Following the release of the 2024 NFL schedule, there is a lot of debate and consternation surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers’ slate, as well as the rest of the NFL in general.
There are a number of “revenge games” littered across the NFL calendar, and quite a few intriguing matchups to talk about, from primetime games to standard 1 p.m. Sunday kickoffs.
Week 1 in the NFL is absolutely loaded, too. But for CBS Sports’ Bryant McFadden, the most intriguing matchup in Week 1 features the new-look Steelers traveling south to take on the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m.
“I gotta go down to the dirty South in Atlanta, right? Pittsburgh and Atlanta. The Falcons. And the reason why I’m highlighting that matchup, clearly, of course I played with Pittsburgh, but then, what will this Steelers offense look like with Russell Wilson at the quarterback position? Or will it be Justin Fields?” McFadden said.
Leading up to the season-opener, there will be quite a bit of chatter regarding the Wilson-Fields dynamic. Will it be a competition in training camp? Is it simply Wilson’s job and Fields won’t get a true shot? What happens if Fields outplays Wilson? Will head coach Mike Tomlin make that call to go with Fields?
The Steelers reshaped their quarterback room this offseason bringing in Wilson via free agency and trading for Fields, giving them a dynamic, high-ceiling quarterback room. Though Tomlin has stated Wilson is in the “pole position” as QB1 entering the offseason programs, there remains the belief externally that it’s going to be a true competition between him and Fields.
That’s hard to see right now, but it could happen.
If it does and Fields wins the job, it makes Week 1 all the more intriguing with Fields returning home to Atlanta to kick-start his second chance in the NFL as a starter.
“Regardless, it’s going to be a new quarterback from what we saw in 2023 for the Pittsburgh Steelers…under Arthur Smith as the new OC, who was the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons a year ago. And then when you transition to Atlanta, let’s keep it real, since the draft, they’ve been one of the more talked about teams in the National Football League that did not make the playoffs a year ago, didn’t come close to making the playoffs,” McFadden said of the Steelers-Falcons matchup. “So Kirk Cousins in this new look regime offensively for Atlanta, how will they look? Will they showcase the ability to be a relevant team in the NFC or will they still have some concerns?”
It will be new for the Steelers with Wilson and Fields under center, Smith as the offensive coordinator, new faces along the offensive line and a reshaped defense with some big-name defenders added this offseason.
As for Atlanta, it’s all new as well, since Smith was fired. Tomlin’s good friend in Raheem Morris was hired as the offensive coordinator, while Zac Robinson, a guy who was set to interview for the Steelers’ OC position, was hired by Atlanta to oversee the offense and gets to work with Cousins, a quarterback who was speculated about as a potential fit for Pittsburgh this offseason.
It’s quite the intriguing matchup overall to kick off the season for both teams. Two new eras under center with big-name quarterbacks, inside the beautiful Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and on FOX?
Buckle up.
