Next opponent: New-look Falcons seeking revenge against Smith

ATLANTA -- The Steelers kick off the 2024-25 NFL season this Sunday, with the first of two road games to start the year against a new-look Falcons team.

Here's a snapshot of what Atlanta brings into Week 1:

ATLANTA FALCONS

Record: 0-0 (7-10 in 2023)
Standing: Third, NFC South (in 2023)
Last result: Lost to Saints, 48-17

THE TREND

The Falcons are coming off three consecutive 7-10 seasons, all coached by current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Last season, the Falcons were 6-6 in early December, but lost four of their final five games, costing them a chance at clinching a very winnable NFC South division. Thus, Smith was shown the door as the Falcons turned the page to a new era.

To start this new era, Raheem Morris was hired, who'd previously served as interim head coach of the team in 2020. That short stint as interim head coach was the first time Morris had such a role since he was head coach of the Buccaneers in 2009-2011. But after three successful seasons as the Rams' defensive coordinator, the Falcons hired him to replace Smith. With Morris comes Zac Robinson as the Falcons' new offensive coordinator, who coached alongside Morris with the Rams, most recently as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in Los Angeles. And, Morris also brought Jimmy Lake with him from the Rams to be his new defensive coordinator.

But the coaching staff was not the only place the Falcons made a splash. The highlight of the offseason was signing Kirk Cousins to a massive four-year, $180-million contract. That's a huge step up from what the Falcons have had, which was quarterback play that ranked near the very bottom of the league. They also brought in Darnell Mooney to add to the receiver position, Ray-Ray McCloud is a new gadget weapon in this offense and the Falcons beefed up their defense by recently acquiring Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons.

All in all, this is a Falcons team that's on the rise, especially in arguably the weakest division in football. With the new additions and changes to the coaching staff, an NFC South title isn't out of the question in 2024. This team may even win 10 games.

THE QUARTERBACK

Cousins has played long enough in the NFL that most people know who he is by this point. However, he is still somehow one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the league. Since Cousins became a full-time starter in 2015, no quarterback has thrown for more yards (36,441). And of the 55 quarterbacks that have made at least 30 starts since 2015, Cousins ranks sixth with a 99.9 passer rating. That's higher than Tom Brady during that stretch.

At the bare minimum, Cousins brings an ability to spread the ball around to a plethora of weapons on this offense. Most recently, Cousins has been the one to throw passes to Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, who's blossomed into arguably the best receiver in football. He is coming off an Achilles injury, which always causes concern for a player's ability. However, among quarterbacks that played at least 250 snaps last season, Cousins ranked sixth in EPA per play and fifth in completion percentage above expected. If he's anything close to what he was prior to last year's injury, this offense could be dangerous.

The best way for the Steelers to win week in and week out is to win the turnover battle. While the defense is primed to be one of the most dangerous units in terms of forcing turnovers, Cousins is not prone to throwing a ton of interceptions.

Among quarterbacks who have started at least 80 games since 2015 (not even nine starts per season), the first year in which he became a full-time starter, Cousins is tied for sixth in the NFL with a 1.9 interception percentage (interceptions divided by the number of pass attempts). The only quarterbacks who are better during that span: Aaron Rodgers, Brady, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson. So, the Steelers have their work cut out for them in terms of forcing turnovers, at least through the air.

However, the Steelers can still create chances for splash plays against Cousins. While he's not prone to throwing a bunch of interceptions, he does hold onto the ball for a while. Over the past six seasons, Cousins averages 2.85 seconds from the snap to the time he throws, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. His best mark during that span was 2.74 seconds in 2018, but that ranked 23rd among qualifying passers. The highest he's ranked is 14th in 2021, when he averaged 2.76 seconds. In recent seasons, Cousins is above that six-season average, posting 2.83 seconds in 2022 and 2.86 seconds in 2023. Unless Robinson has a system that forces Cousins to get rid of the ball quicker, there should be opportunities for the Steelers to register sacks against him.

THE OFFENSE

While making a huge upgrade at quarterback surely raises the floor of the Falcons' offense, Atlanta’s most dangerous threat is undoubtedly Bijan Robinson. Robinson might be the most talented running back in the league, and could be in play for most yards from scrimmage this year.

Robinson can do it all out of the backfield. He's an extremely talented runner and be a significant factor in the passing game, as well. As a rookie in 2023, Robinson tallied 272 touches (214 carries, 58 receptions) for 1,463 yards and eight total touchdowns from scrimmage. He could -- and should -- handedly surpass those numbers. Just watch the way he can make people miss:

Cousins has plenty of weapons in the passing game. Drake London has lived up to the billing of being a first-round pick despite playing with terrible quarterbacks. Kyle Pitts might also be the most lethal tight end in the league if he realizes his potential. Mooney was brought in to be another main target at receiver, but London and Pitts are the critical pieces here.

"He is big and fast, he's more wide receiver than tight end when he gets out there in terms of catching the ball," Teryl Austin said Thursday. "So that's always a challenge, to make sure you have the right matchups or the right guys around them, how they'll use them in their staff. We just anticipate him being able to move around and do a lot of things. So we're just kind of preparing for him to be anywhere, and as the game goes on, we'll see."

All of this is possible because the Falcons have a legitimate offensive line, perhaps one of the best five units in the NFL. Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary are two outstanding tackles. Matthews is 32, but he's still a heck of a player. The interior is more than solid. Chris Lindstrom is one of the better guards in the league, and Drew Dalman is a superb athlete at center. Matthew Bergeron is the weakest link at left guard, but he's a solid player, too. 

THE DEFENSE

The Falcons' defensive front is a bit underrated and could give the Steelers' young offensive line fits. Grady Jarrett will be lining up against Spencer Anderson, and while he's not the most formidable run-stuffer, he's got more than enough moves in his pass-rush arsenal to give Anderson fits. Zach Harrison is a talented younger player up front that can line up in a number of spots. He can be a handful. The star of the defensive front is David Onyemata, who recorded four sacks and set career highs with 50 tackles and three passes defensed in 2023, his first season in Atlanta.

Judon is a newcomer to the defense, which gives the Falcons a much needed legitimate pass-rusher. Not only did the Falcons rank near the bottom third of the league in sacks last season, their co-leaders were Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree with 6.5 sacks apiece, and neither are on the team this season. They needed more firepower to get to the quarterback, and that's exactly what Judon brings.

Judon has 66.5 sacks over eight seasons in the NFL, and an injury that derailed his 2023 season was the only thing that kept him from making a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl. Steelers fans ought to remember Judon well, not only from his time with the Patriots but also with the Ravens. There might not have been a more memorable sequence in Judon's career than when he recorded sacks on three consecutive plays:

All in all, the front seven is an improved group, but it's not one of the scariest in the league, though Kaden Elliss is a solid inside linebacker on the second level, too. On the other hand, Jessie Bates III is a rock star at safety. There's no denying that he's one of the premier safeties in the NFL, and his production last season backs that up. In 2023, Bates led the Falcons with 132 tackles, 11 passes defended, three forced fumbles and six interceptions.

Now, Bates has a superb running partner in Simmons, who's coming off his third straight season of being named second-team All-Pro. The Falcons' lethal duo at safety should help them keep a lid on both George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth, which would force Van Jefferson or Calvin Austin III to step up and make the Falcons pay for any lack of attention on their side.

THE SPECIAL TEAMS

Younghoe Koo is a very solid kicker, as he made 86.5% of his field goal attempts last season. Koo's leg isn't the strongest, though. Three of his five misses last season came from over 50 yards away. Bradley Pinion is a phenomenal punter and will give the Falcons a bit of an edge in field positioning, though the Steelers now have similar firepower after signing Cameron Johnston in free agency. After missing all of 2023 with a knee injury, Avery Williams will resume return duties for the Falcons. In 2022, he averaged 16.2 yards per punt return. He's more than capable of breaking one.

THE INJURY REPORT

• Antonio Hamilton, CB (groin) -- Hamilton popped up on the injury report on Thursday as a limited participant then did not practice Friday. He's been ruled out for Sunday. Hamilton is Atlanta's No. 5 corner, serving as the backup nickel behind Dee Alford.

• Kyle Pitts, TE (hamstring) -- Pitts was a surprise concern when he was announced as a limited participant on Wednesday, but those worries were quelled quickly when he fully participated in practice on Thursday and Friday. He's good to go.

• Nate Landman, LB (quad) -- Landman was limited Wednesday and Thursday, but fully practiced Friday. He's also cleared. He's one of the depth inside linebackers on the Falcons defense.

QUOTABLE

"You cannot let them go wreck the game. There's no doubt about that, right? But you cannot let them make you play fearful. You've got to go out there and be ready to go out there and execute the game plan and be very smart and detailed. ... T.J. Watt is a game wrecker. And I am not going to let him go out there and wreck the game. That's got to be part of my plan. And he still may. That's what those guys do. But I think that's part of that. The real answer to that is the mental toughness, right? When you go play against great players that you're going to play against every single week. Are they going to make plays? And how mentally tough is your group to bounce back and play the next snap?” -- Raheem Morris on T.J. Watt

"Yeah, it's going to be a great challenge. Those guys have been good for a long time. I've played them two times, 2019, and then we played them last year, and you know what you're getting with Pittsburgh. It's a tough football team, very well coached since Coach Tomlin’s been there, and even before then. It's a great story franchise. So we know what we're getting with those guys. They're going to play tough. They're going to play physical, so we definitely got to match that. I know we got our hands full, got a lot of work to do with preparation just to get ready for that, but I know the guys will be ready to go." -- Zac Robinson on facing Steelers' defense

"He played on an elite defense last year, knows what it looks like. High respect for Patrick, for his production as a player in his career, for the defense he's now on, for the coaches they have. It'll be one of the best groups we play all year and a great challenge for us." -- Kirk Cousins on Patrick Queen

"It won't matter. I am sure, knowing Coach Tomlin and how well he's done there, even if Russ goes out and starts, there might be packages where Justin Fields comes in with his ability. Russ is a proven veteran in this league, and I had the pleasure of being his teammate the last few years in Denver. Know he's gonna be prepared and he's gonna be ready. He's gonna have those guys going. We have our work cut out for us defensively. I think we'll answer the bell. We've got our work cut out for us. They've got great receivers, great run game, so we're going to have to be able to do our thing." -- Justin Simmons on preparing for either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields