The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game of the 2024 season on the road versus the Atlanta Falcons, but if you were only able to hear the game you would've thought the Steelers were actually at home.
That's because Steelers fans showed up to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in full force and were so loud that the Falcons actually had to go to a silent count on offense during the game.
And, according to Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt, that silent count was at least partly the cause of a botched snap in the third quarter that ultimately resulted in a fumble that Watt recovered.
Pittsburgh went on to capitalize with a field goal on the next drive. After the game, Watt credited Steelers fans with the assist.
“Steelers Nation is incredible man," Watt said. "It’s extremely demoralizing for an offense to be on a silent count at their home field. Silent count is incredible. Honestly, a lot of those plays go to them. The fumble that I was able to land on was because they had to be on a silent count at their own place. Any time that happens when you have a lot of shifts and motions, snaps can go anywhere, balls on the ground, you get to recover them. So Steelers Nation was absolutely incredible, but I’m not surprised.”
Watt nearly had three fumble recoveries during the contest, but had two strip sacks negated due to penalties. One of the penalties wasn't warranted, though, as Watt was flagged for offsides on a play that saw him time the snap perfectly.
Watt revealed that the official later admitted he got the call wrong.
"Yeah, especially when the official says he messed it up," Watt told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. "After the first half, he went in and saw it, so, glad to get the get-back."
Watt was an absolute menace all game long, as the Falcons had no answers for him. He notched two tackles for loss, three QB hits and his lone sack sealed Pittsburgh's victory.
Now, the Steelers will look ahead to a Week 2 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
