A Week 1 win at Acrisure Stadium would mean more to the Pittsburgh Steelers than just getting into the standings with a clean start. It would also be a sign that the organization’s recent moves were built on solid thinking. Atlanta isn’t an automatic win, though, and the Falcons arrive with a receiver who can make life miserable for Pittsburgh’s secondary.
That receiver is Drake London, and he has the kind of size that turns routine contested throws into easy money. At 6'4", he can simply go up and take the ball away from smaller defenders. Over the course of his career, that has helped him pile up more than 3,500 receiving yards while averaging 12.8 yards per catch.
What makes that production stand out is the list of quarterbacks London has already worked with. Marcus Mariota, Taylor Heinicke, and Kirk Cousins are the most experienced passers he has shared the field with, and yet the numbers have kept coming. Even with Cooper Rush now stepping in as Atlanta’s starting quarterback, London still has to be treated like a real problem.
For Pittsburgh, the mission in Week 1 is clear: keep the Falcons from hitting big plays through the air. Rush and London have not had much time to build chemistry, but that won’t stop Atlanta from trying to get it going Sunday afternoon. The Steelers already showed they could bottle up London once, holding him to two catches for 15 yards in last season’s 18-10 win.
That game also featured Joey Porter Jr. shutting down one of the league’s top targets. This time, though, his status is not settled because of contract negotiations.
Pittsburgh does have other options if he can’t go, with Jamel Dean, Asante Samuel Jr., or even Jalen Ramsey mentioned as possible replacements. Still, the Steelers would clearly prefer to have Porter Jr. out there.
Without him, this matchup becomes a much more inviting one for Rush and London.
The concern is easy to understand. Last season, Pittsburgh finished 29th in passing yards allowed per game at 244.9, and opposing quarterbacks found plenty of chances to test the secondary. That kind of vulnerability can turn a game that should be manageable into a tight one fast, and the Steelers cannot afford that kind of repeat in Week 1.
Even so, Pittsburgh is expected to be ready. The belief here is that Joey Porter Jr. will play, and if he does, that should go a long way toward limiting London’s impact. If the Steelers want to open the season with a win, they will need their defense to keep Atlanta’s playmakers in check Sunday afternoon.
In Other News...
Mike Tomlin Just Reopened One Painful Steelers Debate
A recent interview from Mike Tomlin has nudged an old Steelers argument back into the spotlight, and it is one that never really dies in Pittsburgh. When asked to identify the best team he has coached, Tomlin pointed to the 2015 Steelers rather than the 2008 squad that finished the job and won Super Bowl XLIII, a choice that immediately invites the sort of comparison Steelers fans love to make and hate to settle.
The 2015 group had plenty to recommend it, finishing 10-6 and winning a wild-card playoff game before running into the Broncos in the divisional round. Tomlins reasoning centered on how talented that roster was, even if injuries left key players unavailable when it mattered most, and that detail is what keeps the debate so tricky: was the best Steelers team the one with the ring, or the one that looked even stronger before the season ended short of the Super Bowl? [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Just Reopened A Debate Steelers Fans Never Wanted
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For Steelers followers, the broader issue is less about another podcast stop and more about whether Rodgers can keep the focus where the team needs it. His comments have a way of generating a reaction well beyond the field, and this latest round did it again by reopening a debate tied to how vaccinated and non-vaccinated players were treated. The football part still matters most in Pittsburgh, but Rodgers has a habit of making the conversation bigger than the next snap. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Have A Week 1 Cornerback Problem To Watch
The Steelers added some insurance at cornerback heading into Week 1 by elevating Doneiko Slaughter from the practice squad for Sundays game against the Falcons. It is a small move on paper, but it reflects a real concern as Pittsburgh opens the season with Joey Porter Jr. listed as questionable because of a back injury.
Slaughter has not played in a regular-season game yet, but he did get plenty of preseason work and now gives the Steelers another option if the secondary is short-handed. For a team trying to get through an early test against Atlanta, the question is less about the roster move itself and more about how much they may have to lean on a player who has not taken an NFL snap that counts. [Read more 🡒]