Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Pittsburgh 19, Atlanta 16
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 4, 2022
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Ron Torbert
Attendance: 70325

Matthew Wright kicked four field goals, rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw a touchdown pass and the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the host Atlanta Falcons 19-16 on Sunday.

Pickett was 16 of 28 for 197 yards and didn't commit a turnover for the fourth straight game after tossing eight interceptions in his first five games. Pittsburgh (5-7) sealed the game with Minkah Fitzpatrick's interception of Marcus Mariota with 35 seconds left.

Mariota completed 13 of 24 passes for 167 yards with a touchdown, finding MyCole Pruitt with a 7-yard strike with 43 seconds remaining in the third quarter to cut the Steelers' advantage to 19-13.

The Falcons (5-8) drew within three points when Younghoe Koo converted a 28-yard field goal at the 5:27 mark of the fourth quarter to cap a drive of nearly 9 1/2 minutes. But they couldn't get any closer and fell a game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South. The Buccaneers host New Orleans Monday night.

Pittsburgh outgained Atlanta 351-306 with a running game that produced 154 yards on 37 carries and hogged possession for nearly 33 minutes. Najee Harris led the way with 86 yards on 17 attempts.

Cordarrelle Patterson rushed 11 times for 60 yards for the Falcons.

Much as it did in Monday night's 24-17 win at Indianapolis, Pittsburgh controlled the first half with an offense that scored on every possession and kept Atlanta's offense cooling its heels on the sidelines.

Wright initiated scoring for the Steelers with a pair of 46-yard field goals nine minutes apart. The Falcons finally got a drive going long enough to get a 50-yard field goal from Koo with 9:15 left in the first half.

But Pittsburgh responded. A 57-yard completion from Pickett to Pat Freiermuth set up Pickett's 17-yard touchdown pass to Connor Heyward at the 7:06 mark.

Koo and Wright swapped long field goals in the final 5:05 of the half, enabling the Steelers to head into halftime with a 16-6 lead.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
Pittsburgh   Atlanta
Najee Harris Player Cordarrelle Patterson
17 Attempts 11
86 Yards 60
5.1 Avg Yards 5.5
0 Touchdowns 0
14 Long 22
Receiving
Pittsburgh   Atlanta
Pat Freiermuth Player Drake London
3 Receptions 6
76 Yards 95
25.3 Avg Yards 15.8
0 Touchdowns 0
57 Long 37
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Pittsburgh 351 154 197 1 4 1 1.0 0
Atlanta 306 146 160 1 3 0 0.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against New Orleans. The Falcons have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Baltimore. The Steelers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .429 after a loss.