Not a good result, obviously. There were two ways the Falcons could lose this game. Either let Fields beat them with his legs, or death by papercuts in a low scoring game. They obviously opted for the latter and it sucked.

Defense did its job. 18 points on 6 field goals, half from 50 yards. I was hoping for more turnovers, but overall this is how you want a defense to look against an Arthur Smith-coached NFL offense. I think there's a lot of build on here. Grady looked solid. Players were moving fast. I think Simmons will get better the longer he gets to gel with the team. Even losing the turnover battle, I'll give the defense some praise for how they kept us in the game until the last drive.

Offense, especially Kirk, did NOT do their job. I was mentally ready for a slow start against a tough defense. But outside of a couple drives, there just wasn't much there to enjoy. I wasn't a plan of the playcalling. WRs weren't consistently getting open except for Bijan underneath. Kirk hesitated on a couple of open throws. I thought the run game ledt was great overall, but TJ Watt would wreak us on the right or whenever we left him unblocked trying to go the other way. We need to be able to account for these elite edge guys. And good lord, those two interceptions look straight out of a Ridder lowlight video. Coaches will definitely get questions about not playing the starters in the preseason, rightfully so after today's performance.

For those calling for Penix already, it ain't happening. Kirk will need at least another month of terrible games to a 1-5 record before it's considered. Let's not abandon Penix's longterm development because of a bad Week 1.

Not going to leave this on a somber note. I think I saw enough to build on to remain optimistic about the season overall. And the Steelers might very well end up being the best defense we see this season. But Kirk has to get his head in the game quick. And I'm glad we came out of this game without any injuries, Lindstrom had be worried for a sec. I'm not ready to write us off next yet. See y'all next week 💯