Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers Matchup

Check out our free Steelers vs Falcons pick and preview for this NFL week 1 game in Atlanta. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this week 1 regular season matchup.

The Falcons are the favorite in their week one matchup against the Steelers, with the game set to kick off at 1:00 ET on Sunday, September 8th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. FOX is handling the television coverage of this non-conference matchup, with the Falcons favored by -3 on the point spread and their money line sitting at -154. The Steelers' money line odds are +129, and the over/under line is 42 points.

Steelers vs. Falcons Matchup At A Glance

  • Sport: NFL
  • Teams: Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
  • Where: Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
  • Date: Sunday, September 8th
  • Betting Odds ATL -3, PIT +129 | ATL -154 O/U 42

Steelers Preview:

The Steelers, who finished 10-7 last season, were 3rd in the AFC North with a 5-1 record within their division. They were 7th in the AFC and advanced to the Wild Card round of the playoffs, where they lost 31-17 to the Bills. Pittsburgh was 8-6 against teams with winning records and 2-2 against teams with losing records. Their over/under record was 7-11, with their games averaging 37.6 points per game.

Against the spread, the Steelers were 10-8, including a 5-4 mark both at home and on the road. When favored, they went 4-3 ATS, and when they were underdogs, they went 6-5 ATS. Their games ranked 30th in the league in average combined scoring.

Steelers Offense Breakdown

With an average of 187.8 passing yards per game, the Steelers were 25th in the league last season. They also struggled to score, averaging only 17.8 points per game, which ranked 28th. Overall, their offense was 25th in the league, with 305.4 total yards per game, and 30.3 passing attempts per game, which was 26th in the NFL.

Despite their struggles, the Steelers were 11th in rushing yards, averaging 117.6 yards per game on the ground, and they were 9th in rushing attempts per game. On third down, Pittsburgh converted 36.6% of their chances, and they were 5th in the league in the percentage of first downs that came from rushing plays.

Steelers Team Defense

Despite finishing 21st in yards allowed, the Steelers' defense was the 6th best unit in the league last season, based on their performance metrics. They were tough against the run, giving up the 3rd fewest rushing touchdowns and ranking 8th in rushing yards per attempt. Pittsburgh's secondary also performed well, allowing the 7th fewest passing touchdowns.

For the season, the Steelers allowed 19.7 points per game, ranking 8th in the league. They also forced 27 takeaways and had the 2nd best turnover differential in the NFL. Pittsburgh's pass rush generated the 8th most sacks last season.

Falcons Preview:

The Steelers, who finished 10-7 last season, were 3rd in the AFC North with a 5-1 record within their division. They were 7th in the AFC and advanced to the Wild Card round of the playoffs, where they lost 31-17 to the Bills. Pittsburgh was 8-6 against teams with winning records and 2-2 against teams with losing records. Their over/under record was 7-11, with their games averaging 37.6 points per game.

Against the spread, the Steelers were 10-8, including a 5-4 mark both at home and on the road. When favored, they went 4-3 ATS, and when they were underdogs, they went 6-5 ATS. Their games ranked 30th in the league in average combined scoring.

Falcons Offense Breakdown

Atlanta's home/road splits were interesting last season, as they went 5-3 at home and just 2-7 on the road. The Falcons finished the 2023 season with a 7-10 record, going 3-3 within the NFC South. They struggled against teams they should have beaten, going only 2-6 against below .500 teams, but performed better against stronger opponents, going 5-4 against teams with winning records.

Despite their losing record, the Falcons were 5-6 when favored and 2-4 as the underdog. Their over/under record was 7-10, with their games averaging a combined 40.8 points per game. Against the spread, the Falcons were only 5-12, going 3-8 ATS as favorites and 2-4 ATS as underdogs.

Falcons Team Defense

Atlanta's defense forced 16 takeaways last season, putting them right in the middle of the pack. Despite this, they were 13th in sacks and 14th in quarterback hits. The Falcons' defense was 10th in the league based on power rankings, giving up 21.9 points per game, which was 17th in the NFL.

The Falcons were 10th in the NFL in yards allowed, giving up 321.1 yards per game. They were tough to score on in the red zone, allowing a 45.3% red zone scoring percentage, the 4th best mark in the league. Atlanta also excelled on third downs, holding offenses to a 33.8% conversion rate.

Steelers vs Falcons Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

  • When looking at their past five road matchups, Pittsburgh has an ATS record of 3-2 while averaging 18 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
  • Across the Falcons last five home games, the team averaged 15 points per game while allowing 25. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 1-4, while going 1-4 straight-up.
  • Going back to their last five games as the underdog, the Steelers have a straight up record of 2-3. But, their mark vs the spread was just 2-3.
  • Looking back on the team's last three games as the favorite, the Falcons have a straight up record of 1-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 1-2.

Steelers vs Falcons Free Pick

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