The Pittsburgh Steelers began the Mike McCarthy era in the Steel City with a Week 1 victory over the visiting Atlanta Falcons by a score of 20-13. While the final score could have been a lot uglier for the NFC foe, the Black and Gold earned a home win to start off the 2026 regular season. The defense set the tone early and kept that going throughout the game. Safety Jaquan Brisker had a big interception on an overthrown pass by Atlanta quarterback Cooper Rush that paved the way for a Pat Freiermuth receiving touchdown. However, one player on defense made a highlight reel play that the Pittsburgh coach really loved.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy speaks with another coach on the sideline during a preseason game in 2026.
Early in the fourth quarter Rush was trying to hit running back Bijan Robinson on a pass which edge rusher TJ Watt intercepted and returned for a touchdown to give his team the lead, 20-10. The touchdown gave Pittsburgh a bit of a cushion in the game and ultimately pushed them to victory in the contest. Their head coach spoke about the interception after the game when speaking with the media and gave their edge rusher huge praise for the big moment.
“That’s a highlight play you’ll be watching for the rest of your life,” McCarthy said.
Given Watt's 2025 regular season being cut short, this was a huge play to come out and set the tone early on for his new coaching staff. The defense as a whole had a pretty impressive game given that the lone Atlanta touchdown came following a fumble by running back Jaylen Warren that set the Falcons up deep inside Pittsburgh territory.
Following that score from the Falcons, they only managed to muster up two field goals the rest of the way, with one each coming in the third and fourth quarter, respectively.
The unit under new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham looked very strong in its debut with him running it. The group managed to force multiple turnovers given Brisker's interception along with Watt's that went for a touchdown. This really set the tone to start the McCarthy era in the Steel City.
This stout showing is very encouraging given that, in the 2025 season, there were breakdowns constantly on defense that led to splash plays by opposing teams. Now they will look to carry this momentum over into Week 2 as they head on the road to play the New England Patriots.
Steelers' Strong Defensive Showing Can Carry Momentum Moving Forward
The Steelers defense proved to be a vital part of their Week 1 victory to kick off the McCarthy era. For Watt, it was one of those moments that proves why he is one of the best defenders in the entire NFL. While his 2025 campaign was limited toward the end of the regular season due to injury, he sent a massive statement in his first game under his new coaching staff.
This kind of play can build momentum and keep that carrying on well into the season for the Black and Gold. Following the injury of AJ Brown after New England's game in Week 1, the defense now has a chance to pounce on a heated rival next week on the road. The play made by their star edge rusher is a big boost that helped to carry the momentum Brisker had already set given his interception to open the gates for Pittsburgh to get into the end zone.
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Steelers' linebacker TJ Watt rushing the passer a during regular season game against the Ravens in the 2025 season.
Week 1 proved to be a huge tone setting type of game for Watt who was looking for a reset under his new coaching staff in the Steel City. The type of play he made shows the value he has to be good enough to earn defensive player of the year votes and validates the organization for extending him last summer.
The one thing area the team needed to see better play from was on the defensive end of the football and they got exactly that. Should that continue moving forward, the interception return for a touchdown will be a big boost in doing so.
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