The Atlanta Falcons and their new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, have a Week 1 problem they’ll be trying to shake when they open the season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Atlanta hasn’t exactly made a habit of starting fast. Over the last five years, the Falcons are 1-4 in season openers, with the lone win coming in 2023, a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. That was also the final season of Arthur Smith’s run as Atlanta’s head coach.
The matchup history doesn’t offer much comfort either. The Falcons are 2-16-1 all-time against the Steelers, their worst winning percentage against any opponent in the NFL.
Stefanski arrives with his own Week 1 baggage. During his time as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, he went 2-4 in openers.
His wins came in 2022, when Cleveland edged the Carolina Panthers 26-24, and in 2023, when the Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3. That means Stefanski’s most recent opener victory and Atlanta’s most recent opener victory both came in the same season.
Across the sideline, the Steelers are also bringing in a new voice in Mike McCarthy, and his recent opener results haven’t exactly screamed certainty. He’s 11-7 overall in Week 1 from his time with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
In Dallas, McCarthy went 2-3 in openers, dropping his first three before winning his last two. But he also guided Green Bay to five straight Week 1 wins from 2007 to 2011, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback during that stretch, the same Rodgers who helped deliver a Super Bowl to Green Bay in 2011.
There’s plenty for Atlanta to like on offense. The Falcons can lean on Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts Sr., a trio that gives the unit real punch.
And defensively, Atlanta comes in a year after setting a franchise record with 57 sacks, which gives Stefanski a path to make life uncomfortable for Rodgers, now 42 and no longer the same escape artist he once was. Rodgers is also on the brink of retirement after the season, and his top targets are DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr.
But the Falcons won’t have all of their best tools available up front. Jalon Walker is out for the season with a torn ACL, and James Pearce Jr. has been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Stefanski’s background in the AFC North should help Atlanta understand what it’s walking into. He spent years seeing the Steelers twice a season and even knocked them out of the 2020-2021 NFL playoffs while leading the Browns.
Still, this is not the same Pittsburgh team, and the Steelers may actually have the more complete roster. On defense, they can make things difficult no matter whether the Falcons start Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa. Joey Porter Jr. and Jalen Ramsey give Pittsburgh a secondary that can clamp down on the outside, while TJ Watt is set to return after dealing with a partially collapsed lung in a down 2025 NFL season that ended with only seven sacks.
That setup could push Atlanta toward the ground game, where Pittsburgh’s run defense is described as middle-of-the-pack.
So both sides enter this opener with something to prove. Atlanta and Stefanski are trying to rewrite their Week 1 script, and Pittsburgh and McCarthy are looking to flip their own recent opener narrative as the reset begins.
In Other News...
Falcons Suddenly Have A Defensive Opening Ulbrich Can't Ignore
The Falcons added another piece to a defense that has been stretched thin, claiming linebacker Yasir Abdullah off waivers to help shore up depth at the edge. With injuries and suspensions already affecting that room, the move gives Jeff Ulbrich a player who could be asked to bounce around the formation and fill multiple needs as Atlanta tries to keep the front seven functional.
Abdullahs arrival also suggests the Falcons are not done sorting out how they want to cover for the absence of key linebackers. Atlanta is expected to keep experimenting with personnel, especially with pass-rush help and special teams roles in play, and the door is now open for Ulbrich to see where Abdullah fits while James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker remain out of the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Playoff Hopes Ride On One Offense Question
Atlantas playoff drought has stretched since 2017, a long absence that now ranks as the NFLs second-longest, and the organization has spent plenty of time trying to reset the course with sweeping changes in the front office and coaching staff. Matt Ryan is now president of football, Ian Cunningham is the general manager and Kevin Stefanski is the head coach, giving the Falcons a fresh structure as they look toward ending that dry spell in 2026.
The bigger question is whether the offense can give them a real chance to do it. Everything starts with better quarterback play, but the Falcons also need Bijan Robinson to keep carrying a major load, the offensive line to hold up and the wide receiver group to become more reliable. If those pieces come together, Atlanta can at least make a legitimate push to get back into the postseason conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Falcons Still Have One Unsettling QB Question Before Week 1
The Falcons head into the final stretch before Week 1 with one of the leagues more awkward camp questions still hanging over them: who takes the first snap under center. Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. have been battling for the job, and the team has yet to make the call public, leaving the door open for a late decision as the opener approaches.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that much of the answer may come down to whether Penix is ready to go, with Tagovailoa a possible Week 1 starter on a short leash. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has spoken positively about Penixs progress without naming a starter, and while a verdict could be close, there is still enough uncertainty for this to remain the Falcons most unsettling question entering the season. [Read more 🡒]