Atlanta, GA
Winners and losers from Pittsburgh Steelers’ 18-10 win over Atlanta Falcons
ATLANTA — Nothing about it was that pretty, well at least offensively, but the Pittsburgh Steelers ground out an 18-10 victory against the Atlanta Falcons to start the season 1-0. It was a spirited game that started out sloppy for both sides, but as the game went on, the Steelers started to impose their will on the defensive side of the ball, which allowed them to surge ahead for the win.
With all that in mind, who on the team were the winners and losers from the game? Here are a few in each category:
Winner: New secondary players
Both Donte Jackson and DeShon Elliott earned every bit of their week’s pay for the Steelers on Monday. Elliott made a great interception and was everywhere. The Steelers ended up bottling up Kyle Pitts and he was a huge reason why they did that. Elliott showed why the Steelers like him as a complement to Minkah Fitzpatrick since he can do most of what Fitzpatrick did last year while getting Fitzpatrick back into his old role.
Meanwhile, Donte Jackson played a stellar game. His interception was a perfect read by him, and he should have had two interceptions. Overall, he proved to be a willing tackler and made more than a few plays in that area of the game, too. Those new players stepped up for the Steelers big time.
Loser: Spencer Anderson
Initially, on first watch, I thought Anderson played well, but going back to the tape, he was thoroughly dominated by both Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata when facing the veterans. It was a tough test for someone in his first start, but Anderson has to be much better moving forward if he wants the Steelers to have confidence in him. His pad level was the main issue on Sunday, and by playing so high, he allowed two quarterbacks hits, both of which Jarrett was able to get underneath him and uncork him out of the way for significant plays.
Winner: T.J. Watt
Honestly, you could put the entire defensive line on here, but T.J. Watt deserves this distinction on his own. He dominated this game and took it over against a solid right tackle in Kaleb McGary. Watt has incredible instincts and playmaking ability and is the lifeblood this Steelers runs on every single year. Watt does not have much to do when he gets out onto the football field. He is a joyous watch and continues to prove why he is an elite player.
Loser: The Middle of the Field
Remember when the Steelers wanted to attack the middle of the field more? When you look at Justin Fields’ passing chart, there is a gaping hole right in the middle of that area. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith did call plays to that area of the field, but they were either not the primary read, not open, or Fields did not rip them. Either way, there was not even a target in that area of the field, and the Steelers won mostly by creating explosive plays through there, even if George Pickens was able to wiggle his way to a few explosive plays down the sideline.
Winner: Scotty Miller (and Chris Boswell, of course)
Miller did not register a stat as a wide receiver, but made two critical contributions to the team’s special teams. He was the backup holder after Cam Johnston’s knee injury, and then made a great tackle as a gunner on Chris Boswell’s lone punt of the game. While Boswell rightfully gets a lot of praise for going six for six and putting up a solid punt, Miller made two great plays that were winning football. He deserves his own flowers, too.
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Atlanta, GA
Nonprofit bringing injured Palestinian children to metro Atlanta halted by new refugee policies
The Trump administration is restricting the number of refugees admitted annually to the United States from 125,000 to 7,500 — mostly white South Africans.
It’s a dramatic drop that changes America’s traditional role as a haven for people fleeing war and persecution.
The decision is affecting Palestinian families from the Gaza Strip, including one that recently traveled to metro Atlanta to care for a 12-year-old boy who lost his legs during the Israel-Hamas war. Heal Palestine, the nonprofit that’s helping the boy, asked CBS News Atlanta not to use the family’s last name due to safety concerns.
After almost two years of waiting for permission to travel to the United States for emergency medical treatment, Yassin and his family received a warm welcome over the summer at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
“I look and see them and say, ‘I’m good,” Fadwa says.
The mother and son traveled from the Gaza Strip to Atlanta with the help of Heal Palestine, which was founded in 2024 to deliver urgent relief to Palestinian children and families.
“He had surgery here in Atlanta with good doctors and good teams, and now he have therapy,” Fadwa said.
Heal Palestine Atlanta volunteer Ghada Elnajjar said that Yassin was hit by an air strike and lost both legs, which had been amputated without anesthesia.
“When a family like Fadwa’s is evacuated and a child like Yassin is seeking help in the United States, there are communities that come together and help support the child,” Elnajjar said.
The U.S. organization is helping 63 Palestinian children across the country. Several, including Yassin, are in metro Atlanta.
“We take the child, treat them medically and mentally, so we provide mental health wellness, and continue to provide their education through online resources,” Elnajjar said.
The family lived in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza that saw heavy shelling during the Israel-Hamas war.
Fadwa says she worked as a quantum physicist before coming to America.
“I lose my husband, I lose my house,” she said.
“As a mother, this is so difficult for Fadwa, having to be torn between finding treatment for her 12-year-old and leaving behind part of her heart in Gaza,” Elnajjar said.
Yassin, his brother, and two of his sisters are living in Alpharetta with their mother while he receives physical therapy and treatment for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. His older brother and sister are still in Gaza, unable to travel to the United States because of visa restrictions.
“I’m cooking Palestinian food. I’m talking about Palestine. That’s my country. And if the war destroys everything, I still love this country,” Fadwa said.
A home she loves and hopes to return to once Yassin heals.
Heal Palestine also provides food, water, and supplies for people who are still living in the Gaza Strip and are still working to evacuate more injured children.
You can learn more about the organization here.
Atlanta, GA
First Alert Forecast: Sunny, warm Thursday with isolated weekend rain ahead
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Temperatures will remain well above average through most of the weekend. The first FREEZE is expected early next week.
This morning is starting clear but not quite as chilly as previous mornings. Temperatures will once again climb quickly once the sun rises, reaching the 70s after lunch.
Friday will be yet another warm and mostly dry day with highs in the 70s. Isolated showers could move in after sunset, but we’ll also be watching for some late rain/storms pushing into north Georgia after midnight into early Saturday.
Scattered, on/off rain will be possible for the rest of Saturday into Sunday. Behind Sunday’s front, substantially colder air arrives Monday morning with sub-freezing wind chills expected. The coldest morning will be Tuesday.

Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
Atlanta, GA
All-Star Pitcher Set for Free Agency, Realistic Option for Braves?
The Atlanta Braves have another option on the free-agent market. In a surprise decision, the Chicago Cubs and starting pitcher Shota Imanaga both opted to reject options on his contract. The Cubs chose not to exercise his three-year option, and he declined his option for next year.
Starting pitching is a key need for the Braves this offseason, and Imanage could be a splash edition.
Welcome to Atlanta Braves on SI‘s offseason series, “Realistic Option for Braves?” where we evaluate if a free agent could realistically choose Atlanta this winter. To see the previous edition discussing Ryan O’Hearn, click here.
Imanaga shot onto the scene during the 2024 season. He pitched three scoreless outings to get his career starts en route to an All-Star nod. He finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting and fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
He didn’t have quite the follow-up, but he still had a 3.73 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 25 starts this season. Imanaga saw his strikeout rate drop, and his home runs allowed increased over fewer innings. Overall, he’s been a solid rotation arm in the two seasons he’s been in MLB. From the perspective of a quality addition, Imanaga is exactly that.
While there is plenty of upside to his addition, there are some downsides. A major one is health, and that should be a major sticking point for the Braves when evaluating additions. He missed time with a left hamstring injury. Ultimately, it cost him four starts and about 30 innings compared to the previous season.
It should be noted that this is his only stint on the injured list so far. Otherwise, he’s been fine in that regard. So, unless there is a worry that this could become a lingering issue, this shouldn’t be a deciding factor.
His contract could be. Spotrac projects his value to be around $30.4 million for four years ($121.6 million. It’s hard to see the Braves handing that contract to a 32-year-old pitcher. It would make him the highest-paid player on the team. They very well could, but that’s what makes it more unlikely than anything.
When they have to figure out other holes, such as shortstop, designated hitter and closer, that’s going to make a single contract that large tough. If they could get a deal done that is closer to $22 million, that might change things.
What does help is that he’s not a Scott Boras client. That could incline the Braves to go the route of pursuing Imanaga compared to other starting pitching options.
Much of this will come down to the Braves willingness to spend compared to last offseason more than anything. If they are, Imanaga can be ruled as a realistic option for the Braves to bolster the rotation. It’s far from a guarantee, but he’s a realistic addition.
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