestrated Polamalu interception. OT? Forget about it. One of the Steelers Defense’s best stands of the day. He one criticism comes as the soft coverage against the screen. It’s what the screen is designed to do. The Steelers Defense seemed to react slowly to its use. Overall, a big game for Big D.

Moving right along we’ll go to that menagerie of talent and expectations I call Special Teams. On the kicking/punting side, the Falcons average offensive starting position was the Pittsburgh 26. Atlanta’s average punt return was 10 yards. The Falcons’ average kick return was 20 yards. The deepest the Steelers pinned the Falcons was the Atlanta 9 yard line. And it came at the biggest time. The Overtime kickoff. On the receiving side, the Steelers only averaged 3.5 return yards punts, but picked up 23 yards on kick offs. Most importantly, no special teams touchdowns allowed by the Steelers. A good job by this problematic unit..

The Offensive unit. Well, what can I say? They didn’t look pretty, but they got the job done. I seriously believe Dixon lacks the arm strength needed to meet the down filed throws that were necessary. He has to learn to throw over the defense, because he can’t throw through it. But he had some good plays as well. All in all, a W is still a W in my book.