The Atlanta Falcons will begin their 2026 season on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, thus beginning a new era under head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham.

While it’s not a divisional matchup or a clash with an NFC contender, this should be an instructive matchup and tell us a lot about where the Falcons are and potentially where they’re going.

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Carter Bahns at CBS Sports has ranked every Week 1 game on the schedule, and Atlanta-Pittsburgh came in at No. 12 on the list.

“The signal-caller situation in Atlanta makes this a must-follow game, regardless. It is a true battle between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa. A strong season opener for either would go a long way toward job security from that perspective.”

Aaron Rodgers has since re-signed with the Steelers and yesterday announced that this will be his last season, making this the beginning of his farewell tour around the NFL.

At this point in his career Rodgers is far from the elite, all-time great talent he was at his peak – but he was good enough in 2025 to land Pittsburgh in the playoffs despite not having a ton to work with at the skill positions. DK Metcalf is now the Steelers’ top receiver but they got rid of George Pickens, making Michael Pittman their new WR2. The monstrous Darnell Washington is their top tight end.

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The Steelers have long been defined by their ferocious defensive front-seven and that will be no different this year. The group is still headlined by long-time veteran Cameron Heyward and former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt. Alex Highsmith actually led the team in sacks last year, though – adding another formidable threat up front.

The Falcons will be tested most in the trenches, where they have replaced right tackle Kaleb McGary with Jawaan Taylor but otherwise have the same starting five offensive linemen as last year. Keeping either Tua Tagovailoa or Michael Penix clean in the pocket may be the most-critical element for success in this matchup.

That said, this offense runs through superstar running back Bijan Robinson – and how much the Steelers can slow him down will also play a huge role in deciding the outcome.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: CBS Sports ranks Falcons-Steelers clash outside top 10 games in Week 1