The Pittsburgh Steelers have had all offseason to prepare for their opening matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, and with a second-half schedule that looks daunting on paper, there can be no mishaps. The Steelers will be home for their Week 1 matchup, and in offseason game-by-game predictions, many are already chalking this one up as a win for Pittsburgh.
But we can't be too hasty in coming to this conclusion.
The Falcons recently named their starting quarterback, and they are without their two top edge rushers, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. However, it's this type of adversity that could give Kevin Stefanski's squad added motivation... and the Steelers can't take this NFC opponent lightly.
Recently, I had the privilege of catching up with Blogging Dirty site expert Jason Kandel for a Q&A ahead of Week 1. Kandel shared his thoughts on Stefanski, Tua Tagovailoa, and what we can expect from the Falcons against the Steelers this Sunday.
Atlanta Falcons expert gives Pittsburgh Steelers fans the scoop ahead of Week 1
The Falcons elected to go with Tua Tagovailoa over Michael Penix Jr. as the starting quarterback for Week 1. What led Kevin Stefanski to this decision?
The Falcons opted to roll with Tua Tagovailoa over Michael Penix Jr., not because of competition, but health. Penix was only cleared for full contact a little over two weeks ago, and that wasn't enough practice reps for Kevin Stefanski (or Michael Penix Jr.) to feel comfortable starting him coming off another ACL tear.
The defense suffered major blows with first-round edge rushers—Jalon Walker out for the year and James Pearce Jr. suspended. Will the Falcons look for creative ways to scheme pressure against the Steelers' offensive line in Week 1, and who will step up into a major pass rush role?
In his first season as the Falcons' defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich preferred to rush four, and they typically got home. And even though they only have four true edge rushers on the roster, I think that will still be the case. since Atlanta has been in the process of moving DT Brandon Dorlus back off the edge like he played in college.
Beyond Dorlus' official position change, Harold Perkins Jr. could be in line for more edge snaps too. Dorlus had 8.5 sacks last year, and Perkins shined as a pass rusher in college, so look for those two and Za'Darius Smith to play key roles.
The Falcons drafted Zachariah Branch in the third round this past April. What did he show during training camp and the preseason, and what should Steelers fans expect to see from him in Week 1?
Frankly, it was a bit of a quiet summer for Zachariah Branch. He was great during OTAs, but once the pads came on during training camp, he made less of an impression despite some nice plays during the preseason.
The Steelers would expect to see Stefanski and the Falcons get creative with his usage to give Tua Tagovailoa another security blanket around the line of scrimmage, but Olamide Zaccheus will start over him in 3-WR sets outside of select packages to get him the ball.
The Falcons finished 8-9 last season, but were just a half-game away from the NFC South crown. What kind of team do you view them as this year, and what is your confidence level that they will be in the playoff hunt?
I view the Falcons in more of a negative light compared to a season ago. Coaching kept them out of the playoffs last year, but Kevin Stefanski will need time to tailor this roster to his liking.
And given that the pass rush will be down both Walker and Pearce, and the quarterback room has its fair share of injury questions, I'm not confident they'll make the playoffs. I think they'll miss the playoffs for the ninth straight season--but anything can happen in the NFC South.
Steelers fans are familiar with Kevin Stefanski from his time in Cleveland. What do you believe the two-time Coach of the Year can offer the Falcons?
Kevin Stefanski can offer the Atlanta Falcons something his predecessor, Raheem Morris, didn't: stability. The sheer number of coaching lapses and late-game collapses the 2025 Falcons made was enough to pop several blood vessels and was ultimately why they missed the playoffs.
Atlanta went from someone who is fluent in coach-speak to a no-nonsense coach who has proved he can win in one of the toughest environments the NFL has to offer. The culture already feels different in Flowery Branch, and it feels like this is the coach who will break the playoff drought--but not this year.
I believe Kevin Stefanski got a bad shake in Cleveland, and since he'll be working with more talent on offense and a more hands-off owner in Arthur Blank, the change should benefit all parties. (edited)
What are the biggest training camp and preseason storylines from the Falcons this summer, and who are the biggest standouts to monitor for Week 1?
The biggest storyline to come out of training camp was about the quarterbacks, but that's a cop-out. A storyline for the Steelers to watch is fourth-round rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels, who took first-team reps for a good chunk of camp next to Divine Deablo.
At 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, the guy is a true athletic freak and has been impressing the coaches and other players all summer long--and he was listed as the starting LB on the Week 1 depth chart ahead of Christian Harris.
What is the biggest strength of the Falcons' roster and one area of weakness the Steelers could exploit in Week 1?
The biggest strength on the roster is probably the secondary. The safety duo of Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts is arguably the NFL's best, and the cornerback room has one of the more underrated players holding things down in A.J. Terrell. Even Mike Hughes and Avieon Terrell should make it so they won't give up the big play despite the pass-rush concerns.
The biggest weakness this Falcons team has plays right into the Steelers' strengths. Atlanta was one of the worst teams in the NFL in run defense a season ago, so Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren can exploit that if Nate Ollie's DL vision takes a while to come together.
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