The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Atlanta in Week 1 of the 2024-25 NFL season for a showdown with the new-look Falcons. Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM EST on September 8th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the game will be televised exclusively on the FOX Sports Network in the United States. In Canada, the game will also be available on DAZN.
Oddsmakers opened this game up with the Steelers listed as 2.5-point road underdogs. The spread hasn’t moved around much after early week betting, as Pittsburgh is still +2.5 at most sportsbooks. The total for this matchup is 42.5 points. Click here for a full look at the Week 1 NFL odds and for more links to our individual game previews.
Atlanta Falcons Confident Kirk Cousins is the Answer at QB
There was massive turnover in the offseason in Atlanta after a very disappointing 7-10 record left the Falcons a distant third place in the NFC South. Head Coach Arthur Smith was let go at the end of the year, which wasn’t at all surprising considering his 21-30 record since joining the team in 2021. That wasn’t the only move that the front office made either, as veteran QB Kirk Cousins was handed the keys to the offense after signing a four year, $180 million contract in March.
Cousins should find immediate success with his new team considering the depth Atlanta has in multiple offensive positions. RB Bijan Robinson is arguably the most talented young back in the league, as he is a dynamic player who is a threat to find the endzone every time he touches the ball. Drake London leads the way for the receiving corps after racking up 905 receiving yards in 2023. He is a good bet to break the 1,000 yard plateau this year with Cousins finally bringing some consistency to the position for the Falcons.
Another player that should benefit in this new system is talented TE Kyle Pitts. He has yet to live up to all his draft day hype and expectation, and all the pieces are finally in place for him to have a breakout season. If it doesn’t happen this year, there will definitely be legitimate concerns on if he will ever make the jump into the elite class of NFL tight ends.
On the other side of the ball, Atlanta hovered around the league average for most of the 2023-24 season. Opponents gained an average of 321.1 total yards per game while scoring 21.9 points. However, the Falcons were atrocious down the stretch, surrendering almost 30 points per game over their last five outings of the season. It remains to be seen whether that trend continues over the first month of 2024-25. They need to find a way to apply more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, as they only averaged 2.5 sacks per game last year.
Pittsburgh Steelers Rolling with Russell Wilson
The Steelers turned in a pretty solid performance last year, going 10-7 and clinching a Wild Card berth despite finishing third overall in the very tough AFC North. Pittsburgh couldn’t find a way to get past the first round of the playoffs though, falling 31-17 on the road against Buffalo. Mike Tomlin got the most out of his team last season despite lackluster play from his trio of quarterbacks. However, Pickett, Trubisky, and Rudolph have since been replaced with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields heading into Week 1.
While there was some debate during training camp about who would ultimately win the starting job, Russell Wilson appears to have earned the starting job to begin the season. He will have his work cut out for him after Diontae Johnson left for the Carolina Panthers over the summer, although George Pickens did impress as the secondary option last year.
Things haven’t changed nearly as much for the Steelers backfield, as both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are back with the team. The tandem appears likely to split offensive reps yet again, with Harris receiving most of the goal-line work and Warren being used as the primary third down back.
Defensively, Pittsburgh was one of the best teams in the entire NFL at keeping opponents off of the scoreboard. The Steelers surrendered an average of just 19.1 points per game, which was sixth-best in the league overall. They also made a ton of big plays that resulted in takeaways, forcing 16 turnovers. This unit will have to excel once again this year if Tomlin and Co. hope to contend for a playoff spot in the extremely tough AFC North Division.
Free NFL Betting Prediction and Pick: Falcons -2.5
It’s hard to be that excited about either side in this game, as the line looks pretty spot on overall. However, I’d much rather roll the dice with a new and improved Atlanta offense that should be firing on all cylinders at home. Kirk Cousins should make an immediate impact and bring some much needed consistency on offense, while Bijan Robinson is a playmaking machine that can score from anywhere on the field.
Pittsburgh isn’t scaring anyone offensively, as Russell Wilson was atrocious during his time with the Broncos. The Steelers don’t have any real downfield threats outside of George Pickens either, so if the Atlanta secondary shuts him down, I’m not sure they can keep pace with the high flying Falcons on the other side.
It is also important to note that the Steelers fared much better against the spread at home as underdogs last season than on the road, going just 1-3 ATS away from Acrisure Stadium. Ultimately, there are still too many question marks surrounding a Pittsburgh team that averaged just 17.9 points per game in 2023-24. Facing former head coach Arthur Smith, who is now the new offensive coordinator for Mike Tomlin’s squad, should help motivate the Falcons as well. Take Atlanta to come out strong and lay the points!
