PITTSBURGH -- Donte Jackson pointed excitedly to signal a change in possession and began celebrating before the ball even made it to DeShon Elliott's hands.
The cornerback recognized the Atlanta Falcons' route combinations in the first quarter of Sunday afternoon's win and knew the Pittsburgh Steelers defense was in the perfect cover-4 alignment to beat it.
"As soon as I saw [Drake London] break in, I just put my hand up because I knew [Kirk Cousins] didn't have time to pump or pull it down," Jackson said. "It's going to be a sack or it's going to be a pick.
"Once I saw what the receiver was doing, I just put my hand up. I knew he was running right into the coverage. The ball was there, and it made me look like a genius."
Elliott's interception, the first of the Steelers' season and the fourth of the safety's career, helped set the tone for the defense in Atlanta -- and maybe for the rest of the season as the Steelers enter a Week 2 matchup against rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS). Playing in their first game with the Steelers, Elliott and Jackson, who had an interception of his own in the fourth quarter, complemented long-time Steelers stalwarts with their own game-changing plays.
"Their veteran presence was evident," Tomlin said. "They're new to us but they're not new to the NFL, and so I love their game day demeanor. They were communicative, they played with great energy, they were helpful to each other and others and that's just stuff that you get from veteran players new to us but not new to the game.
"They weren't wide-eyed, and I didn't expect them to be. That's one of the reasons why we're really excited about acquiring [them]."
Once under-the-radar defensive acquisitions overshadowed by the splashy offensive moves, the duo wasted little time making an impact. Elliott, who signed a two-year, $6 million contract in free agency, recorded his interception less than 11 minutes into the game, while Jackson helped close out the win.
"Being a new guy, no matter where you're at, you work in an office, work in a plant is always going to be, you want to gain the guys' respect," Jackson said. "You want to feel that energy. You want to feel like one of the guys and all through camp, everybody always made me feel like one of the guys. But I knew for me personally it would come once I start doing what I've normally done and the past six years I've always made plays."
Jackson, who was acquired from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, made his first major play as a Steeler late in the fourth quarter, snagging Cousins' pass intended for Ray-Ray McCloud III as the Falcons trailed by five with less than three minutes to go.
Jackson stayed on his feet and returned the interception 49 yards to give his offense the ball in the red zone with a chance to seal the win. Afterward, Jackson and his defensive teammates raced to the end zone for the second time Sunday afternoon to take a celebratory picture with their newest brother and his intercepted ball.
"We harp on turnover culture every day, but at the same time, it feels even better with DeShon just getting here, D-Jack getting here, and they're making immediate plays," inside linebacker Elandon Roberts said. "We're excited for them. The team is around them big time, this is family. Then it brings the fan base in, and lets 'em know like, 'Hey man, these guys are Pittsburgh Steelers, embrace 'em.'
Plays like the ones made by Jackson and Elliott are even more important early in the season as the team's offense continues to navigate a new scheme and injury-induced uncertainty at the quarterback position. In 2023, the Steelers were a top-10 team in takeaways with 27 with a +11 turnover differential, something that helped the team to a playoff berth despite offensive inconsistency. This time around, the Steelers appear on track to replicate that blueprint aided in large part by the newcomers who contributed more than just splashy moments in significant playing time. Jackson didn't come off the field, and Elliott played 84% of defensive snaps. Jackson allowed one catch on four targets, while Elliott had four tackles and two passes defended.
The Steelers were one of two teams with three takeaways and one of seven with two interceptions in Week 1, and T.J. Watt was close to forcing one more turnover that was negated by an offside call.
"It sets the tone that we've got playmakers everywhere," safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "We got playmakers all over the field. We've got guys that could make splash plays, but we've also got guys that can do their job. Even though they made those great picks, they also did a lot of other things that weren't as splashy, but were effective and efficient that allowed everybody to play high level football.
"... It's a good foundation to lay. That's how we play Steelers football. That's how we play as a defense the past 6, 7, 8 years. I think starting off like that is just laying a brick in our foundation."