The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million, delivering an expectation that the team instantly would be better on offense. On Sunday, they weren’t.
The Falcons led 10-9 at halftime. They lost 18-10, with three first downs and 51 total yards in the second half.
It was not what Cousins, the Falcons or Falcons fans had in mind.
“I was disappointed,” Cousins said, via team transcript. “Certainly disappointed. You always go out there with an expectation that you’re going to play at a high level, and we didn’t play up to our standards today.”
Cousins threw two interceptions, and he and center Drew Dalman botched a snap that hit the legs of Ross Dwelley, who was in motion.
“The timing was off,” Cousins said. “It’s my fault, sending the motion and asking for the ball, and the timing was off. So, it’s something that you have to bat a thousand, and you can’t have a mistake, and we paid for it today.”
Playing his first game since tearing his Achilles while with the Vikings last season, Cousins finished his day 16-of-26 for 155 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“We have to avoid critical errors,” Cousins said. “We always say that, but we have to do it. I think if we do that and keep ourselves in manageable down in distances, I think today showed it, you know, we can be a productive offense. But when we hurt ourselves, it’s tough to overcome.”
Cousins, 36, did not play in the preseason. He was asked if the offense might have played better Sunday if they had.
“It’s hard to say,” Cousins said. “I think the key is that we’re healthy for Week 1, and that was really the focus. There’s never excuses. You have to be ready to go when your number is called regardless. That was certainly no different today.”
Late in the first half of Sunday’s game at Atlanta, Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt had a strip sack of Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Watt told PFT after the win that he found a “golden nugget” in film study that allowed him to get a great jump. An official, however, decided it was too great. A flag was thrown, and the play was erased because it was determined Watt was offside.
Watt said the official admitted at halftime that he “messed up” on the call.
“That’s all I’ll say about it,” Watt said.
That’s all that needs to be said. Sometimes a pass rusher’s jump can be so perfect that it’s too perfect. That’s what happened to Watt on Sunday.
Then again, it was a huge moment. The Falcons kept possession. On the next play, Cousins connected with tight end Kyle Pitts for the only touchdown of the game.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t make any Week Two quarterback announcements after the team’s 18-10 road win over the Falcons on Sunday.
Justin Fields got the start after Russell Wilson was ruled out with a calf injury and avoided big mistakes on a day when Kirk Cousins threw a pair of interceptions. Fields completed 17-of-23 passes for 156 yards and ran 14 times for 57 yards as the Steelers rode six Chris Boswell field goals to a season-opening win.
Tomlin was asked in his postgame press conference if Fields’s performance could lead to a lasting change at the top of the depth chart.
“You can come ask me that question on Tuesday,” Tomlin said.
Wilson’s health will have a role in any decision that the Steelers make and an extended absence along with more wins under Fields could make it harder for him to get back in the lineup.
The Falcons scored the only touchdown in Sunday’s game against the Steelers, but that wasn’t enough to get them a win.
Steelers cornerback Donte Jackson picked Cousins off late in the fourth quarter and quarterback Justin Fields ran for a key first down just before the two-minute warning to set up Chris Boswell’s sixth field goal of the afternoon. The Falcons got the ball back with 28 seconds to play, but the Steelers hung on for an 18-10 win.
It was the second interception of the day for Cousins, who was making his first appearance since tearing his Achilles while playing for the Vikings last season and signing with the Falcons this offseason. He was 16-of-26 for 155 yards and threw a touchdown to tight end Kyle Pitts, but the overall performance wasn’t what the Falcons had in mind when they signed him.
The final play of the game was a sack by Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, who was a problem for the Falcons offensive line all afternoon. He had two other strip sacks wiped out by penalties, but his pressure gave Cousins problems all day and he also recovered a botched snap for a third Atlanta turnover.
Fields got stuffed for no gain on a fourth-down sneak earlier in the fourth quarter, but his running ability was a plus for the Steelers over the course of the game. He had 57 yards on the ground and running back Najee Harris picked up 70 yards as the Steelers were content to keep the ball on the ground for most of the day.
When they did put it in the air, Fields tended to go deep to wide receiver George Pickens. They hooked up six times for 85 yards to help the Steelers endure some of their less successful offensive attempts.
The Steelers will be in Denver next weekend and head coach Mike Tomlin may have to decide between sticking with Fields or going with Russell Wilson. Wilson was out this week with a calf injury, but was reportedly pushing to play and a full return to practice will force the Steelers to make a call. They also may need to sign a punter after Cam Johnston left the game with a leg injury. Boswell was pressed into duty for the team’s final punt and handled that as well as his six field goal attempts.
Cousins and the Falcons will be in Philadelphia to meet the 1-0 Eagles and they’ll probably need to find more than 226 yards of offense if they’re going to avoid an 0-2 start to the year.
It took almost the entire half for anyone to find the end zone in Atlanta, but the Falcons finally did it with 32 seconds to go in the second quarter.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins found a wide-open Kyle Pitts for a 12-yard touchdown. It was Cousins’s first touchdown pass with Atlanta and it sent the Falcons into the halftime break with a 10-6 lead over the Steelers.
Cousins connected with Ray-Ray McCloud and Bijan Robinson for other key plays on the scoring drive and he ended his first half as a Falcon with 136 yards, but he also threw an interception in the first quarter. Safety Deshon Elliott picked Cousins off near midfield, but the Steelers had to settle for a long Chris Boswell field goal.
Justin Fields got the start at quarterback with Russell Wilson sidelined by a calf injury. He’s picked up 26 yards on five runs, but the Steelers picked up just 50 yards on his first 10 completions. They had more success on No. 11 as George Pickens picked up 33 yards to set up a Boswell field goal that cut the deficit to 10-9.
Every week we bring you all the inactives from the 1 p.m. ET games in one post, constantly updated with the latest information.
Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase’s status for Sunday’s game has been closely watched all week because the wideout has reportedly been on the fence about playing without a contract extension in place. Chase warmed up on the field before the home game against New England on Sunday morning and he is active for the season opener.
That suggests Chase will play, but there have been a lot of twists and turns with the receiver since the start of training camp so we’ll see if he has his usual role. The Bengals will take as much as they can get with Tee Higgins out and the chance to start the year with a win on the line against the Patriots.
Bengals at Patriots
Bengals: WR Tee Higgins, WR Kendric Pryor, EDGE Cedric Johnson, T Amarius Mims, TE Tanner McLachlan, DT Kris Jenkins
Patriots: QB Joe Milton, WR Javon Baker, LB Curtis Jacobs, G Sidy Sow, T Zachary Thomas, T Demontrey Jacobs, DT Eric Johnson
Cardinals at Bills
Cardinals: WR Xavier Weaver, TE Travis Vokolek, OL Jon Gaines, DB Darren Hall, LB Jesse Luketa
Bills: T Ryan Van Demark, DE Dawuane Smoot, S Cole Bishop, LB Joe Andreessen, LB Eddie Ulofoshio, C Sedrick Van-Pran Granger, DE Javon Solomon
Vikings at Giants
Vikings: CB Fabian Moreau, DB Dwight McGlothern, WR Trishton Jackson, DT Levi Drake Rodriguez, DT Jalen Redmond, T Walter Rouse, QB Brett Rypien
Giants: S Anthony Johnson, CB Tre Hawkins, LB Boogie Basham, G Jake Kubas, QB Tommy DeVito
Titans at Bears
Titans: S Jamal Adams, LB Otis Reese, OL John Ojukwu, TE David Martin-Robinson, TE Thomas Odukoya, LB Ali Gaye
Bears: WR Tyler Scott, RB Roschon Johnson, OL Kiran Amegadjie, OL Bill Murray, DT Zacch Pickens, LB Noah Sewell, DE Dominique Robinson
Panthers at Saints
Panthers: S Jammie Robinson, CB Shemar Bartholomew, C Andrew Raym, G Jarrett Kingston, TE Tommy Tremble, TE Messiah Swinson, DE LaBryan Ray
Saints: WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, TE Dallin Holker, DT John Ridgeway
Steelers at Falcons
Steelers: QB Russell Wilson, WR Roman Wilson, DB Jalen Elliott, OL Isaac Seumalo, DL Dean Lowry
Falcons: RB Jase McClellan, CB Antonio Hamilton, DL Brandon Dorlus, OL Jovaughn Gwyn, WR Casey Washington, DL Ruke Orhorhoro
Jaguars at Dolphins
Jaguars: S Daniel Thomas, OL Javon Foster, OL Cole Van Lanen, DT Esezi Otomewo, DT Jordan Jefferson, DT Jeremiah Ledbetter
Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright, CB Ethan Bonner, LB Channing Tindall, LB Mo Kamara, OL Andrew Meyer, WR Malik Washington
Texans at Colts
Texans: WR John Metchie, RB Cam Akers, S M.J. Stewart, LB Jamal Hill, G Nick Broeker
Colts: C Tanor Bortolini, WR Josh Downs, QB Sam Ehlinger, CB Dallis Flowers, T Blake Freeland, K Matt Gay, TE Will Mallory
Russell Wilson will not play today, and Justin Fields is the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
Wilson had been declared the starter, but he has been dealing with a calf injury that will make him inactive for today’s game. That makes Fields the starter today in Atlanta against the Falcons. Kyle Allen will be Fields’ backup.
Now the question will be whether Fields can play well enough to keep the starting job after Wilson is cleared to play. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has declared Wilson the Steelers’ starting quarterback, but if Fields has a great game and the Steelers beat the Falcons, it would be hard to justify sending Fields to the bench.
Wilson’s calf injury has been described as “tightness” and seemingly fairly minor, but if it’s serious enough to keep him out of Week One, it’s also potentially serious enough to keep him out. And Fields could potentially play well enough to keep Wilson on the sideline.
A former NFL MVP with Super Bowl experience starts a new broadcasting job today, if you haven’t heard.
Not that guy. The other one. Former Falcons (and Colts for one forgettable season) quarterback Matt Ryan.
After a year of calling games with Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber, Ryan has moved to the studio, taking a spot on The NFL Today. He vows not to be bland and vanilla and, ultimately, boring in the job. That perception was a reality of his role within a football team.
“You’re protecting the players that you’re with, the coaching staff, a front office, an ownership group,” Ryan told Jake Kring-Schreifels of FrontOfficeSports.com. “I think some of that strips away your personality.”
While calling games last year, Ryan realized the job is now very different.
“It’s not my job to protect that team,” Ryan said. “It’s my job to tell you what I think is going on.”
When Ryan gets started later today with James Brown, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, and J.J. Watt, he’ll be asking himself these questions: "[W]hat do I bring? What’s different? What’s unique?’”
It would be ironic, to say the least, if the much-hyped Brady paints himself into a corner of politically palatable opinions while calling games and if Ryan becomes the guy who speaks his mind and stirs the shit.
For the sake of CBS, here’s hoping he does. The morning pregame shows are becoming less and less important, given that the information that used to be under wraps until Brent Musberger said, “You are looking live . . . .” now lives in every nook and cranny of your phone, from the moment you roll out of bed.
The morning pregame shows have to bring something new, something different, something fresh. They need personalities who truly inform the audience and/or articulate the things the viewers didn’t know they were thinking. If the networks are going to insist on using only former players and coaches to do that, they need to hope that at least one of them will start doing the stuff that few of them currently do, frankly.
Today, Ryan gets his first chance to stand out from a crowd that prefers to keep it within the football buoys.
UDPATE 10:46 a.m. ET: A prior version of this item incorrectly identified the CBS studio pregame show as Inside the NFL. It’s not. It’s The NFL Today. Which proves that my brain is starting to fail me or that the pregame/previews shows have become so irrelevant that people can’t keep their names straight. Or both.
Russell Wilson made the trip to Atlanta with the Steelers, but his first on-field appearance for his new team may have to wait.
Wilson is listed as questionable to play because of a calf injury and NFL Media reports that Justin Fields is more likely to get the start in the season opener. Wilson reportedly told the team that he is well enough to play, but the Sunday morning report indicates the team doesn’t feel the same.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave Wilson the inside track to the starting job after both quarterbacks joined the team, but Wilson hurt his calf during a conditioning test at training camp and he left practice this week with tightness in the same calf. If Fields does start and plays well, the next question for Tomlin and the Steelers is if they go to a healthy Wilson or let things ride.
That may be a moot point by Sunday evening, but it looks like Fields will have his chance to make his case for the job on Sunday.
Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson aggravated his calf injury during practice this week. Not surprisingly, he wants to play.
Via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Wilson “has told the team that he can play.” However, “team doctors are being more cautious.” A final decision will be made on Sunday.
This meshes with our report from Friday night that Wilson has a “chance” to play, and that the final call could be made during pregame warmups.
The Steelers are fine with either Wilson or Justin Fields. As explained earlier, the question becomes whether they’re more comfortable with Fields at 100 percent or Wilson at something less than that.
However it goes, Wilson’s position needs to be ignored. He’s teetering toward the point where he sees his own football mortality. That can cause a player to make a bad decision about trying to force his way toward a football fountain of youth.
Given how close the competition was, the smart play will be Fields. Which will make things interesting if Fields plays well. Which is all the more reason for Wilson to want to play.