Aaron Rodgers has a new team, and he already has a signature win. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Atlanta Falcons 24-21 in overtime on Sunday, with Rodgers driving Pittsburgh 65 yards in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, then setting up the game-winning field goal on the opening drive of the extra period.
Rodgers finished 27 of 39 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He looked mobile inside the pocket, showed better arm strength than most expected in year 21, and connected with new WR1 DK Metcalf on the deep ball that flipped the game.
Metcalf, acquired in an offseason trade with Seattle, finished with seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. His chemistry with Rodgers looked immediate, and his 42-yard grab down the sideline in the two-minute drill was the play of the game.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was emotional after the game. He said Rodgers had been everything the organization hoped for from day one, that his leadership had already transformed the locker room, and that Sunday was the kind of win that builds a season.
Atlanta will feel this loss for a while. The Falcons led by 11 early in the fourth quarter and had the ball with a chance to run out the clock. Two straight three-and-outs gave Pittsburgh the opportunity, and Rodgers made them pay.
Michael Penix Jr. threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns in his first Week 1 start. He was accurate, poised, and made several throws that only a small handful of quarterbacks in the league can make. He deserves better than the loss.
The Steelers defense held Bijan Robinson to 78 yards on 19 carries, and T.J. Watt bounced back from a disappointing 2025 with two sacks and a forced fumble. Watt looked healthy, fast, and completely locked in from the opening drive.
Pittsburgh is trying to prove that the Rodgers experiment can actually get them back to relevance. The AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in football, with Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland all fielding legitimate playoff-caliber rosters. Every win, especially against a good NFC team, matters.
Atlanta travels to Minnesota next week. Pittsburgh gets the Seahawks in a game that will feel weird for Rodgers only because he faces Metcalf’s old team. If the Steelers can get to 3-1 through September, the entire AFC will start paying attention.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
