Pat Freiermuth makes bold claim about Falcons' attendance

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth makes bold claim about Falcons' stadium attendance

By Cory Woodroof | Last updated 12/5/22

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth must've felt right at home in Atlanta on Sunday.

Freiermuth caught three passes for 76 yards, averaging a startling 25.3 yards per catch during his team's 19-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

However, it's the claim the tight end made about the Falcons' stadium attendance that really caught some attention.

Pat Freiermuth said if not for the Steelers fans Mercedes-Benz Stadium would have been empty.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) December 4, 2022

If you watched the CBS broadcast, you'd get an idea of what Freiermuth was talking about. At times, it sounded very loud on television whenever the Steelers did something well.

You could hear loud "Muuuuth" chants whenever Freiermuth made a play. Terrible Towels abounded.

Other folks who watched the game could tell the same thing: Mercedes-Benz Stadium did not offer friendly confines for the Falcons on Sunday.

The crowd that is at the Mercedes Benz Stadium is so Steelers-heavy that I believe the Falcons just got booed as they ran out of the tunnel.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 4, 2022

CBS shows a first glimpse of the crowd in Atlanta. There are 30 Steeler jerseys and about five Falcon jerseys in one section. This is going to be fun.
— Allen Strk (@allenstrk) December 4, 2022

Honestly I’ve never seen a home crowd as outnumbered in professional sports as Falcons fans at MBS today. Was bad as I can remember. https://t.co/H0pmDBX7Me
— Joe Patrick (@japatrick200) December 5, 2022

Every time the camera pans to a crowd shot, it’s like 70% Steelers fans. In Atlanta. During a season when the Falcons are in the playoff hunt
— Joshua Axelrod (@jaxelburgh) December 4, 2022

Crowd noise by Steelers fans causes a delay of game on Falcons facing 3rd-and-6.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 4, 2022

The Falcons have struggled with fan attendance since Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017.

A lot of that likely has to do with the product the team has put on the field. The Falcons haven't had a winning season since 2017, and have missed the playoffs every year since that season.

The team has been widely viewed to be in rebuild mode, and quarterback Marcus Mariota has struggled since guiding the team to a 3-3 record in mid-October.

However, a switch to quarterback Desmond Ridder could spark some quick interest in the fanbase for the Falcons' final two home games in January. Maybe it'll be just enough to avoid feeling like visitors in their own home stadium.

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