The Raheem Morris era begins for the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As luck would have it (or the wily NFL schedulers), the Falcons’ last coach is also coming to town. Arthur Smith, who coached the Falcons to three forgettable seasons, is the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There’s a lot of news for both teams and that raises a lot of questions in Week 1, including about quarterbacks and play callers.

The Falcons have been consistent favorites by 3.5 to 4.0 points all week, despite questions about whether Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will play. Bettors don’t seem to think it will make much of a difference whether he or Justin Fields is at the helm for Smith.

There’s no question who will start at quarterback for the Falcons, with Kirk Cousins ​​making his debut for Atlanta on Sunday.

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ESPN enlisted a trio of employees to make a prediction for each game. Analytics writer Seth Walder, fantasy analyst Eric Moody and senior NFL writer Kayln Kahler were unanimous in their prediction of a Falcons victory.

Kahler’s choice: Falcons 20, Steelers 12
Moody’s Choice: Falcons 24, Steelers 21
Walder’s choice: Falcons 19, Steelers 16

The Falcons are 15-2-1 against the Steelers in 18 previous games. This is a new beginning for the Falcons, however, with new expectations for 2024.

There’s been surprisingly little talk about the quarterbacks who have dominated the conversation in both Atlanta and Pittsburgh over the past six months. However, ESPN points out that Russell Wilson (and Justin Fields, for that matter) could be exactly what a revamped Falcons’ pass rush needs.

“If the Falcons’ anemic pass rush, bolstered by the acquisition of edge rusher Matthew Judon, is going to break out, there may be no better opportunity than Week 1,” wrote Mark Raimondi. “Steelers QB Russell Wilson has been sacked more than any other signal-caller in the league since he was drafted in 2012 (527), and Pittsburgh has been dealing with injuries on its offensive line. Judon will need help from Arnold Ebiketie (six sacks in 2023) for a team that ranked last in pass rush win rate in 2023 (30.9%).”

Wilson has 100 sacks in 30 games for the Denver Broncos, and Justin Fields has 99 sacks in 28 games over the last two seasons in Chicago.

The Steelers’ personnel dictate a heavy dose of the run, which suits Smith perfectly. A healthy Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata in the middle of the Falcons’ defensive line will be crucial.

The Falcons haven’t always been the favorites, but this is the right time to overtake the Steelers.

Atlanta 20, Pittsburgh 13