The Pittsburgh Steelers started off the 2026 NFL regular season in typical Steelers fashion, with the defense taking over the game and forcing turnovers while the offense struggled to get much of anything going.
Pittsburgh defeated the Falcons 20-13 in a game where the Steelers faced Atlanta’s third-string quarterback. On the other side of the ball, the Steelers’ offense looked like a unit that didn’t play much in the preseason, as it took them a little while to finally get things going.
Still, a win is a win no matter how ugly it may have been. While it wasn’t the cleanest performance, three players stood out as the biggest standouts from Week 1 and played a major part in helping the Steelers come away with a win on Sunday
3 biggest Pittsburgh Steelers' standouts from Week 1 victory over Falcons
T.J. Watt reminded fans he still has it
We got to see the T.J. Watt that Steelers fans have been waiting to see for quite a while. After a down season last year, there were questions about whether Watt was starting to decline and if we would ever see that same dominant player again. On Sunday, we got our answer, as vintage T.J. Watt showed up and took over the game.
His biggest play came when he basically sealed the game with a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. Watt finished the day with two sacks, a pass deflection and the pick-six, putting together one of his best performances in quite some time. With the way he played on Sunday, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him take home AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Cameron Heyward was playing volleyball with Cooper Rush's passes
The ageless wonder continues to find ways to make an impact on games. Even though he didn’t show up on the stat sheet with any sacks, he finished with three pass deflections and made his presence felt in both the run and pass game, while also coming close to getting home for a sack a few times.
Those three pass deflections were huge plays as well, because who knows how those plays would have turned out if he hadn’t gotten a hand on the football. At 37 years old, he continues to show that he can still make an impact and be a difference-maker for this Steelers defense.
Alex Highsmith made his presence felt opposite of Watt
It seems like the core of the Steelers' defense was the ones who stepped up against the Falcons and was one of the biggest reasons why this team came away with a win. The Steelers’ pass rush, especially off the edge, showed exactly why this could end up being one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.
The pass-rushing tandem of Watt and Alex Highsmith showed out, with Highsmith joining Watt with two sacks of his own. When both of those guys are getting after the quarterback as they did on Sunday, it’s going to be tough for opposing offensive lines to slow them down.
The early signs of this Patrick Graham defense are definitely encouraging, but it’s also important to remember that this performance came against a Falcons offense that was playing its third-string quarterback. Still, you couldn’t have asked for much more from the Steelers’ defensive front in Week 1.
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