Steelers, Week 1 — What Repeats: Five or More Rushers Twice

Pittsburgh sent five or more pass rushers at Cooper Rush twice on Sunday. Two of 26 dropbacks, eight percent, the lowest five-or-more rate of any defense in the league in Week 1, and a charted blitzer on exactly one dropback all afternoon. Across all of 2025 this defense sent five or more on 31 percent of the dropbacks it faced, and an extra rusher on 37 percent. On Sunday it almost never sent more than four. Alongside that sit the four sacks and two interceptions the Recap already counted, and the ball charting says the quarterback across from it had one of the most dangerous afternoons in football: two of Rush's 22 throws were interception-worthy, nine percent, tied for the second-highest rate in the league this week with Cleveland and New England, and Pittsburgh intercepted two passes; the charting does not say they were the same throws. 12 of his 22 were charted catchable, 55 percent, thirtieth in the league. One contested throw all day — one ball where an Atlanta receiver and a Pittsburgh defender arrived together. So the Falcons were not losing fights at the catch point. 10 of the 22 throws were simply not catchable. Across last season, opponents put a ball up for grabs against this defense on four percent of throws and 71 percent of their throws were charted catchable. Sunday more than doubled the first and cut the second by 16 points, with a fraction of last year's extra rushers.

Against the run, Pittsburgh put six or fewer in the box on nine of Atlanta's 31 charted designed runs, 29 percent. Across all of last season this defense showed a light box on 46 and a half percent of the designed runs it faced. So it loaded the front against an offense that ran 31 designed runs for a hundred and 20 yards, and the Recap had the run defense third of 16 in expected points allowed, softer after halftime. Side by side, the two figures read like a defense with bodies in the box and rarely more than four on the passer. Atlanta's offense faced five or more rushers on 27 percent of its dropbacks last year. Sunday it was eight.

Now the offense, starting with the ball. Aaron Rodgers threw 40 passes. 25 were charted catchable, 62 and a half percent; the team figure, with the punter's one throw on the fake field goal counted, is 61 percent, 20-seventh in the league in Week 1 against a median of 71. Across all of last season, on 500 charted throws, Rodgers was at 71 percent. Eight and a half points off his own number. What he did not do is put the ball in danger: zero interception-worthy throws on 40, one of nine offenses in the league with none this week, against 11 on 500 a year ago. Four contested throws of 40, 10 percent, about where he lived last year at 12. Two drops by Pittsburgh receivers on the 25 catchable balls. Two throwaways, seven of 42 dropbacks outside the pocket, and no sack charged to him on the two he took. The ledger is a passer who protected the ball and missed more than usual, against an Atlanta defense that sent five or more rushers on seven of Pittsburgh's 43 dropbacks, 16 percent, which is under the 21 percent this offense faced across last season.

The play fake was where the completion rate was. Pittsburgh ran play-action on 10 of 43 dropbacks — 23 percent, fourteenth in the league in Week 1, a shade above the median and up from 19 percent across 2025. Rodgers's 10 play-action throws went eight for 91 yards. His other 30 went 16 for a hundred and 30. Two-fifths of the yards on a quarter of the throws. Three screens on 43 dropbacks, seven percent, against 14 last year. Three run-pass options on 61 snaps, five percent, against nine. No-huddle on seven percent of snaps against 11. Motion on 34 of 83 charted plays, 41 percent, 20-fourth in the league and a little under last year's 43. Last season's offense used screens and run-pass options a good deal more; on Sunday it ran a plainer game, and Rodgers completed 24 of 40.

The run game gained 61 yards on 18 charted designed runs, and the box counts make that worse, not better. Atlanta showed six or fewer defenders on 12 of the 18 — 67 percent, the fifth-highest light-box share any offense saw in Week 1, against a median of 47. Across all of last season this offense saw a light box on 39 percent of its designed runs. So Atlanta gave Pittsburgh a far lighter front than this offense averaged last season, and the Recap had the result as last of 16 in expected points per carry and in success rate. 61 yards on 18 runs, 12 of them against six or fewer in the box, is the least encouraging number in this win.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Pat Freiermuth led the team with 13.1, five catches on five targets for 46 and the touchdown. Rodgers, 12 and a half, 24 of 40 for 221, one touchdown, no interceptions, and three carries for −3. Jaylen Warren, 7.8, 10 carries for 46 +5 catches for 27 on six targets. Michael Pittman caught all three of his targets for 58. DK Metcalf, four catches on 10 targets for 40, six even. Roman Wilson three for 26 on six targets, Rico Dowdle eight carries for 15 +2 catches for six, Darnell Washington two for 18. For Atlanta, Bijan Robinson 21 carries for 83 eight catches on 10 targets for 90 and the touchdown, 27.3, more than double any Steeler; Rush 12 of 22 for a hundred 43, a touchdown and the two interceptions; Drake London two catches for 29 on four targets.

One piece of housekeeping, because the show's name promises something it cannot deliver until Week 4. Everything above is compared to last season — a different roster, a year older, in some places a different job — because after one game there is no within-season baseline to compare to. That comparison tells you what was unusual on Sunday. It does not tell you what is true, and it cannot tell a new identity from a one-week plan for one opponent. The within-season version of this show starts around Week 4. Until then we say which comparison we are making, every time.

So the thread, in full, for a first-time listener. The Recap said this defense finished eighteenth in expected points allowed per play last year with 48 sacks and 25 takeaways, and the offense fifteenth, and the team won 10 games. Three entries. The defense won this game sending five or more rushers on eight percent of dropbacks, the lowest rate in the league, and showing a light box on nine of 31 designed runs; if that repeats and was not a matchup, it is the story of the season on this side of the ball. The offense's quarterback was 62 and a half percent catchable with zero balls up for grabs, and two-fifths of the passing yards came on 10 play-action throws. And the run game gained 61 yards on 18 designed runs against light boxes on 12 of them. None of it is settled, and we are writing it down rather than calling it.

That's your Steelers — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Steelers show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._