Steelers GameDay Cheat Sheet: Week 1 vs. the Atlanta Falcons

Steelers GameDay Cheat Sheet is a weekly series featuring a quick glance at the upcoming Steelers game, including odds, records, things to watch for, and how to watch/listen to the game.

Atlanta Falcons (0-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0)

The Mike McCarthy era officially begins Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers open the 2026 regular season at home against the Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh enters a new season with plenty of changes on both sides of the football, but also with Aaron Rodgers returning at quarterback and several new additions surrounding him on offense.

Atlanta arrives in Pittsburgh with changes of its own. Former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski takes over the Falcons, while Tua Tagovailoa gets the Week 1 start at quarterback. He’ll have one of the NFL’s most dangerous all-around running backs behind him in Bijan Robinson, who finished last season with 2,298 yards from scrimmage.

This preview breaks down the key stats and notes for Sunday’s season opener, along with where you can watch and listen to the game.

Series History

• All-Time: Steelers lead, 16-2-1 — Last: Steelers Win, 18-10 (Sept. 8, 2024)
• Home: Steelers lead, 7-0-1 — Last: Steelers Win, 41-17 (Oct. 7, 2018)
• Away: Steelers lead, 9-2 — Last: Steelers Win, 18-10 (Sept. 8, 2024)

Series Notes

• Sunday’s game will mark the 20th regular-season meeting between Pittsburgh and Atlanta.
• The Steelers own a 14-game advantage in the regular-season series (16-2-1).
• Sunday’s game will be the ninth regular-season meeting between the two teams in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers are 7-0-1 against Atlanta.
• This will be the third meeting between the Steelers and Falcons on Kickoff Weekend.
• Pittsburgh has won both previous Week 1 matchups against Atlanta, in 2010 and 2024.
• The Steelers have won five straight games against the Falcons dating back to 2010.
• Pittsburgh’s .853 regular-season winning percentage against Atlanta is its second-highest against any NFL opponent since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

The Coaches

Steelers – Mike McCarthy

• At Franchise: 0-0 (1st season)
• Overall: 174-112-2 (18 seasons)
• vs. Falcons: 5-5

Falcons – Kevin Stefanski

• At Franchise: 0-0 (1st season)
• Overall: 45-56 (7 seasons)
• vs. Steelers: 5-7

Gameday Information

• Date: Sunday, September 13th, 2026
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• Location: Acrisure Stadium | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Surface: Natural Grass
• Capacity: 68,400
• TV: FOX | Locally WPGH-TV
  Joe Davis (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (analysis), Pam Oliver (field reporter)
• Steelers Audio Network: 102.5 WDVE-FM (Pittsburgh) & 970 WBGG-AM (Pittsburgh) plus affiliates (see below)
  Rob King (play-by-play), Max Starks (analysis), Missi Matthews (field reporter)
• Satellite Radio:
  • 🎧 Steelers: Sirius 113, XM/SXM 198, Internet 826
  • 🎧 Falcons: Sirius 132, XM/SXM 267, Internet 801
• Referee: Brad Rogers
• Vegas: Steelers -3.5 | Over/Under: 41.5

SCU Pregame and Postgame Shows

View the videos below on YouTube or visit our podcast page to find it on all popular audio platforms.

A new era of Steelers football begins against the Falcons

The wait is finally over! The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off the 2026 season at home against the Atlanta Falcons, marking Mike McCarthy’s first regular-season game as Steelers head coach.

Joe and Brian preview Sunday’s matchup, including Atlanta’s quarterback situation, questions at right tackle for both teams, and what to expect from Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s new-look offense. They also discuss Joey Porter Jr.’s status, the challenge of containing Bijan Robinson, key matchups that could swing the game, and wrap things up with their Week 1 predictions.

The Steel City Underground Podcast can be found on:

SCU Steelers News & Notes

Game Stats and Notes

Team Rankings

Rankings based on 2025 regular-season statistics.

Team Leaders

Steelers Leaders (2025)

• Aaron Rodgers: 327/498, 3,322 yards, 24 TDs
• DK Metcalf: 59 receptions, 850 yards, 6 TDs
• Jaylen Warren: 211 rushes, 958 yards, 6 TDs

Falcons Leaders (2025)

• Tua Tagovailoa (Miami): 260/384, 2,660 yards, 20 TDs
• Kyle Pitts: 88 receptions, 928 yards, 5 TDs
• Bijan Robinson: 287 rushes, 1,478 yards, 7 TDs

Steelers Notes

• QB Aaron Rodgers enters the season ranked fourth in NFL history with 527 touchdown passes and fifth in completions (5,696) and passing yards (66,274). Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns last season.
• RB Jaylen Warren led Pittsburgh with a career-high 1,291 scrimmage yards in 2025, including 958 rushing yards, and scored a career-high eight scrimmage touchdowns.
• WR DK Metcalf led the Steelers with 850 receiving yards and six touchdown catches last season. Metcalf has caught a touchdown in each of his four career games against Atlanta.
• WR Michael Pittman Jr. can make his Steelers debut after catching 80 passes for 784 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns with Indianapolis last season.
• RB Rico Dowdle can make his Steelers debut after rushing for 1,076 yards in 2025, his second consecutive 1,000-yard season.
• LB T.J. Watt enters his 10th NFL season with 115 career sacks. Since entering the league in 2017, Watt leads all players with 36 forced fumbles and ranks second in sacks and tackles for loss.
• LB Alex Highsmith led Pittsburgh with 9.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season.
• CB Joey Porter Jr. led the Steelers with a career-high 14 passes defensed in 2025.

Falcons Notes

• QB Tua Tagovailoa can make his Atlanta debut after throwing for 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns with Miami last season. He has thrown for at least 250 yards and a touchdown in each of his past two games against Pittsburgh.
• RB Bijan Robinson rushed for 1,478 yards in 2025 and finished with 2,298 yards from scrimmage. His 79 receptions ranked second among NFL running backs.
• WR Drake London caught 68 passes for 919 yards and seven touchdowns last season and has recorded at least 850 receiving yards in each of his first four NFL seasons.
• TE Kyle Pitts set career highs with 88 receptions and five touchdowns last season while finishing second among NFL tight ends with 928 receiving yards.
• S Xavier Watts tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions as a rookie in 2025.
• S Jessie Bates finished last season with 98 tackles and has recorded at least three interceptions in seven of his first eight NFL seasons.

Steelers Broadcasts

Steelers TV Coverage

This week’s game will be broadcast regionally on FOX.

Regional broadcast image courtesy of 506sports.com – Steelers coverage in RED.

Be sure to check back here weekly as we publish which areas of the United States will carry the game over traditional, over-the-air (OTA) antenna signals. If you do not have the ability to receive these channels locally, Steelers games are also available in-market via Steelers.com or applicable streaming services. You may also be able to watch games by subscribing to NFL Sunday Ticket (on YouTube TV) or watching on delay via NFL+.

Steelers Local Broadcast Affiliates

• WPGH (FOX/53 – Pittsburgh)

Weekday Games

• Thursday Night Football games are exclusive to Amazon Prime.
• Sunday Night Football games are nationally on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
• Monday Night Football games are exclusive to ESPN with some simulcasts on ABC.
• A small amount of games, such as international or holiday games, may be exclusive to other platforms.

Steelers Radio Coverage

For those who enjoy listening to the game on radio, you can hear Steelers games on the following terrestrial stations, as well as on the Steelers website and app (in-market only) and nationwide with specific SiriusXM radio packages.

Flagship Stations

• WDVE-FM (102.5)
• WBGG-AM (970)

Pennsylvania Affiliates

• Altoona-WVAM (1430)
• Altoona-WRKY (104.9)
• Beaver Falls-WBVP (1230)
• Beaver Falls-WMBA (1460)
• Bedford-WBVE (107.5)
• Butler-WISR (680)
• Chambersburg-WCHA (800)
• Clarendon-WKNB (104.3)
• Clarion-WCCR (92.7)
• Cooperstown-WUUZ (107.7)
• DuBois-WIFT (102.1)
• DuBois-WKFT (101.3)
• Erie-WRKT (104.9)
• Johnstown-WNTJ (1490)
• Johnstown-WRKW (99.1)
• Latrobe-WCNS (1480)
• Milton-WVLY (100.9)
• Saegertown-WUZZ (94.3)
• Somerset-WNTI (990)
• Starview-WONN (92.7)
• State College-WQWK (1450)
• Uniontown-WMBS (590)
• Washington-WJPA (1450)
• Williamsport-WCXR (99.3)
• Williamsport-WZXR (103.7)

Maryland Affiliates

• Cumberland-WRQE (106.1)
• Hagerstown-WHAG (1410)

Ohio Affiliates

• Fremont-WOHF (92.1)
• Marietta-WJAW (630)
• Youngstown-WNIO (1390)

Virginia Affiliates

West Virginia Affiliates

• Fairmont-WRLF (94.3)
• Fairmont-WMMN (920)
• New Martinsville-WXCR (92.3)

2026 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule

Note: All times Eastern. Schedule subject to change due to flexible scheduling.

Statistics and game information courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers and/or National Football League.