Positive takeaways from the Falcons Week 1 loss to the Steelers

The Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Steelers was eerily similar to what fans have witnessed over the last seven seasons under multiple different coaching staffs.

Atlanta did enough good things to win, but they were ultimately let down by abysmal quarterback play, a gaudy number of penalties, and multiple missed kicks. It’s almost impossible to win with one of those three things occurring, let alone all three. Yet somehow the Falcons found themselves in possession of the ball and an opportunity to tie the game. The only way for that to happen is if there were some positive aspects, and a few things stood out.

The Bijan Robinson Show

When Cooper Rush was named the starting quarterback, we knew it was going to be a heavy dose of Bijan Robinson from the jump. But so did the Steelers, and they really couldn’t do anything to stop him as he racked up north of 170 yards from scrimmage and scored the team’s only touchdown. This is the best running back in football, and Robinson could put up video game numbers this season if Penix can return and at least keep defenses honest with his arm.

Za’Darius Smith Masterclass

The Falcons defense as a whole played about as well as it possibly could have given the circumstances. They only gave up 13 points, and seven of them came off a turnover that gave Pittsburgh an extraordinarily short field. This game would have been ten times worse without them, and veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith was arguably the unit’s top performer, racking up two sacks and three tackles for loss. That’s already more sacks than he had in five games with the Eagles last year before he retired.

The Falcons signed Smith out of necessity about a month before the start of the season because of the injury to Jalon Walker. It was about as good as they could have possibly done that late in the offseason, and though it’s just one week, it looks like Smith should be able to fill the void pretty competently.

2026 Rookie Class

I wrote last week how the 2026 rookie class — despite the Falcons not having a pick until the second round — could play a massive role immediately, and that was on full display on Sunday. Avieon Terrell looks like he’s going to be a fixture in Atlanta’s secondary for a long time. The preseason hype surrounding Kendal Daniels proved warranted as he got the start next to Divine Deablo and was the team’s best middle linebacker. And while Zachariah Branch wasn’t really involved offensively because of the quarterback situation, he looked very dangerous as a punt returner. Hopefully we’ll get to see a lot more from him as a receiver whenever Penix or Tua is deemed healthy enough to return to the field.

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(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)