Joel Wilson – Staff Writer
jnw5443@psu.edu

The Pittsburgh Steelers came into Mercedes-Benz stadium on Sunday still carrying the momentum from their week 12 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football. Pittsburgh hoped to use that momentum to beat the Atlanta Falcons, and to put together their first 2 game win streak of the season. 

Pittsburgh kicker Matthew Wright continued to prove himself as a valuable commodity for the team. Pittsburgh’s regular kicker, Chris Boswell, is still out with a groin injury. 

From 46 yards out, Wright put his team up 3-0 on a successfully adventurous field goal attempt. On its way through the air, the ball hit the upright of the goal post. Fortunately for the Steelers, the ball ricocheted through and counted for 3 points. 

Wright would come through again in the second quarter with another 46-yard field goal. This attempt was not as harrowing as the ball, once kicked, did not make contact with anything but the netting behind the goal post. This made the score 6-0 Steelers. 

Atlanta would cut Pittsburgh’s lead in half on a 50-yard field goal by the NFL’s only active Korean-born player, Younghoe Koo. 

The Steelers responded with a score of their own, which was made possible by a crucial 57-yard pickup by TE Pat Freiermuth. 

After a false start penalty against Pittsburgh, the Steelers were looking at 1st and 15 positioned at Atlanta’s 17-yard line. 

Kenny Pickett proceeded to throw a 17-yard pass to TE Connor Heyward. This was Heyward’s first NFL touchdown. If scoring his first touchdown was not special enough, Heyward’s father, the late “Ironhead” Heyward, was a former Atlanta Falcon. 

Wright’s extra point was good, and the Steelers kicked the ball back to the Falcons defending a 10-point lead. 

The Falcons almost responded with a touchdown of their own, but the Steelers defense caused Atlanta to lose three yards and throw an incomplete pass. A sack of Falcons QB Marcus Mariota forced 4th and 20. Younghoe Koo came in again and made a successful 50-yard field goal. 

Before the half ended, the Steelers got those three points back with a field goal of their own. A 48-yard kick from Wright. At the half, the score stood 16-6 Pittsburgh. 

Matthew Wright continued to be an integral part of the game in the third quarter.

The Falcons got the opening kickoff of the second half and proceeded to do nothing with it. They punted, and the Steelers took over. Wright, again, put the ball through the uprights- this time from 33 yards out. 

The only other scoring in the third quarter was a Falcons touchdown. Mariota threw a 7-yard pass to TE MyCole Pruitt. The extra point from Koo was good. 

Koo would be the last person to score in Sunday’s game when he kicked a 28-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. 

The Steelers received the ball after the field goal with the intention of running down the clock as much as possible. After intentionally taking a delay of game penalty to put themselves in better punting position, Pittsburgh’s Presley Harvin III made a beautiful kick. The ball landed at the 2-yard line and was kept in, preventing a touchback. 

The outlook was grim for the Falcons, but they knew that, if they could manage to get in field goal range, the potential to tie the game and force overtime existed. Fortune did not look kindly on Atlanta. 

The Falcons attempted a passing play on their first snap. Instead of being safely received in the hands of Atlanta WR Drake London, the ball found itself intercepted by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick promptly ran out of bounds, allowing the Steelers to kneel out the remaining few seconds on the clock. 

The Steelers took the win 19-16 and will host the division rival Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium this Sunday. Kickoff will be 1:00 p.m.