FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Welcome to the first edition of the 2026 Early Bird Report!

Since this is a new exercise, allow me to explain the goals of this piece. There are invariably interesting bits of information about the game or quotes from players that add context to how everything unfolded that don't quite fit into a postgame story. However, they are often still worthwhile for fans who want a deeper insight into the state of the team.

That's where the Early Bird Report comes in.

The day after each game this season, we will collect all of the nuggets we haven't used and organize them in a digestible way to give fans as comprehensive a view of the Falcons as possible.

Here are the notes and quotes you should know from Falcons vs. Steelers.

Give the defense its due

In a low-scoring and competitive game, Atlanta's defense looked like a unit primed to pick up right where it left off in Jeff Ulbrich's second season as coordinator.

"[We] played a solid game defensively," Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell said. "Got a lot to grow on. But overall, we played a solid game. I feel like just a few things we need to clean up, a couple penalties and things like that. But just getting off the field on third down is always the main thing."

The Falcons played excellent third-down defense against the Steelers, who converted only three of their 13 third-down looks. To take the point further, Pittsburgh also ran two plays on fourth down and converted neither.

After the game, it was mentioned to Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy that his team ran the ball 18 times while passing it 40 times. In his answer, he attributed part of that breakdown to the situations Atlanta forced them into.

"Well, I never want to be that – frankly, if I want to draw it up on a plan, I don't want it to be that big of a gap," McCarthy said. "I think the penalties and some of the long distances that we were in [contributed to that]."

According to TruMedia, the Falcons' defense allowed 4.2 yards per play on first down, holding the Steelers to a 32.1% success rate. In total, Atlanta surrendered just 264 yards on Sunday, including 58 yards on the ground. Improving the run defense was a focal point for the Falcons this offseason, and Week 1 showed why: By stymying offenses on early downs—which are more neutral situations and conducive to running the ball—the defense creates more favorable third-and-long situations.

Pittsburgh's average distance needed to convert third downs on Sunday was more than 8 yards, which illustrates how successful Atlanta was at setting its opponent back on first and second downs. That is something the Falcons can build upon.

"When you stop the run, you get more opportunities to get them behind the sticks on third down," defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. said. "When you get off the field on third down, obviously going into the game, that's what you want."

Flowers for Bijan

The league's scrimmage yards leader from 2025 is off to another fast start this fall. Bijan Robinson was the most productive offensive player on the field for either team on Sunday, finishing with 173 yards on 29 total touches and forcing a total of 12 missed tackles, according to Next Gen Stats.

"I told him after the game, he's a hell of a player," Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "I've watched him since he came in the League from afar. A lot of it's just highlights, and the highlights are incredible. He's very versatile. He's got really good hands. He made like a one-handed catch today. He seems to have that subtle movement; when guys are around him, he just slips and never takes a lot of head-on shots. Like the shot that Jalen [Ramsey] got him was one of the first times I've ever seen him get squared up. So, he's super talented. I like his kind of whole demeanor and his versatility, and he's a handful for sure."

Next Gen Stats notes that Robinson, one of the most difficult players in the league to pin down, averaged 4.7 yards after contact on his 21 rushing attempts.

"Bijan's a great player," Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "We're going to keep leaning on him in all of these games, and we have to—obviously you guys know this—we have to find ways to get all of our guys touches, and that's definitely going to be a focus of ours. I thought, Bijan, the plays that were there when our guys executed at a high level, which was a few times today, you could see where he just needs a little bit of a crease."

Robinson's performance brought his career rushing yards total to 3,993, which moved him past Devonta Freeman and into sixth place on the Falcons' all-time list. His total scrimmage yards on Sunday were also the sixth-most an Atlanta player has ever produced in a Week 1 game.

"I think we can even be so much better," Robinson said after the game. "This is just our first time running it together. But even the increases that they made, that the O-line made, that we took advantage of, we still have so much more. We just got to keep on getting used to it and keep on running it in practice so we can get it ready for the game."

Cooper Rush keeping perspective

The ninth-year veteran was placed in a difficult spot in Week 1. Rush learned he'd be the starting quarterback against the Steelers just days before kickoff after Tua Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury in practice on Thursday.

He completed 12 of his 22 attempts for 143 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Rush critiqued his performance, saying he wished he'd "played better" against the Steelers, but he also expressed that the opportunity he had on Sunday was rare and one he would carry with him.

"It was an interesting week for sure, but it was pretty cool," Rush said. "It's special being an opening day starter no matter how you get there. It was a cool moment for me personally, and I was able to go out there with those guys and had a lot of fun with them."

Rush joined the Falcons on the first day of training camp and quickly had to get up to speed while others in the quarterback room dealt with various injuries. He's navigated some unique situations in a short period of time.

Stefanski said he was proud of Rush's fight and that the team needed to find ways to support his efforts on the field.

"He battled like I knew he would," Stefanski said. "Proud of him for how he fought through the end. Obviously, we don't want to turn the ball over and those type of things, but we've got to look at ways we can help him."

A.J. Terrell toughed it out

Midway through the third quarter, the Falcons' top cornerback went down hard after breaking up a pass intended for DK Metcalf down the left sideline. Coaches quickly signaled for the training staff, and Terrell was helped off the field.

Terrell said he hurt his shoulder on the play, and he was taken into the blue medical tent for a closer evaluation.

"Yeah, I wasn't feeling good to get back up at the time," Terrell said. "I went to the tent to see what it was. I was able to get back out there and finish the game."

After the evaluation determined that Terrell was able to return to the game, he quickly donned his helmet and met with his defensive teammates on the sideline. Among them was his younger brother, Avieon, whom the Falcons selected in the second round of the NFL Draft this April.

Sunday marked the first time the two brothers shared the same field in a regular season NFL game, and it's not one the elder Terrell takes for granted.

"Being able to share the field with him for the first time, it's a blessing," A.J. Terrell said. "Man, it just felt good. I don't know how to explain it. We prayed, we talked and I told him to just keep everything the main thing, relax his mind, go out there and play ball. He had a solid game, so everything was good."