ATLANTA – With all eyes on the quarterbacks, Chris Boswell's strong right leg stole the spotlight in the season opener.
Boswell booted six field goals, three of them longer than 50 yards, to account for all of Pittsburgh's scoring as Justin Fields and the Steelers grinded out an 18-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
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Fields stepped in after Russell Wilson's debut with the Steelers was put on hold by a calf injury —- getting a big assist from Boswell and a defense that made life miserable for Kirk Cousins in his first game as Atlanta's quarterback.
“Just having a weapon like him on the offensive side of the ball, we only have to get the ball to the 40,” Fields said of Boswell. “It makes our job way easier.”
Boswell connected from 57, 56, 51, 44, 40 and 25 yards — and even stepped in to handle a crucial punt in the closing minutes after Cameron Johnston was injured.
Johnston went down when an Atlanta player was blocked into him, actually resulting in a penalty on the Steelers. Pittsburgh was forced to punt again, with Boswell handling the duties.
He did just fine, getting off a 43-yard punt the Falcons weren't able to return.
“I can’t say enough about Bos, not only in terms of him kicking the ball, but that punt was timely,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
Two plays later, Cousins threw his second interception to essentially seal the Pittsburgh victory.
Wilson was ruled out just before the game and worked the sideline as the inactive third quarterback. Pittsburgh kept the play-calling close to the vest under new coordinator Arthur Smith, who was fired in January after three seasons as Atlanta's head coach.
Smith certainly got a bit of payback against his former employer, while new Falcons coach Raheem Morris endured a tough start to a season of high expectations in Atlanta, which has endured six straight losing campaigns.
“We've got to have the ability to execute against anybody,” Morris said. “When you play a team like this, the Pittsburgh Steelers with the defense they have, you know it's going to be a dirty game. But we had our opportunities."
Cousins hardly looked like a quarterback worthy of the four-year, $180 million deal the Falcons gave him in free agency, including $100 million in guaranteed money. He didn't play at all in the preseason while coming back from an Achilles injury that cut short his final season with Minnesota.
In his first game since Oct. 29, Cousins was just 16 of 26 for 155 yards with two interceptions, including a pick by Donte Jackson and 49-yard return with about 2 1/2 minutes that finished off any hopes of an Atlanta comeback.
In an appropriate finish, Cousins was sacked on the last play of the game, leading to one last roar from thousands of towel-waving Steelers fans who turned Mercedes-Benz Stadium into Pittsburgh South.
One week into the season, and Atlanta is again facing questions about its long-troubled quarterback position, which is sure to heat up even more with first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. sitting on the bench.
Fields, the former first-rounder who was dumped by the Chicago Bears, was 17 of 23 for 156 yards. He fumbled his first snap of the game — and quickly jumped on it — but didn't make the sort of major mistakes that plagued Cousins and the Falcons.
Atlanta also lost a fumble when Ross Dwelley went in motion, with Cousins appearing to indicate for him to stay put, and ran right in front of the shotgun snap. T.J. Watt, who seemed to be everywhere, recovered it for the Steelers.
That was more than deserved. Watt also caused two other fumbles — recovering one of them — only to have both plays overturned by penalties.
On the very next play after one of those flags, Cousins found Kyle Pitts wide open in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown pass that gave the Falcons a 10-6 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half.
Fields responded with a 41-yard pass to George Pickens, who stepped out of bounds with just 3 seconds remaining. Boswell came on to boot his third field goal of the half.
Smith returns
The Steelers hardly looked like an offensive juggernaut, but it was still a satisfying result for their new offensive coordinator.
Smith was fired by the Falcons after three straight 7-10 seasons.
“I know how competitive he is, so it definitely meant a lot,” Fields said. “I know he wishes we could have put even more points on the board, but I know that he’s glad we came out with the win."
Injury report
Steelers: Johnston's right leg buckled when Atlanta's KhaDarel Hodge rolled into him. The punter immediately waved to the sideline for assistance. “He appears to have a serious injury," said Tomlin, who called Johnston “an absolute stud.” ... CB Darius Rush was evaluated for a possible concussion.
Falcons: OG Chris Lindstrom was cleared to return after being evaluated for a possible head injury in the first half.
Up next
Steelers: Play their second straight road game to open the season when they face the Denver Broncos next Sunday. If Wilson is able to play, it's a chance for redemption against the team where he spent two miserable seasons before being cut loose and signing with Pittsburgh.
Falcons: Travel to Philadelphia for a prime-time game against the Eagles next Monday night.
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