The Pittsburgh Steelers are just a week away from the beginning of the NFL season. There are a few intriguing storylines to follow for the Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons, including Arthur Smith’s return to his previous team, Russell Wilson vs. Kirk Cousins in a battle of the displaced quarterbacks, and the coaching battle between two good friends in Mike Tomlin and Raheem Morris.
If you listen to Vegas, the Falcons are favored to win the Week 1 contest.
According to VSiN, which aggregates several of the top Vegas oddsmakers, the Steelers are currently consensus three-point underdogs. Vegas typically gives three points to the home team, which means that on an even playing field, they are calling this a 50-50 tossup.
I was at the last Steelers-Falcons game that was hosted in Atlanta back in 2022. That stadium was about 70 percent Steelers fans, so I am not sure how much of a home-field advantage they really have. The fan base could be energized by the Week 1 home opener, with a new coaching staff and a $180 million quarterback. We will see.
Back when the odds were first released, the Steelers were just 2.5-point underdogs, so the line has moved slightly in the wrong direction. That was in May, just after the 2024 NFL Draft. Kirk Cousins’ health was still slightly up in the air at the time. He has since told the media that he will play in Week 1. They have also signed two impact defensive players since then in Matt Judon and Justin Simmons.
Week 1 is always a tossup with the odds. Every season, there are teams that receive hype that underperform expectations. And the flip side is also true with sleeper teams that emerge despite low expectations.
This game will be particularly interesting, with Smith calling the Steelers’ offense. You would think that would give him an advantage, given his familiarity with his old team, but I believe it will have the opposite effect. They have a new defensive system, and their players on defense have spent the last three years practicing against his offense, which appears to be largely the same in Pittsburgh.
Both teams will be looking to make a statement in Week 1 with their new quarterbacks. This will be the seventh time that the two have faced off in the NFL, with Wilson holding a 4-2 record against Cousins. They also played twice in college with Michigan State and Wisconsin, and they split the series.
