With the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in front of a home crowd, we get the opportunity to breakdown their week five opponent: The Atlanta Falcons
What: Atlanta Falcons (1-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2-1)
When: Sunday, October 7th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA
Network: FOX
Broadcast Team: Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston
Last Meeting: Steelers 27, Falcons 20 on 12/14/14
When the 2018 schedule came out in the spring, many people around the league circled this week five match-up as a must watch. The Pittsburgh Steelers would play host to the Atlanta Falcons in what would be a huge game in regards to the quality of play both teams would provide. Fast forward to present day, and this game still carries a heavy meaning, just in different avenues.
Simply put, both teams are off to a drastically worse start than anybody could have expected. The original hope, at least from fans and executives who scheduled this at FOX, was that two of the best teams in the league would meet in a high-scoring affair and provide one of the more entertaining games of the season. This game has brand-name power, with the likes of Antonio Brown, Julio Jones and others headlining a match-up that would be used as a measuring stick for each team in terms of their progression through the season.
Yet rather than using each other as a measuring stick, both the Steelers and Falcons will try to use one another to boost themselves out of the early season hole dug by under achievement. Atlanta rolls into this match-up having played extremely close games all season, winning their sole game by 7 points and losing the rest of three match-ups by 6, 6, and 1 point.
That trend could continue to roll into Sunday, as neither team has separated themselves as a sure-fire favorite. One team will walk out of Heinz Field with an important victory, providing a glimmer of hope that all is not lost. The loser will only continue to drop in the standings, furthering themselves from playoff chances.
A full breakdown of everything about Atlanta, including offense, defense, and an interview with an expert who covers the Falcons: