Steelers 2024 Opponents Preview: Atlanta Falcons

With the 2024 NFL schedule announced, I want to review each of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ opponents and dig deeper into each team’s lineup, including a recap of their offseason moves, key storylines to watch, and their historic series against the Steelers. Starting at the top of the Week 1 schedule, today I will preview the Atlanta Falcons.

There is a lot of optimism surrounding the Falcons for the 2024 season with a new coaching regime and a veteran QB in Kirk Cousins ​​who they paid $180 million to acquire in free agency. They had a solid foundation for their team in 2023, but many believe poor quarterback play held the team back, with Desmond Ridders starting most of the season in his second year as a professional. They can test that theory in 2024 with Cousins, and they drafted quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round for good measure. They are working on a similar overhaul of the quarterback room that the Steelers had this offseason.

Here are the details of notable additions and departures since the end of the 2023 season for the Falcons:

Additions:
–QB Kirk Cousins
– WR Darnell Mooney
– TE Charlie Woerner
– WR Ray-Ray McCloud
– WR Rondale Moore (trade)

Departures:
–TE Jonnu Smith
– KR/RB Cordarrelle Patterson
– DE Calais Campbell
– CB Jeff Okudah
-WR Mack Hollins
– CB Tre Fleurs

Class project:
– Quarterback Michael Penix Jr
–DT Ruke Orhorhoro
–OLB Bralen Trice
–DT Brandon Dorlus
–ILB JD Bertrand
– Running back Jase McClellan
–WR Casey Washington
– DT Zion Logue

They’ve had a few more notable departures than free agency additions, but that’s going to happen when you invest $180 million to draft a quarterback to help them compete in the immediate future. The bulk of their draft picks were used on the defensive side of the ball. Orhorhoro, for example, should make a nice replacement for Campbell who remains a free agent at 37 years old.

The Falcons slightly edged the Steelers in 2023 with their rushing attack, finishing with 2,159 rushing yards. It was Bijan Robinson’s rookie season and he finished just under 1,000 rushing yards. He’s formed a backfield duo with Tyler Allgeier, but that division of labor should shift a bit more toward Robinson in year two to build on his impressive 4.6 yards per carry as a recruit. Having a legitimate threat at quarterback should help Robinson see fewer stacked boxes and create more opportunities for him.

They added Zac Robinson as offensive coordinator under Raheem Morris’ new coaching staff. Robinson is a name that was linked to the Steelers at one point, and he comes from Sean McVay’s coaching lineage, having spent the last five seasons working with him in Los Angeles with the Rams. It will be interesting to see what type of offense the Falcons end up using. They’ve used a lot of wide zone concepts in recent years under Arthur Smith, and that’s what McVay’s offenses are generally known for, but they’ve switched to more gap schemes in 2023.

It’s worth noting that TE Kyle Pitts recently said he feels like a rookie again with the new coaching staff and offensive system. As with the Steelers, there will be some growing pains early in the season with a new offense in place.

Falcons 2023 record: 7-10
Falcons three-year breakdown: 21-30
Falcons-Steelers series record: 15-2-1 (Steels)
Atlanta series record: 8-2 (Steels)
Most recent match: 19-16 Steelers (2022)

An interesting dynamic to watch in this game is the fact that the Falcons defenders have a pretty good idea of ​​what Steelers OC Arthur Smith likes to do. On the other hand, Smith knows a lot about their defense and potential weak spots to exploit. It remains to be seen which side holds the true advantage, if any. This will be the debut of Cousins ​​and Russell Wilson with their new teams, and both teams will feature new offensive systems, so it will also be an intriguing aspect of the game to watch unfold.

Falcons 2023 in numbers:
Offense-
Rating: 18.9 PPG (26th)
Who passed: 207.3 meters/V (22nd)
Rushing : 127 meters/V (9th)

Defense-
Rating: 21.9 PPG (18th)
Who passed: 202.9 meters/G (8th)
Rushing : 118.2 meters/V (20th)

They lost a few corners in free agency that totaled 12 starts in 2023, but their pass defense seems like a potential concern to me in the Steelers matchup. There’s still no clear option opposite George Pickens on the outside in Pittsburgh, and half of the receivers vying for the second or third spot are former Falcons. Expectations should probably be tempered for an exceptional passing game in Week 1 for Russell Wilson and the Steelers.

With Atlanta’s running game already strong in 2023, they have a chance to be a pretty good offense overall if Cousins ​​can provide the necessary boost in the passing game. In the last three seasons he was healthy, Cousins ​​passed for over 4,200 yards. It would be a pretty big boost if he can replicate that success in Atlanta.

Bettors opened the gap, with the Falcons favored by 2.5 points at home. A lot can and will change between now and the start of the season. Either team could make more roster changes, injuries could arise and players emerge in training camp to be bigger contributors than initially thought. For now, this should be one of the more intriguing Week 1 matchups in the NFL with the number of changes made in the offseason and the debuts of two blockbuster veteran QBs.