The Pittsburgh Steelers secured an upset 18-10 victory in Atlanta on Sunday over the Falcons, surprising the league thanks to clutch performances from kicker Chris Boswell and All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt.

Most prognosticators picked the Falcons to prevail at home thanks to a revitalized roster and the addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins. But the Falcons never got off the ground Sunday, and were stifled by the Steelers’ defense.

Now the Steelers are riding high and their mild expectations may rise, while Falcons fans are fearing another disappointing season.

Here’s what they’re saying in Atlanta after Sunday’s game:

Hopes were high for Atlanta following an 85-yard drive in the second quarter that gave the Falcons a 10-6 lead. The Falcons’ defense was punishing the Steelers and the touchdown pass to a wide open Kyle Pitts provided some joy in Atlanta, albeit temporary.

The Falcons didn’t score another point the rest of the game, and the Steelers overtook them with a series of field goals.

“It was a Falcons football game, and unfortunately, that meant the joy was fleeting and the tragedy and weirdness dominated,” wrote Dave Choate of SB Nation The Falcoholic.

Football in Atlanta is well-known for disappointment. And fans certainly shared that sentiment on X.

The Falcon’s highest point — being up by 25 points over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI — was quickly followed by heartbreak as the Falcons blew their lead and lost that 2017 game in overtime to Tom Brady and the Patriots.

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This season, Atlanta fans were raising their hopes again thanks to four-time Pro-Bowler Cousins joining the team, but Sunday’s loss may be bringing Atlanta back down to Earth.

Former Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who played six years in Atlanta and rushed for nearly 4,000 yards, summed up the loss on X in one word: “trash.”

A lot of blame is falling on Cousins, wrote Matt Urben of USA Today’s Falonwire blog.

“Since Cousins is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury and wasn’t given any reps in the preseason, you expect a certain amount of rust,” Urben wrote. “However, the 36-year-old made some poor decisions in the face of Pittsburgh’s pass rush. He completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his Falcons debut. There were moments when the offense clicked, but Cousins rarely looked comfortable in the pocket on Sunday.”

Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution agreed.

“Cousins is supposed to be the guy who turns them from losers into winners. But the new offense with the proven veteran quarterback looked a lot like the old offense with the young QB the Falcons sent away,” wrote Cunningham, referring to current Arizona Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder. “Cousins threw two interceptions and took the blame for a lost fumble. He needed 26 pass attempts to squeeze out 155 yards and tallied just one touchdown.

“The Falcons lost a game in which their QB wasn’t good enough, just like they did with Desmond Ridder. This wasn’t what the Falcons were paying for when they signed Cousins to a contract with $100 million guaranteed.”

While Atlanta fans were largely upset with the Steelers’ upset win, the Journal-Constitution also recognized the result was a big deal for new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who served as the Falcons’ head coach from 2021-23.

Steelers quarterback Justin Fields told the Journal-Constitution that the win “meant a lot, I know Art, I know how fired up he is and how competitive he is, so it definitely meant a lot. He wishes just like me, that we could’ve put even more points on the board, but I know that he’s glad we came out with the win.”

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Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.