The Atlanta Falcons start their 2024 campaign against the Pittsburgh Steelers and with all of the storylines that surround it, there will be no shortage of aspects to focus on:
- The return of Arthur Smith to Atlanta
- The difference in resource allocation to the quarterback room (Steelers, with by far the fewest. Atlanta with by far the most)
- Raheem Morris (The student) vs. Mike Tomlin (The master)
- Justin Fields' return to Atlanta
The schedule-makers started the Falcons off with a doozy of an opener and with the heightened expectations for Atlanta, it's paramount that they get off to a fast start, especially with their brutal opening stretch.
So, how many of the experts around the league see the Falcons starting on a good foot? We look at a quick roundup of a few of them below:
Steelers vs. Falcons Week 1 picks
Jordan Dajani, CBS Sports: Falcons (17-13)
Saivion Mixson, Sporting News: Falcons
Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports: Falcons (23-21)
The Falcons made some of the biggest waves this offseason headlined by signing Kirk Cousins in free agency. On paper, they are slated to be much better than they've been in recent seasons, but the jury is still out on how Cousins will fare on the field as he returns from his season-ending Achilles injury. That makes me a little weary of laying a full field goal, especially against a stout defense like Pittsburgh's that features T.J. Watt. There's also a revenge narrative here for the Steelers offense, which is being run by former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Whether it's Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, I can see the Steelers -- who were 5-4- ATS on the road in 2023 -- keeping this within the number.
