The Steelers didn't exactly have their backs to the wall Sunday, but they were within distance of reaching back to feel it.
So it really shouldn't be all that surprising they responded like a team that really needed a win to right the ship and came up with a convincing 41-17 victory over the Falcons at Heinz Field.
This is a team that has never quit on Mike Tomlin, so expecting it to do so after a 1-2-1 start just wasn't realistic, even if some fans were already turning their attention away following a 26-14 loss at home to the Ravens last week.
This was not a win wrought from desperation. The Steelers were quick to dispel that. No, this was a team whose confidence wasn't shaken despite the slow start.
"Urgency but not desperation," David DeCastro said. "We knew what we could do."
The confidence level in that locker room never wavered. It couldn't. There's just too much season remaining. And the core of this team has been through too much together to simply pack it in.
A lot of that confidence came as James Conner continually gashed the Falcons on the opening drive when he had six carries for 43 yards, plus a reception for another 29 yards, picking up a crushing block from Vance McDonald. Conner became just the second player in NFL history -- along with Jim Brown -- to have two games with 100 yards rushing, 50 yards receiving and two touchdowns in two of his team's first five games.
"He was trying to impose his will on other players and, when you have a running back running the ball like that, it’s going to be pretty good," Maurkice Pouncey said.
There's not a lot of difference for many people between urgency and desperation. In fact, urgency is probably just a step or two away. Funny thing about the urgency is the Falcons, now 1-4, should have been feeling the same way. The difference was they didn't have the wherewithal to do anything about it. As good as their offense is, their defense, already a suspect group, has been ravaged by injuries. And without Grady Jarrett, their run-stuffing nose tackle, they were powerless to slow the Steelers' running game.
But that shouldn't have resulted in not putting up more of a fight.
The Steelers had plenty. But it wasn't born of desperation. Desperate teams take drastic measures. The Steelers didn't do that. Instead, they just cleaned up the issues that had been troubling them and went about their business.
• I see it all the time and did again this week: When was the last time Tomlin and his staff outcoached someone?
How about this game?
Ben Roethlisberger was not on early in this contest. He was just 9 of 17 in the first half for 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception, the latter an ill-advised throw into the end zone at the end of the half that cost the Steelers at least three points.
So the coaching staff went back to the run-heavy attack and gave Roethlisberger some easy throws to get him going, such as this screen to Conner:
That's a pass I could complete that turns into a 29-yard gain.
And despite numerous misfires to Antonio Brown, they kept going back to the well, knowing they need to get that connection back in sync if this season is going to add up to anything.
So after a first half in which Roethlisberger was just two of eight with an interception throwing the ball to Brown, offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner kept going back to it.
That resulted in this:
Much-maligned Keith Butler also contributed.
Butler dialed up a defense that not only included Joe Haden shadowing Julio Jones for much of the day, it also limited the damage of Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu. Those two combined for eight receptions for 111 yards and a score, but much like Jones, some of that came in garbage time.
For the majority of this game, the Steelers' blitzes and stunts up front resulted in Matt Ryan checking the ball down to Austin Hooper. Given the choices, if you're the Steelers, having Hooper catch nine passes for 77 yards, as he did, isn't a bad thing. That's not going to beat you.
If you're the Falcons, how do you let Jones, one of the best receivers in the league, not get a catch until the fourth quarter?
"It certainly wasn't by design," Atlanta coach Dan Quinn conceded.
As much as the Steelers' were outschemed last week against the Ravens -- as well as being beaten up front -- they turned the tables on Atlanta this week.
• I asked slot corner Mike Hilton how many times he blitzed in this game.
"I lost count," Hilton said. "It was exciting, though. It felt good."
With the six sacks Sunday, the Steelers now have 19 and are on pace to record 61 sacks on the season, a year after setting a franchise record with a league-high 56.
So which defense is this: The one that has looked like it couldn't stop a nosebleed, or the opportunistic unit that has shown its face at times, but not nearly consistently enough?
"This was us. This was a big turning point for us," Hilton said. "I know a lot of people were probably expecting a shootout. For us to come out and dominate the way we did, that’s a big step for us."
• Speaking of pass rush, I felt the Steelers would get a good push up the middle against Atlanta's guards. But I didn't foresee T.J. Watt getting loose for three sacks. That was an outstanding effort from Watt. But it would benefit this team if Watt didn't go another four games without getting another sack as he did after tearing up the Browns in Week 1.
• Another game, another missed kick for Chris Boswell, this one his third missed PAT of the season.
There's nothing major anyone seems to see in Boswell's form.
Honestly, I was surprised the Steelers didn't go for two after scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. Given Atlanta's offense and the ease with which the Steelers scored, it made some sense to make the Falcons start chasing points early.
• I've always liked L.J. Fort as a player. He has the athletic coverage ability needed to play inside linebacker in today's NFL. That's why I've always been more than a little surprised he hasn't gotten more playing time. Oh, he was used on passing downs last season after Ryan Shazier was lost. But that was right out the window this season.
Fort's play against the Falcons could change some of that. He had six tackles, one for a loss, a sack and three quarterback hits. I'd like to see more of him out there -- even after Vince Williams returns.
That's no knock on Williams. But Fort looks better in coverage.
• It wasn't surprising the Ravens went to Cleveland and lost. In fact, I called it on the Steelers' pregame show. Baltimore celebrated its win over the Steelers last week as if it had just accomplished a major milestone. That was a classic letdown against a Browns team that isn't the pushover it used to be.
• The Steelers were feeling pretty good about themselves after this game, as well. But don't expect a letdown against the Bengals, despite Cincinnati being a team the Steelers have handled over the years. The Bengals are a legitimate 4-1. The Steelers will need to play as well, or better, than they did against the Falcons to beat the Bengals.
• The Bengals should be prepping to see A.J. Green followed around by Haden. And you can expect their coaching staff to come up with a better plan than just not getting their best offensive weapon the ball. That plan never works.
• The Steelers allowed Atlanta's running backs 52 yards on 18 carries, an average of 2.9 yards per attempt. They came into this game allowing opposing running backs a paltry 3.5 yards per carry.
They're still allowing 105 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry overall, but it hasn't been running backs that have done the damage. In fact, Tyrod Taylor's 77-yard scramble in the opener is really blowing that out of proportion at this point. Take that out of the equation and the Steelers are allowing 89.6 yards rushing per game.
Of course, it all counts against the rushing totals. But running backs themselves have not been a problem.
So yes, in some ways, the defense has improved from a year ago.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers vs. Falcons, Heinz Field, Oct. 7, 2018 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS