The Pittsburgh Steelers travel south to face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 looking to make a great first impression. While looking good in the box score is nice, looking good on the field is step one.
Uniform combos matter to a large chunk of the NFL fanbase. While some fans just see a simple identifier "distracting from the purity of the game", many see the value in a well-executed uniform and even better: when those teams mesh well in their gameday threads.
As two of the few teams with black as a primary color, Pittsburgh versus Atlanta is usually a visually pleasing game from a uniform perspective. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they have yet to beat the Steelers in their newest threads. Then again, the Falcons haven't beaten the Steelers since 2006.
Last season, Atlanta wore their throwback black jerseys with a special red throwback helmet and white pants. However in Week 3 of the preseason in 2023, the Falcons wore their normal black helmet-white jersey-black pants away combo.
Maybe Atlanta is taking a new approach with its uniform combo choice for Week 1. After all, a winning trend has to start somewhere.
Official Jersey Announcement for Today’s Game
The Atlanta Falcons announced Thursday afternoon that the team would be wearing its all-black combo.
Back in black! pic.twitter.com/DfcC9R7L0g
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) September 5, 2024
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Wednesday morning that the team would be wearing it's traditional road uniforms.
Dahn in Atlanta for Week 1‼️ pic.twitter.com/AxBO6pTQ94
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 4, 2024
It's worth noting that the Atlanta Falcons have never beaten the Steelers while wearing black jerseys. In 2002, the Falcons beat the Steelers for the first time as a road team wearing white jerseys. In 2006, Mike Vick outpaced the Steelers in red jerseys.
The Falcons did win their season opener at home against the Carolina Panthers wearing their all-black combo.
Of course, the Steelers are business as usual in their standard away jerseys. One new thing to look for on a Steelers uniform will be the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award patches on Cam Heyward and Russell Wilson.
The Steelers-Falcons will be a strong duo for those who appreciate football aesthetics without a doubt. Hopefully these teams, and particularly the Steelers, can make the on-field product look just as good.