Sometimes Week 1 can be a bit funny in the NFL. For example, last year the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots on the road to open the season. Yet, the Raiders finished the year 3-14, while the Patriots went to the Super Bowl. To open their own season in 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers are set to host the Atlanta Falcons.
A game which might not go well for Pittsburgh, in the eyes of Gregg Rosenthal. On his NFL Daily podcast, Rosenthal had a segment in which he and his co-hosts tried to predict fluky Week 1 results, which wouldn’t be indicative of the full season. He thought the Falcons could explode offensively in a win over Pittsburgh.
“I think Tua Tagovailoa, comes out Week 1 in Pittsburgh, it’s not like it’s the craziest upset ever, but him and Stefanski take it back to [Mike] McDaniel and Tua. They don’t get to 70 [points], but they get to like 42. And it’s just, they’re playing this quick-strike offense, the Steelers look old,” Rosenthal said.
For what it’s worth, Rosenthal does expect the Steelers to have a good season overall. A couple of weeks ago, he figured they’d go over their projected win total of 8.5.
But could a performance like this from Tagovailoa and the Falcons really be on the books for the Steelers? First, he’d have to win the starting role. Atlanta also has Michael Penix Jr. in the building, who they drafted eighth overall just a couple of years ago. Granted, they probably don’t bring Tagovailoa in if they felt that secure in Penix. And Penix is recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in November, so the Falcons may want to ease him back anyways.
The last time Tagovailoa played in Pittsburgh, it wasn’t pretty. With Miami’s season on the line last December, he looked bad in a freezing-cold game, one the Steelers dominated. That helped to eventually spell the end of his Dolphins’ career.
That said, maybe Week 1 is different. It’s going to be a lot warmer when Tagovailoa takes the field in September, weather he typically performs much better in. There’s also some solid talent around Atlanta’s roster. They have a star wide receiver in Drake London, and another high-end player in the backfield in Bijan Robinson. There certainly is some talent to work with, and the Steelers were not impressive defensively in 2025. Pittsburgh added to that unit, but Rosenthal’s prediction would count on those new faces needing time to jell.
Ultimately, the Steelers need to get off to a strong start in 2026. A Week 1 thrashing from the Falcons would certainly not be the start the Steelers are hoping for. But, while it won’t be indicative of the whole season, Rosenthal does think it’s a possibility.
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