The Pittsburgh Steelers controlled the football for 35 minutes and 36 seconds over the Atlanta Falcons in the season opener. Both DL Cameron Heyward and QB Justin Fields were equally thrilled about it and credited the opposite side. As you might guess, when you have that much possession disparity, the truth is in the middle.
The Steelers did well on possession downs on offense and defense. They sustained drives better and collected three turnovers, which always helps. While the Falcons had some long drives, they also had some very short ones. The Steelers had four drives over four minutes long compared to Atlanta’s one.