Pittsburgh Steelers: Five players who stood out against the Atlanta Falcons

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like the Super Bowl contenders there were thought to be at the season’s start on Sunday. Lots of praise is due after their win against Atlanta.

The Steelers did a lot of things right on Sunday. The offense was efficient, especially running the ball. The defense sustained a relentless pass rush that made Matt Ryan uncomfortable all game long. The special teams even came up with a punt block.

The most positive takeaway from this game is the performance of the defense. In a game where the offense put up 34 points, the defense also added a touchdown of their own. The team can go far in the playoffs with more performances like they had today.

The team is now 2-2-1 after the 41-17 trampling of the Falcons. We could probably choose seven or eight players who stood out, but here’s who made our top five.

James Conner

Was this even a question? James Conner was by far the Steelers’ best player on Sunday. The offensive line deserves credit for creating space for Conner to run, but Conner broke tackles, was making players miss, and seemed to fall forward every time he was getting tackled.

Conner carried the ball 21 times for 110 yards with two touchdown runs. He also added 75 receiving yards on four catches. With the ability to rely on the run game, the Steelers’ offense was able to control the clock, sustain longer drives, and move the ball methodically down the field.

After having some struggles in the previous three weeks, two games in which the Steelers had to abandon the run game early, the team was able to run Conner successfully from the very first drive of the game. Conner showed athleticism and strength, and ultimately, that he can have success getting the majority of the workload.

Conner is the biggest reason the Steelers’ offense was successful today. It was the most complete performance from just about everyone today. It all started with Conner and the run game on Sunday.