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 want to talk about who will start at quarterback next Sunday after the Steelers’ 18-10 win over the Falcons and Justin Fields didn’t want to talk about it either.
Fields got the start because Russell Wilson is dealing with a calf injury and led the Steelers to six field goals in Sunday’s road win. Fields threw for 156 yards and ran for 57, but said his only concern was winning “no matter if I was going to throw for 300 yards, 100 yards, no yards.” He had a similar answer when it came to starting against the Broncos in Week Two.
“I’m not even worried about that,” Fields said. “I just came in wanting to win and I’m glad that we’re leaving here with a win. In terms of who’s starting, who’s not — all I want to do is win at the end of the day.”
Tomlin said he’ll discuss quarterback plans on Tuesday, so it will be a little bit before there’s any further update.
The investigation regarding the Sunday morning detainment of Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is proceeding.
According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, the Miami-Dade Police Department internal affairs division has contacted Hill about the incident.
Rosenhaus added that Hill’s lawyers are considering all options, and that Hill is considering litigation.
Whatever happens, here’s hoping we get to the truth about the situation. It looked like an overreaction. If it was, there needs to be accountability. If it wasn’t, there needs to be an explanation.
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.
When the 49ers and receiver Brandon Aiyuk worked out a new deal, the 49ers were in the process of finalizing a trade. To the Steelers.
That’s the word from Jay Glazer of Fox, who reports that Aiyuk showed up at the team’s facility while the 49ers were trying to get the deal done. Coach Kyle Shanahan, per Glazer, couldn’t get in touch with the front office by phone. So he sprinted up the steps to pull the plug on trade talks.
A couple of hours later, the 49ers and Aiyuk had a deal.
Of course, a trade wouldn’t have been done until both teams had separately communicated the terms to the league office. But, still, Aiyuk had a change of heart just as the 49ers were ready to give him what he supposedly wanted.
It’s unclear why Aiyuk decided to stay (especially with the 13.3 percent tax rate in California), but he did. It’s also unclear whether the Steelers offered him as much, more, or less than what the 49ers paid.
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.