Mike Tomlin didn’t hide where he thinks the edge lies in Week 1.
While talking on NBC’s postgame show after the New England Patriots-Seattle Seahawks season opener, the former Steelers head coach pointed back to Tua Tagovailoa’s rough night in Pittsburgh last season and made it clear he expects a similar outcome when the Atlanta Falcons visit the Steelers.
“It’s less about Aaron (Rodgers) for me, and it’s more about the quarterback on the other side (Tagovailoa). His last visit to Pittsburgh didn’t go well.
I was in the stadium that day. They lost.
He got benched, and so I think it's going to be a good day for Mike McCarthy, Patrick Graham and the Pittsburgh Steelers and company," Tomlin said.
Tomlin also summed it up more directly in the broadcast clip: "It's less about Aaron (Rodgers) for me, and it's more about the quarterback on the other side (Tua Tagovailoa). His last visit to Pittsburgh didn't go well.
I was in the stadium that day. They lost.
He got benched."
That game Tomlin was talking about came last December, when Tagovailoa and the Dolphins went into Acrisure Stadium for a frigid Monday Night Football matchup and left with a 28-15 loss. The final score looked respectable, but Pittsburgh had already put the game away by taking a 21-3 lead into the fourth quarter.
Tagovailoa finished 22 of 28 for two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception to Asante Samuel Jr. around the halfway point of the first quarter, and that early mistake helped shape the night. Pittsburgh’s pass rush added pressure throughout, with Payton Wilson, Esezi Otomewo, Jalen Ramsey and Cam Heyward all recording sacks of the left-handed quarterback.
That outing ended up being Tagovailoa’s final game for Miami before he was benched for Quinn Ewers. He was cut by the Dolphins earlier this offseason, leaving the team with $99.2 million in dead money, and later landed with the Falcons on a one-year deal.
Atlanta then officially named Tagovailoa its starter earlier this week, beating out 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., who is dealing with a knee injury.
Pittsburgh has some familiarity with new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski, who spent the last six seasons with the Cleveland Browns before being fired in January. But the Steelers have a new coaching staff too, which makes that old history less certain to carry over cleanly.
Even so, the matchup still looks like one where Pittsburgh’s defense can dictate terms. Tagovailoa’s arm strength is limited, and he doesn’t bring much as a runner. The Falcons do have plenty of talent around him, including Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts, and their offensive line is solid.
Still, the Steelers should have a real chance to collapse the pocket, get after Tagovailoa and create a turnover or two - exactly the kind of start that can set the tone for a 1-0 opening week.
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