The 36-year-old quarterback redeemed himself by the first half’s end, completing all seven pass attempts of an 85-yard drive that ended with tight end Kyle Pitts celebrating in the end zone, but things got worse for Cousins and Co. in the second half.

Center Drew Dalman‘s bad snap resulted in a lost fumble during the Falcons’ opening possession of the third quarter, ending a drive that entered Pittsburgh territory. The Falcons proceeded to gain just one first down in their next three possessions, allowing the Steelers to chip away and control the flow of the game.

Down, 15-10, with a little over three minutes to play, an opportunity was there for Cousins to lead a game-winning drive but an ill-advised throw toward Ray-Ray McCloud in double coverage would take the air out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium two plays in. Atlanta got the ball back with 28 seconds left to play, but Cousins was sacked on the game’s final play.

“Needed to play better,” Cousins said. “That’s the bottom line. I thought our defense played very well; I thought our special teams played very well. We didn’t complement that enough on offense.”

The three turnovers by the Falcons resulted in three of the Steelers’ six total field goals that were enough to win the game. Cousins, who had just 19 passing yards in the second half, seemed slow in the pocket and sometimes indecisive, especially under pressure. It was a rusty performance some might expect from a QB playing his first game in 10 months coming off a major injury.

“We know he has to play better,” head coach Raheem Morris said. “There’s no doubt about that, and we look forward to him doing that. He’s played in the league for a long time. I look forward to him bouncing back from a rough outing. I’m not overly concerned with that.”

Atlanta goes on the road to face the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) next week on Monday Night Football.