Winners and losers from Steelers win against the Falcons

The Steelers got back-to-back wins against the Falcons, and here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s matchup.

The Steelers are on a roll! After dismantling an average Colts team, they turned around and held off a struggling Falcons team in order to improve to 5-7. All jokes aside, it was a welcome sight to see Pittsburgh put together a pair of wins in consecutive weeks. There are quite a few things to be happy about given the team’s recent success.

While the Steelers are on a bit of a streak, the past two wins have been far from perfect. There have been quite a few persistent issues that still stick with the team even with a pair of wins in their column. Here are the winners and losers from the Steelers victory over the Falcons on Sunday.

Steelers Winners:

Matthew Wright

Let’s be clear, Matthew Wright is a placeholder until Chris Boswell returns, but after a rough start to his return with the Steelers, Wright had a strong game on Monday and followed it up with a solid showing this week. He hit all four of his field goals, including a 48-yard boot, and most importantly, he wasn’t a liability. It has been a strong showing from Wright while the Steelers red zone offense has struggled.

Kenny Pickett:

I have been a notable critic of Kenny Pickett since he has taken over, but I will be the first to say that he is looking better. Since the bye week, Pickett has been far more accurate and less mistake-prone in recent weeks. I’m still waiting on that big game to continue this progress, but he has played far better in recent weeks. There are still a lot of steps to take, but Pickett is at least trending in the right direction.

Pat Freiermuth:

Is there a more complete offensive weapon on this offense right now? Sure, George Pickens is a great talent, but Pat Freiermuth is such a safety value with a huge upside whenever he catches passes. He displayed that this week as he was a big threat after the catch and was once again a primary target for this offense.

Steelers Losers:

Diontae Johnson

I’m really not sure what happened to Diontae Johnson this season. He has never been on the same page with anyone and he is trying far too hard to make big plays. He has become the third target on the team by default, and he isn’t living up to the contract he got signed to. The passing offense hasn’t been great, but he has issues preventing consistent success.

2nd half adjustments

Like most games since the bye week, the Steelers came out and played well early before wavering down the stretch. It didn’t cost them this week, but the offense failed to keep momentum and the defense began to crack. Against a better team, the Steelers would have lost this week. They need to have better answers after half-time moving forward.

The Steelers squeaked out another win this week against the Falcon, and while it is the second consecutive win for the team, there are still issues that need to be resolved. The schedule gets tougher down the stretch though, and this team needs to put together more complete games. That said, there are certainly some winners worth praising this week,