The Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons went head-to-head in Week 1o f the 2024 NFL regular season in Atlanta, and there were storylines galore in this game. It was Arthur Smith’s return to Atlanta after his 3-year tenure there as a head coach, Justin Fields getting a proverbial and literal fresh start with Russell Wilson injured, Kirk Cousins’ first start in his new home.

And those aren’t all the headlines heading into the game, but here we let you know how the game went down by quarter, sharing highlights alone the way.

Let’s get to the breakdown:

1st Quarter

The Falcons won the coin toss and elected to receive the kick. Starting at the 30-yard line, Kirk Cousins and Bijan Robinson moved the ball quickly into the red-zone. However, the drive stalled when they reached an and-goal situation and had to settle for a field goal, making the score 3-0.

Justin Fields and the Steelers offense took over and had a sloppy drive which ended in a 57-yard field goal from Chris Boswell to tie the game 3-3.

On the next drive Kirk Cousins was intercepted on second down by safety DeShon Elliott for the first takeaway of the game, and season.

DeShon Elliott with the INT in his #Steelers debut‼️

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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024

The quarter would end with the Steelers driving into Atlanta territory.

Score at the end of the 1st Quarter: 3-3

2nd Quarter

The Steelers drive went the wrong way to start the quarter, and the result was settling for another Chris Boswell field goal. This one from 51-yards, and equated in 3 points off the Cousins interception. The score was 6-3.

The Pittsburgh offense looked like they were on the move before an offensive pass interference call negated a big play. The Falcons next drive was aided by another officiating call when T.J. Watt’s strip-sack was negated by them saying he was offsides. The result? A Kyle Pitts touchdown on the next play.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for…

KIRK TO KYLE TOUCHDOWN

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— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 8, 2024

With just seconds left, most assumed the Steelers would go into halftime with the 10-6 score, but Fields and the offense went to work. A huge gain to George Pickens resulted in a 44-yard field goal as time expired on the 2n quarter.

Score at halftime: Falcons 10, Steelers 9

3rd Quarter

The Steelers 3 and out to start the third quarter gave the ball to Falcons quickly. When Atlanta was nearing field goal range, an arrant snap was botched and recovered by T.J. Watt. The takeaway resulted in points, but another Chris Boswell field goal, this one from 56-yards to give the Steelers a 12-10 lead.

The Falcons failed to turn any of their 3rd quarter possessions into points, and it was Pittsburgh who struck next. The points were set up by a bomb from Fields to Pickens, again, which got the offense into scoring range.

2️⃣ 🚀 1️⃣4️⃣

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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024

Nonetheless, the drive stalled, again, and resulted in another Boswell field goal. The 40-yard kick was good, making the score 15-10 at the end of the quarter.

Score at the end of the 3rd Quarter: Steelers 15, Falcons 10

4th Quarter

The Falcons drive to start the 4th quarter went the wrong direction and ended in a punt. The Steelers followed that drive up with an impressive drive, their first red-zone trip of the game. However, facing a 4th and 1 inside the 5, Justin Fields was stopped short and turning it over on downs.

The Steelers defense got a 3 and out after the turnover on downs, and the Steelers offense gave it right back with a 3-and-out of their own. However, Cousins tried to force a throw into a tight window and it was intercepted by Donte Jackson and returned to the 20.

ACTION JACKSON 🎬

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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 8, 2024

The Steelers ran the ball well enough to be able to run out the majority of the clock and result in another Chris Boswell field goal. When the ball was kicked off, the Falcons had just over 30 seconds left to try and make a play to tie the game at best. T.J. Watt ended the game with a sack. Appropriate.

FINAL SCORE: Steelers 18, Falcons 10

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they start to prepare for their Week 2 regular season game vs. the Denver Broncos.