Falcons fail to cash in late opportunity in loss to Steelers

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

ATLANTA — For the second week in a row, the Falcons had first-and-goal with a shot at a go-ahead touchdown late but couldn’t get in the end zone, and the Steelers escaped with a 19-16 victory Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Penalties backed the Falcons up as they sought a touchdown and the lead, and they settled for a Younghoe Koo field goal with 5:27 left, hoping their defense would get a stop and get them the ball back. Instead, the Steelers rushed for two first downs, then threw for a third.

Atlanta got the ball back with 42 seconds left at its two-yard line with no timeouts, and the first play of the drive saw Marcus Mariota picked off by Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, sealing the Pittsburgh win.

Much like last week against Washington, the Falcons had a first-and-goal in the fourth quarter but couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity. A holding penalty on tight end Parker Hesse negated a Cordarrelle Patterson touchdown, and a false start pushed them back to the 23. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 10, down six with fewer than six minutes left, they settled for a field goal to cut the lead to three points.

That drive came after the Steelers caught a break, as a play initially ruled as a fumble in Steelers territory was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass, allowing Pittsburgh to punt rather than surrendering the ball at its own 34.

The Falcons, who ran the ball only six times in the first half, were reminded of their run game in the third quarter and ran the ball seven straight times, with Patterson going for consecutive runs of 7, 11 and 22 yards, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mariota to tight end MyCole Pruitt. That cut the Steelers’ lead to 19-13 in the final minute of the third quarter.

Pittsburgh set the tone early, opening the game with two long, grinding drives, converting four third downs on the first, and while they stalled and only netted a pair of 46-yard Matthew Wright field goals, the Steelers showed they had control of the line of scrimmage.

When the Falcons answered with a Koo 50-yard field goal, the Steelers did one better, with rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett hitting tight end Pat Freiermuth for a 57-yard gain down the sideline, then rookie tight end Connor Heyward for a 17-yard touchdown and a 13-3 lead.

Down 16-6 at the half, the Falcons punted on their opening drive and the Steelers answered with a fourth Wright field goal for a 19-6 lead.

Despite a 5-7 record coming in, the Falcons were only a half-game back of the NFC South-leading Bucs (5-6), so a win would have put them percentage points ahead of Tampa Bay for the division lead.

Pittsburgh came in 4-7 but has won two of three, and the Steelers hope to continue success against the NFC South, having already beaten the Bucs and Saints.

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Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.