Here We Go: Week 1 - Steelers @ Falcons Pregame Thoughts
It’s gameday. No more hypotheticals. No more speculation. The 2024 path to Lombardi number seven for the Pittsburgh Steelers starts today at 1:00 eastern time in Atlanta, Georgia against the Falcons.
When the schedule was released near the beginning of the summer, even when we anticipated we’d be entering the year with a Kenny Pickett vs. Mason Rudolph QB competition, most of us looked at the week one matchup in Atlanta, and thought to ourselves, “Oh, that’s a win.” The transformation of both teams that would follow the schedule release could not have possibly been expected from either fan base.
The additions of Matthew Judon to help out that pass rush, and Justin Simmons roaming out deep at the safety spot were big time moves for the Falcons on the defensive side of the ball. The additions of Kirk Cousins at QB, and Darnell Mooney at WR, are surely welcome additions to an offense that struggled last year.
Remember when the playoffs were happening, and Steelers fans everywhere were praying that the Steelers would hire Zac Robinson to be their new offensive coordinator? Well, that never happened, because he signed on to be the OC for the Atlanta Falcons. Not only that, but Atlanta’s first-year head coach, Raheem Morris, was brought on after the Falcons moved on from Arthur Smith, who is now the offensive coordinator of the Steelers. NOT ONLY THAT, but Raheem Morris and Mike Tomlin won a Super Bowl TOGETHER in 2003 as members of the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The point is that a lot of things had to fall into place in a bizarre way for this matchup to be as interesting as it is.
I think for the Steelers, your first priority has to be to contain Bijan Robinson. Last season, during his rookie campaign, he immediately emerged as a star at the RB position. If we’re able to contain their rushing attack, I like our matchups on the outside, including Drake London vs. Joey Porter Jr. and Darnell Mooney vs. Donte Jackson. To me, those two matchups are washes, especially if we can put them in 2nd and/or 3rd and long situations early and often. Take away the run, take away the play action, then unleash your pass rush. This defense has the ability to do all of those things. We should be able to hold this team to around 17 points or less.
Like many of yinz, though, it’s the offense that I’m concerned about. Most of my concerns stem from the current uncertainty at some spots along our offensive line. Isaac Seumalo is out, with Spencer Anderson starting in his spot. Troy Fautanu will suit up in a backup capacity, coming off of an injury that reduced his work pretty significantly over the last month or so. Dan Moore Jr. will get the start at LT with Broderick Jones operating on the right side. Those two tackle spots concern me, because Dan Moore Jr. is average at best, and we don’t really know what version of Broderick Jones we will get. Jones will be tasked with keeping the aforementioned Matthew Judon out of the backfield. Outside of Judon, this is a very weak pass rush in Atlanta, so it’s good that we aren’t trotting this offensive line out against a Cleveland or Kansas City type of team at this point.
The o-line will be tasked with keeping either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields upright, which, with the way those guys play, would be a tall task for any offensive line. With each passing second, it looks more and more like Justin Fields is going to get the start. That’s a dilemma right out of the gate in my opinion. Russ does a great job of taking care of the football, which I think will be paramount for us if we expect to leave Atlanta with a win. Justin Fields’ deep ball has looked nice all summer, but Atlanta has two guys at safety that are pro-bowl caliber in Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons. We can’t have Justin Fields trying to be a hero with those guys roaming deep. He just needs to play within the system and limit his mistakes, and lean on the RBs and his legs, and that’s all we should need.
Speaking further on Justin Fields: I echoed these sentiments on Friday, but I just want to reiterate that this kid is playing for his football life at this point. Like I said, he’s not officially the starter as of now, but it’s certainly looking like the most likely scenario. If he does get the start, he needs to show Omar Khan that he is a starter in this league, and that he should be our quarterback of the future. If he doesn’t, I fear Fields’ career as a starter in this league will come to an end. With the defense looking how it looks, an extremely capable OC in Arthur Smith, and some pretty decent weapons (although we’re thin at WR), I think Fields is set up for success.
Overall, I think these two teams are so close together RIGHT NOW in terms of what’s expected of them in the early portions of the year. The Atlanta Falcons are 3.5 point favorites, and that’s almost entirely because the game is taking place in Atlanta. I understand why Vegas feels that way, but we know how Steelers Nation travels from stadium to stadium. I think the Terrible Towels will be out in abundance, and that place will be pretty LAHD for the Steelers. With that in mind, I don’t believe in home field advantage for the Falcons here, and the Steelers +3.5 is the smarter move in my opinion. In terms of a winner, it’s hard to say. Most likely, the team that wins the turnover battle will win the game. Give me Pittsburgh, on the coattails of a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception.
WE’RE FUCKING BACK. TIME TO GET READY. HERE. WE. FUCKIN. GO. STEELERS.
Also….as I’m posting this, Justin Fields has been named the starting QB for this game. Let’s ride.
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