Steelers 20, Falcons 13: Watt's First Pick-Six

September 13, 2026 - Pittsburgh - T.J. Watt was rushing, not dropping. He put his hands up, caught Cooper Rush's screen, hit the grass, rolled, and got up. Thirty-five yards later Acrisure Stadium had the lead it needed.

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 in Mike McCarthy's first game as head coach. Pittsburgh is 1-0. Atlanta is 0-1. Watt's pick-six was the first of his career. Aaron Rodgers handed McCarthy the game ball afterward.

Boswell, Bijan, then Freiermuth from 6

Chris Boswell made 43 on the second Steelers drive. 3-0. Atlanta had the answer three plays after a takeaway: Rush hit Bijan Robinson on a screen for 23. 7-3. Robinson finished with 21 carries for 83 and eight catches for 90. CBS called it 173 total yards. The Falcons never scored another touchdown.

Jaquan Brisker intercepted Rush early in the second. Boswell made 28. 7-6. Rodgers extended third-and-3 and found Pat Freiermuth in the back of the end zone from 6. Freiermuth got both feet down. 13-7. That was Pittsburgh's only offensive touchdown.

Nick Folk missed his first two kicks while the game was still in doubt, CBS wrote, after one miss each of the previous three seasons. He later made 51 and 43. Atlanta had 96 penalty yards. Kevin Stefanski said it is hard to win on the road when you do those things.

The jump, the roll, the 35-yard walk-off that was not a walk-off

Robinson ripped 20 yards as the third quarter ended. First-and-10 at the Atlanta 44. Watt dropped him for no gain, the Steelers wrote. On second down Atlanta tried the screen. Watt was already on his way to Rush. He jumped, caught it, stayed with the ball through the ground, and ran with Keeanu Benton, Brisker, and Payton Wilson as escorts. 20-10 with 14:05 left.

Folk made 43. 20-13. Rodgers then killed the last 4:16 with completions to DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, and Darnell Washington. Washington's 15-yard catch on third-and-3 with 2:28 left was the first down that let Rodgers take a knee. Freiermuth said you cannot take that for granted.

Rodgers was 24 of 40 for 221 yards, one score, no picks, and two sacks. Pittman led Pittsburgh with three catches for 58. Freiermuth had five for 46 and the 6-yarder. Jaylen Warren ran 10 times for 46 and caught five for 27. Metcalf had drops, ESPN wrote. The running game did not take pressure off Rodgers. Watt did. The NFL gamebook lists Boswell from 43 and 28, Freiermuth from 6, Watt from 35 on the return, Folk from 51 and 43. Atlanta went 0 of 0 in the red zone and 1 of 1 on extra points. Pittsburgh was 1 of 2 in the red zone. Folk was 2 of 4. Boswell was 2 of 3. Those misses are why 173 yards from Robinson still lost.

McCarthy's opener, Rush's two picks, Tua on the sideline

Tua Tagovailoa is Atlanta's quarterback in 2026. He did not play. The Falcons said the oblique showed up Thursday in practice, so Rush got the start after limited reps. Rush went 12 of 22 for 143, the touchdown to Robinson, and the two interceptions. Za'Darius Smith sacked Rodgers twice. It did not change the scoreboard.

Watt finished with four tackles, three for loss, two sacks, and the pick-six, Pittsburgh said. Alex Highsmith had the other two sacks. Payton Wilson had 12 tackles. Cam Heyward batted three passes. Watt became the second player since 1982 with 100-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions, joining Julius Peppers, the club wrote.

McCarthy called the game ball a special moment. He also said it is time to get team victories from here on. Atlanta still has never won in Pittsburgh, CBS noted. Robinson did everything except finish. Folk's early misses and two Rush turnovers were the rest. Stefanski said the Falcons fought to the end and still beat themselves with penalties, including the defensive score. Pittsburgh outgained Atlanta by 26 yards, the Falcons wrote. Atlanta had one more first down and more time of possession. The turnover margin was minus-one. That is a 20-13 road opener.

Pittsburgh visited New England the next Sunday. Atlanta visited Carolina. The opener is 1-0 because Watt got up. Highsmith's two sacks both came on third down and both forced punts, Pittsburgh wrote. Watt and Highsmith had all four Steelers sacks. Rush never had a clean pocket long enough to make Robinson's 173 yards matter in the fourth quarter.

AthX Engine on a pick-six that still trailed two sacks

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 1 line in. Za'Darius Smith's two sacks land at 70.00, the top total in this game. Watt is 54.00. Robinson is 53.25. Brisker is 48.00. Wilson is 39.50. Highsmith is 29.00. Freiermuth is 25.00. Rodgers is 22.93. Pittsburgh's team line is 61.75. Atlanta is -1.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Watt after a first pick-six, and for Robinson after 173 yards in a loss. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Watt, Rodgers, Robinson, Tagovailoa, and both clubs on the marketplace. Pittsburgh visited New England on Sept. 20. Atlanta visited Carolina that afternoon.

*Sources: ESPN recap, Steelers.com, Falcons.com, CBS/AP. Club wraps, AP, and nflverse agree on 20-13, Rodgers 24-of-40 for 221, Rush 12-of-22 for 143 and two interceptions, Robinson 21 rush for 83 and 8 catches for 90. AthX Engine Week 1 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*