The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers looked equally inept on the offensive side of the football Sunday. Atlanta finished just 2-for-12 on third downs, lost 121 yards by penalty or sack, turned the ball over twice, and saw one of those turnovers turn into a T.J. Watt pick-six that ultimately swung the game in favor of the home team at Acrisure Stadium.
Pittsburgh wasn't much better, finishing 3-of-13 on third downs, losing 67 yards by penalty or sack, had two failed fourth-down conversions, and lost one fumble. If you had any questions about just how bad those numbers truly are, look no further than one stat provided by Shawn Syed of Sumer Sports. The Falcons and Steelers game ranks 1,069-of-1,097 games that have been analyzed by Sumer Sports in Total -- good for the third percentile.
It's not exactly surprising that the former looked as bad as it did, with Cooper Rush starting at quarterback following injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. If you can't find a way to be even average with Bijan Robinson at running back, Drake London at wide receiver, and Kyle Pitts at tight end, though, you might have bigger problems than relying on a backup quarterback... It's definitely surprising that the latter looked so bad, with DK Metcalf catching just four balls on double-digit targets, Rico Dowdle averaging less than two yards per rush, and Aaron Rodgers completing 24 of 40 pass attempts.
How can either fan base find excitement for the next week? The Steelers will head on the road to face the defending conference champion New England Patriots, so that isn't too great. The Falcons will face the division rival Carolina Panthers, though, who allowed 59 points at home against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
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