Steelers rankings Week 1
Steelers rankings Week 1
For the first time in a couple of decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a new identity. The 2026 version of the team is different from top to bottom, and Mike McCarthy hopes the Steelers start on the right foot against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1.
It’s a game McCarthy sees as a step towards establishing his football team’s identity. It’s also one where he says he doesn’t care too much about the opponent.
“Really locking in how we need to play the game,” McCarthy said Monday via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “I really don’t care about the other team right now. We need to get our things set, and get the direction clear of how we wanna play the game. And I think our guys are doing a good job with that, as far as the first steps in that direction.”
Compared to some of the other teams the Steelers will face later in the season, the Falcons aren’t a brutal opening day matchup. But the Steelers will need to be strong at certain things.
First and foremost, they must stop the run. Atlanta has an extremely dangerous ground game with running backs Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. McCarthy is a big fan of his defensive line and called it one of the deepest groups he’s ever coached. That unit will be under the microscope and will need to perform well with the secondary running a little thin.
Offensively, McCarthy is more than comfortable with Aaron Rodgers. The rest of the unit is the concern. The receiving corps is still working to get on the same page with Rodgers. And there were questions about the offensive line during the preseason. If those groups can’t sort themselves out, the offense may start the season a little slow.
Week 1 is a tricky time to prepare for an opponent. Teams don’t have meaningful film from the season yet, and there are a whole lot of new faces in new places taking the field for the first time. McCarthy hopes his Steelers can find their identity in Week 1 against Atlanta.