The Atlanta Falcons did not need, but they wanted, a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They still control their own destiny to win the NFC South. The Falcons played well, particularly on offense, especially without the presence of Julio Jones. The Steelers also did not need a win, but they got one and they too control their own destiny to win the AFC North.
Over the last three weeks, Le'Veon Bell was the main producer for the Steelers' offense. Today, it was Antonio Brown who carried the offensive load, catching the ball 10 times for a total of 123 yards. Today's performance put him in a group consisting of Jerry Rice, Wes Welker, and Cris Carter, as the only receivers to have 110 receptions in two straight seasons. Brown also broke Hines Ward's franchise record for receptions in a season, with two games remaining in the season. Overall, Brown played great today and made plays when he was called upon.
Big Ben Roethlisberger completed 27 of his 35 pass attempts for 360 yards. He did not throw any interceptions or touchdowns. Also worth noting, he was only sacked once in the game. When the offensive line protects Roethlisberger, he has very good games and today proves that.
On defense, the Steelers showed that they need work, specifically in the secondary. Yes, William Gay did have a pick-six, his third of the season (which is a franchise record), but that is the only eye catching play that the defense made. The Falcons' first three drives of the second half went as follows: 6 plays, 70 yards for a field goal; 13 plays, 75 yards for a field goal; 10 plays, 84 yards for a touchdown. Come playoff time, the defense will need to step up and play much better than they did today.
Though Atlanta didn't win, they can still take away some positives from today's game. The first positive is that they can still win the NFC South by simply by winning their last two games. Another positive is that Harry Douglas, Devin Hester, and Roddy White stepped up and performed well in the absence of Julio Jones. The Falcons will feel comfortable knowing that if they make the playoffs, they have plenty of people on offense who can make plays. Matt Ryan's performance was a positive: 26 completions on 37 attempts, 2 touchdowns and just 1 interception.
Overall, both teams played well today, the Steelers were just a little better. Playoffs are looking much more likely for Pittsburgh than Atlanta. The Falcons have big divisional games the next two weeks; New Orleans in Week 16 and Carolina in Week 17, both of which will have huge playoff implications. The Steelers have a divisional game with Cincinnati in Week 17, and that could possibly be a game where the winner of the game wins the division. Today's battle was just a glimpse of what each of these teams have facing them in the last two weeks of the season.