PITTSBURGH -- Clutching a worn football, Mike McCarthy walked from locker to locker late Sunday afternoon, checking in with his players as music celebrating the Pittsburgh Steelers' season-opening 20-13 win against the Atlanta Falcons bumped from the corner of the locker room.
McCarthy grinned as he chatted briefly with linebacker Patrick Queen. After a few moments, he pivoted and strode across the room toward the hallways that led to the postgame press conference room. On his way, he bumped into T.J. Watt, and the jolly head coach jokingly jostled his star pass rusher, still securely holding the football tucked under his arm.
By the time McCarthy took his place on the dais for his news conference, the football was safely stowed away.
Because of all the game balls he has received, this one, given to him by quarterback Aaron Rodgers after McCarthy's first win as the Pittsburgh Steelers' head coach, has a little extra meaning.
"Mike's had a lot of wins, but it's always special when it's the first one at a place, and extra special when it's the team you grew up cheering for and you grew up just on the other side of the river from the facility," said Rodgers, who spent 13 seasons with McCarthy in Green Bay. "[His] parents are still living in town, so super special to be able to do that. I was really honestly looking forward to that today as much as anything."
McCarthy, his voice catching ever so slightly, expressed gratitude for the gesture, but he also quickly tried to turn the attention to his team's efforts.
"First team ball, first win," he said. "So it's obviously a special moment. I really appreciate the guys. Appreciate Aaron and the kind words, and it's time to move on to get team victories from here on. I'm not one for attention. So, the homecoming's been great. I'm just glad to get this one under our belt."
The Steelers were able to get that win under their belts in large part thanks to a dominant performance by the their pass rush. Led by Watt's two sacks and a pick-six, the Steelers sacked third-string quarterback Cooper Rush four times and recorded five quarterback hits. And in the secondary, Pittsburgh native and free agency acquisition Jaquan Brisker recorded a first-half interception in his first game as a Steeler.
Reinvigorated in the new defensive scheme under coordinator Patrick Graham, Watt sealed the win early in the fourth quarter when he leaped near the line of scrimmage and plucked Rush's ball out of the air. He tumbled untouched to the turf a few steps after. Then, a voice urged him to get up and keep going. Watt jumped up and finished the play, sprinting 35 yards to the end zone for the score.
"I think it was Nu [Keeanu Benton] that was like, 'Get up, get up,' because I had no idea where I was," Watt said. "I had no bearing at all. I'm sure the fall didn't look too graceful, but glad someone told me to get up and keep running."
That Watt was in a position to make that play was a byproduct of Graham's emphasis on rotating his defensive front to keep everyone as fresh as possible. Watt and Nick Herbig each played 37 defensive snaps, while Alex Highsmith, who had two sacks, played 40, and second-year pass rusher Jack Sawyer played 21.
"The rotation that we have, as you guys saw, and getting less reps but trying to exert as much as you possibly can on those reps, making them mean that much more," Watt said. "Give a lot of credit to [outside linebacker coach] C.J. [Ah You] for keeping track of it. Helped us play and be more fresh today."
With his interception, Watt joined Julius Peppers as the only players in NFL history with 10 interceptions and 100 sacks. The play also marked his second career defensive touchdown and first career interception return. Watt celebrated by doing Deion Sanders' Primetime celebration into the end zone, high-stepping his way across the goal line with his hands up.
"I think it was just the first thing that always pops in my head," Watt said with a laugh. "I don't know why I do it, but I think it looks cool."
The Steelers needed the game-sealing score from Watt in part because after not playing together in the preseason, the starting offense was a little clunky. Rodgers completed 24 of 40 attempts for 221 yards with a touchdown and two sacks, but the Steelers' downfield attack was inconsistent with several incompletions and drops by DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson.
Earlier in the game, Rodgers seemingly manifested Watt's big play as the quarterback chatted with fellow signal caller Mason Rudolph on the sideline.
"We just said, 'Hey, it'd be awesome if we got a couple special teams or defensive scores this year,'" Rodgers said. "And then we were talking about T.J. right before he got to pick-six. We got to figure out what the juju and mojo energy is with that. It's a big deal. It's a game changer for sure."
Whatever it was, it helped seal a storybook debut for McCarthy -- and the last first game of Rodgers' career. Like his coach, though, Rodgers is trying not to focus on those individual milestones.
"Not until right now," Rodgers said, asked if he had reflected on it being his last season opener. "So thank you for that. But I'm very happy to be 1-0, and happy to get that first win off of Mike's checklist and move on. Get ready for next week in New England."
