Steelers Schedule Updates: Back on Road for Opener in Atlanta

It’s looking like the Pittsburgh Steelers will be opening the 2024 NFL season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, as parts of the schedule have been reported ahead of the official announcement on Wednesday night.

Multiple reports have suggested that the Steelers are likely to play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in Week 1, including by Zach Klein of WSB-TV in Atlanta, Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan and NFL analyst Brian Baldinger. 

Steelers Now has been able to confirm that the Steelers are expected to play the Falcons in Week 1. The time of the game has not been reported, but it is expected to be played on Sunday, Sept. 8.

The Steelers will start on the road for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons. They broke an eight-year streak of starting on the road by hosting the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1 last season, a 30-7 blowout loss. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is 10-5-1 all-time in seasons openers and 6-4-1 on the road. In the eight-year stretch of road openers preceding 2023, the team went 5-2-1.

Tomlin is 4-0 against the Falcons, including two wins in Atlanta. The Steelers last beat the Falcons, 19-16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 2022. They also played a preseason game there last season, giving the team trips to Georgia in three straight seasons.

The Steelers have three five former Georgia Bulldogs on their roster (quarterback Justin Fields, running back Daijun Edwards, wide receiver George Pickens, tight end Darnell Washington and tackle Broderick Jones). They also have a number of players that went to high school in the region, including Montravius Adams, Cam and Connor Heyward and Mark Robinson.

It will also be a revenge game for offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons the last three seasons before his firing earlier this offseason. Smith has brought a number of former fellow Atlanta cast-offs with him, including running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tight end MyCole Pruitt and wide receivers Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller.

The full Steelers schedule will be released at 8 p.m. on NFL Network.