We made it; football season is here, and NFL fans, players, and coaches are all ready to go for Week 1. The Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off their 2026 season at home against the Atlanta Falcons. Starting for the Steelers at quarterback will be four-time MVP winner Aaron Rodgers, who is going to retire after this season.
Tua Tagovailoa will be making the start for the Falcons. Both teams also have new head coaches, as the Steelers are led by head coach Mike McCarthy, who takes over for Mike Tomlin, while the Falcons are led by Kevin Stefanski, who takes over for Raheem Morris. Now, let’s look at the keys and advantages for a Steelers victory in Week 1 against the Falcons.
Steelers Keys to Week 1 Victory
Home Field Advantage, Tua’s Struggles
The very first key here for the Steelers is home-field advantage. The Steelers are very rarely at home in Week 1, as they have been home to start the season just twice in the last ten seasons. The loud Pittsburgh crowd in the season opener gives them a massive advantage in defeating the Falcons and starting the season 1-0.
The next key for the Steelers is Tagovailoa’s struggles. While this is technically an advantage rather than a key, the Steelers can use his struggles to game plan their defense. Tagovailoa has struggled with four concussions, with three of them coming in the NFL, and hip injuries. He was even benched when he played for the Miami Dolphins and was replaced by Quinn Ewers for struggling with interceptions. The Steelers loaded up on their defense this offseason and could very well come after Tagovailoa from start to finish.
Get Offense Going Early; Apply Pressure on the Quarterback
The Steelers offense has struggled for several years to put points on the board, and it has led to some disappointing losses. The Falcons offense has playmakers like Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, so the Steelers need to move the ball downfield and capitalize on early drives. If the Steelers can put points on the board and score touchdowns rather than field goals, it could be a long day for the Falcons and put even more pressure on Tagovailoa early.
Applying pressure on Tagovailoa might be one of the most important things the Steelers can do to give them the win. As mentioned before, Tagovailoa struggles with turnovers and making good football plays, and as talented as the Steelers’ defense is, if they can apply pressure, then they can likely get him to rush into making a bad decision that could potentially result in a turnover.
To make that case even stronger, when Tagovailoa was benched, those two interceptions he threw were actually against the Steelers, so the they have taken advantage of him before, and as long as they apply pressure and go after him, then there is no reason to believe it will not be a disaster for the Falcons’ offense.
Watch and Stuff the Run
Saving the most important key for last, watch and stuff the run. Tagovailoa’s turnover issues make this case even stronger because the Falcons have to prevent turnovers if they want to win. Robinson is one of, if not the best, running backs in the league, and he finds the end zone quite often. If the Steelers do not contain Robinson, the Falcons will have a field day and more than likely win the game because one run from Robinson can turn into a big touchdown really quickly.
While the Steelers need to apply pressure on Tagovailoa, it is far more important that they worry about stuffing the run because you can not win games if you do not game plan the other team’s best player.
These are the big keys to a Steelers Week 1 victory over the Falcons. Do you think the Steelers can get the job done and start the season 1-0?
Main Image: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
