With their offense apparently needing a shot of starter fluid to get rolling early on, the Steelers went with a heavy dose of it.
If only they could bottle a little James Conner to spray in their carburetor each week.
Conner pummeled the Falcons on the opening possession of the game, accounting for all but 6 yards on a 78-yard scoring drive as the Steelers established early they were going to dominate the line of scrimmage. And when the defense followed suit, it amounted to a 41-17 victory that this team needed in a bad way.
Now 2-2-1, they kept themselves within striking distance in the AFC North, particularly with Cleveland's upset of Baltimore Sunday.
"I don’t like to use desperation, but I liked the urgency," Cameron Heyward said. "I liked the way everybody responded."
That started with Conner. He made it clear on the game's opening drive that the Falcons would be in for a long day with runs like this:
That was one of two 20-plus-yard gains he had on the opening possession, gaining each of the Steelers' first first-downs on an opening possession this season, and he leapt over the Atlanta defense from the 1 for a touchdown to cap things off.
"That was awesome," Maurkice Pouncey said with a laugh. "Well, shoot, we got a first down for the first time. That’s the main thing."
Conner would finish with 21 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns, plus four receptions for another 75 yards, helping the Steelers control the clock and keep their defense on the sideline for long stretches.
It also helped offset a slow start by Ben Roethlisberger, who was 9 of 17 for 95 yards, one touchdown and one bad interception at the end of the first half. Roethlisberger finished 19 of 29 for 250 yards, three scores and zero sacks, while Conner's running kept moving the chains.
"I thought we were really balanced," Roethlisberger said. "It starts with the offensive line. They were fantastic. They opened up holes for James and protected me in the pass game. I thought they had a phenomenal game."
As did the Steelers' much-maligned defense. The game was expected to be a high-scoring affair. But the Steelers blew open a 13-10 halftime lead by continually pressuring Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan. They sacked him six times and knocked him out of the game on the last of T.J. Watt's three sacks:
That score accounted for the Steelers' final points as L.J. Fort, subbing with Tyler Matakevich for an injured Vince Williams, recovered the loose ball in the end zone.
The Steelers also controlled Atlanta's running game, which was expected to receive a boost from the return of Devonta Freeman. Atlanta gained just 62 yards on 19 carries, an average of 3.3 per carry, putting everything on the shoulders of Ryan.
And with star receiver Julio Jones blanketed by Joe Haden -- who held him without a catch for the first three quarters -- Atlanta's offense largely consisted of checkdowns to tight end Austin Hooper, who had a game-high nine receptions but for only 77 yards.
"Joe can take one side of the field away for us," said nickel corner Mike Hilton. "We trust him to go out and take No. 1 receivers away. He did that. That made everyone’s defensive job easier."
But it all fed off of that first drive and the way the Steelers established the line of scrimmage, particularly for a team that had lost there on both sides of the ball in a defeat at the hands of the Ravens last week.
"I thought the significant element of play was our big people on offense and defense," said Mike Tomlin. "We were able to run the ball, we were able to minimize their running game, we were able to protect our quarterback and we were able to get to theirs. I thought that provided the wave that our team rode throughout. Hopefully, it's a catalyst for us moving forward."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
THE GAME BALLS
My top three performers:
1. James Conner
Steelers running back
Conner finished with 21 carries for 110 yards and two touchdowns and added four receptions for 75 yards, taking over the game at times.
2. Joe Haden
Steelers cornerback
Haden had five tackles in the game but that doesn't begin to show his importance to this defense. He shadowed Jones for most of the game. Jones entered as the NFL's leader in receiving yards with 502 on 29 catches. He didn't record his first catch until early in the fourth quarter and finished with five receptions for 62 yards, most of which came after the game had been decided.
3. T.J. Watt
Steelers outside linebacker
Watt's athleticism was too much for Falcons right tackle Ryan Schraeder. Watt finished with eight tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble that was recovered by Fort in the end zone for a touchdown.
THE INJURY UPDATE
• Pouncey left the game late in the fourth quarter after getting scratched around his eye. He was replaced by B.J. Finney. Pouncey told me he's fine.
• Williams (hamstring), Morgan Burnett (groin) and receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (ankle) were inactive for the Steelers.
THE GOOD
A week after going 2 for 12 on third downs and allowing the Ravens to go 8-17 in that same statistic, the Steelers were 9-12, while limiting the Falcons to 6-14 on third downs and 1-3 on fourth down.
A big part of that was the running game, but the Steelers also were missing linebacker Vince Williams and safety Morgan Burnett, two important pieces in their nickel and dime defenses.
Matakevich played in the base defense for Williams and was replaced by Fort on passing downs. Fort finished with six tackles, a sack and three quarterback pressures. He also scored on the fumble recovery in the end zone. Matakevich contributed four tackles.
Cornerback Cam Sutton again replaced Burnett as the dime linebacker and had four tackles.
"A couple of guys had to step up," said Tomlin. "I appreciate their efforts. L.J. played big football for us today."
THE BAD
The Steelers only had seven penalties for 58 yards but two were illegal hands to the face calls that kept drives alive for the Falcons.
That penalty has been a point of emphasis by the league this season and Bud Dupree was hit twice on it in this game on two drives that netted Atlanta 10 points.
However, Tomlin was upset by a roughing the pass penalty on Watt when the linebacker barely brushed Ryan's knee, and he uncharacteristically went after referee John Parry's crew over the Watt call.
"Those look like legitimate calls," said Tomlin of Dupree's penalties. "We've got to be better there. But some of the other stuff is a joke. We've got to be better in the National Football League. These penalties are costing people games and jobs. We've got to get them correct, so I am pissed about it to be quite honest with you. But that's all I will say on it."
THE PLAY
After his huge first series and a solid first quarter, Conner went nearly a full quarter between touches, not getting the ball from the 2:23 mark of the first quarter until just over four minutes remained in the second.
But leading just 13-10 at the half, Steelers came out of the locker room intent on getting him back into the game. They got the defensive stop they needed and then began working Conner back into the mix.
It was this screen pass on third-and-13 of a third-quarter possession that seemed to break Atlanta's will.
The Steelers would score following that 28-yard catch-and-run on a nine-yard TD pass from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown, who finished with six catches for 101 yards and two scores.
But it was this call that made the difference -- catching the Falcons rushing hard upfield and getting plenty of blocking out in front that set it up.
"It was just 110 percent every play," said Conner who gained 24 yards after initial contact on the play. "We called that play for a reason, and it worked. It’s just what I’m capable of doing."
THE CALL
Shortly after that screen pass and Brown's touchdown, the Falcons lined up to punt after going three-and-out.
As the Falcons lined up for the punt, the Steelers got a good push up the middle by fullback Roosevelt Nix -- who began his career as an undrafted rookie with the Falcons. Nix beat tight end Eric Saubert and got a hand on the ball off the foot of punter Matt Bosher.
The ball squirted to Bosher's left and he picked it up and began running with it, only to be tackled by Matakevich.
"I was inside. I was just trying to do my job," said Nix. "It was just a good play. [Special teams coordinator] Danny Smith does a good job of getting us prepared. We took advantage of an opportunity."
It looked more like Nix just beat his man, though the Steelers certainly recognized a weakness in Atlanta's protection.
"We feel like we’re going to get one every week," Nix said. "We rush hard. That’s what we do. It just happened like that."
THE OTHER SIDE
The Falcons obviously did not game plan to have Jones not touch the ball until the fourth quarter, but that's how it worked out.
Head coach Dan Quinn was asked what he can do to make sure that doesn't happen.
"Just make sure he gets as many touches as we can in the game," Quinn said. "He's one of our best and most explosive players, so every game, we want him involved."
As for how the game went, the Falcons were pretty straight-forward with their assessment.
"We didn't play that well, and they played better than we did," said receiver Mohamed Sanu, who scored a 43-yard TD in the first half for one of Atlanta's few big plays.
THE SCHEDULE
The Steelers travel to Cincinnati (4-1) next Sunday in their first trip back to Paul Brown Stadium since Ryan Shazier was injured there last December. Prior to that, they will have film study, meetings and an open locker room Monday from 1:15 to 2 p.m. I'll have the coverage.
THE COVERAGE
Visit our Steelers team page for everything from this game.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Falcons, Heinz Field, Oct. 7, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS