Falcons (

17.25) at
Steelers (

23.75)

BY MJOHNSON >>

GAME OVERVIEW ::

• Tua Tagovailoa has been named the starting QB for the Falcons to open the 2026 season. He will have his hands full with an aggressive Steelers defensive front.
• On the surface, the Falcons offense is likely to be very condensed with their “Big 3” of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts dominating the team’s touches.
• New head coach Kevin Stefanski arrives from Cleveland and many of his scheme’s concepts and tendencies mirror what former offensive coordinator Zac Robinson brought to the table.
• Aaron Rodgers is reunited with head coach Mike McCarthy and freed from the chains of former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in what appears to (finally) be his last season.

HOW ATLANTA WILL TRY TO WIN::

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski left the train wreck QB situation in Cleveland and appears to have walked into a new one in Atlanta. Michael Penix Jr. is still not fully recovered from the torn ACL he suffered last season, so free agent acquisition Tua Tagovailoa will open the season under center for the Falcons. On the surface, Stefanski’s scheme should be a good fit with the things Tua is capable of as a quarterback. It is built around the running game, uses heavier personnel, and tries to get the ball out quickly and/or on play-action concepts. Tua’s skill set is built on anticipation and accuracy, while lacking athleticism and a big arm. The tough part is that the preseason film and the accounts from those at training camp and joint practices point to the fact that Tua has been struggling all summer and this could be a problem in a tough road environment to open the season.

All-world RB Bijan Robinson will be the focal point for the Falcons offense and Stefanski will undoubtedly be focused on feeding him the ball early and often. Atlanta let Tyler Allgeier leave in free agency, replacing him with Brian Robinson Jr. as Bijan’s backup. Over the last three seasons, Allgeier had a very clear role and was routinely a part of the game plan. This season with the new coaching staff and Allgeier gone, Bijan should be fed as much as he can handle. Expect the majority of touches/targets that don’t go to Bijan to end up with Kyle Pitts or Drake London. Stefanski’s scheme has always heavily featured the tight end position and the size and skill sets of both Pitts and London are seemingly very strong fits for the short area passing game that is likely to be featured. The biggest issue for the Falcons offense seems likely to be a lack of vertical threats placed on defenses due to the profiles of their receivers and lack of arm strength of their quarterback.

The Steelers have a dynamic and fearsome pass rush which will have Atlanta focused on getting the ball out of Tua’s hands quickly. Short area passing on in-breaking routes will be the norm with Bijan being fed touches on the ground and on swing passes in the flats. Atlanta is not going into Pittsburgh and throwing haymakers early. Instead, they will try to grind out possessions, avoid turnovers and negative plays, and hope that their playmakers can do enough with the ball in their hands to sneak out of Pittsburgh with a 1-0 record.