ATLANTA — Finally, a second consecutive win.
"Long overdue," defensive lineman Cam Heyward said.
You think?
It took the Steelers 12 games to win two in a row, the second coming Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 19-16 against the Atlanta Falcons.
"Not just two wins. Two wins on the road," center Mason Cole said. "That's hard to do in the National Football League."
This was in the Steelers locker room after the game, a happy place if there ever was one. The music blared. Smiles were everywhere. It would be inaccurate to say the players acted like they clinched a division championship or even a wild card slot. With a 5-7 record, they still are a long way from any of that good stuff. But, clearly, this was the best they felt about themselves all season.
Why not?
The offense had its best game. It scored points on five of its first six possessions and, although it had to punt on its final drive, it killed almost five minutes on the clock and left the Falcons with little time to make a comeback. It ran for 154 yards, 86 coming from Najee Harris, who ran harder than he has this season. It didn't turn the ball over; Kenny Pickett extended his streak without an interception to four games — 128 passes. His most recent interception came in the lopsided loss at Philadelphia on Oct. 30.
The defense made a stand late after looking as if it would blow a 19-6 third-quarter lead. It forced the Falcons to kick a 28-yard field goal with 5:27 left after they had a 1st-and-goal at the Steelers 10. Two big breaks helped: Falcons tight end Parker Hesse was called for holding on a 10-yard touchdown run by Cordarrelle Patterson, and Arthur Maulet got away with what could have been pass interference in the end zone.
Not that the Steelers gave any thought to giving the breaks back.
This was a big game for the offensive line and for Harris.
"The line has been phenomenal," tight end Pat Freiermuth said. "People have been trashing them. They took it a little personal. We've been riding them. ...
"We felt like if we were more physical than they were, it would be in our favor. We kind of knew they weren't great tacklers, so we tried to utilize that."
So is it really true that the linemen's feelings have been hurt?
"We don't pay much attention to what you guys say, no offense," Cole said, "Our room knows how good we can be. We know what this offense is capable of. Keep our nose to the grindstone and just keep attacking it."
That's what Harris did all game — attack — despite fighting off an abdominal injury that forced him to miss the second half of the 24-17 win at Indianapolis last Monday night. He called his yards "a hard 80."
Imagine how the Falcons felt after trying to tackle Harris all afternoon.
"He's been playing lights out the past couple of weeks. He's been killing it," Freiermuth said of Harris. "Nothing is slowing him down. He's ready to go. December football. We're going to need him."
Cole made it a point to say he didn't see any problems from Harris because of his injury.
"He had fresh legs," he said with a big grin. "He didn't practice all week."
Did I mention the Steelers were a pretty happy bunch?
This was another step forward for Pickett.
"One of the big things about that position is not to lose the game," Cole said, serious now. "Kenny is making plays for us. He's not turning the ball over. He's not doing anything to lose the game for us. For a rookie quarterback to do that, especially these last two games on the road? I'm happy for him. Kenny is a stud."
Pickett had a simple explanation.
"It's being smart and making sure I put our team in a position to win," he said. "Sometimes, I throw it away or tuck it and run. Whatever I need to do to make sure we're in the best position to win. I feel like I've done a lot better with that the last couple of weeks. I think it's a recipe for success moving forward."
Pickett led scoring drives of 16, 12, 9 and 14 plays. The only troubling news is those all ended in field goals by Matthew Wright, who has made 10 consecutive kicks in the past three games since many wanted him run out of town after missing two against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 13. One possession was stopped by an errant pass for an open Freiermuth in the end zone, another by an illegal touch penalty against Steven Sims, a third on a delay-of-game penalty against Pickett.
"That's what we're missing," Pickett said. "Being consistent and getting touchdowns in the red zone. We're close, but we've got to keep working on it. Close can get you a loss in this kind of game."
But an overall assessment of the offense?
"The run game was awesome," Pickett said. "I thought our balance was really good."
Pickett added to the Steelers' joy by throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide-open rookie Connor Heyward in the second quarter. This was a big game for Heyward and his big bro, Cam. They grew up in Atlanta. Their late father, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward, played for the Falcons after his career at Pitt. Cam, who wore his pop's No. 34 Falcons jersey to the stadium, visited their dad's gravesite Sunday morning. Cam said he was "a complete mess" when Connor scored the touchdown.
"It was special," Pickett said. "To get his first touchdown in this building, it's incredibly special. It's not a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. ...
"Cam talked to the team before [the game]. I talked to Connor. We were walking out of the tunnel and we said we're going to get the win for his pops today."
So the Steelers did.
Two wins in a row.
"Hopefully," Cam Heyward said, "the first of many to come."
