Steelers' Week 1 Opponent Matthew Judon Believes Pittsburgh's Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith Gives Atlanta An Advantage

The Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff their 2024 regular season by starting on the road to play the Atlanta Falcons. Pittsburgh's offense has been dreadful in recent years, so they decided to hire Arthur Smith, a proven offensive play-caller. Smith spent the last three seasons as Atlanta's head coach, which brings an interesting element to the table for the Week 1 matchup. Does Smith help the Steelers prepare better for the Falcons, or is Atlanta ready for what Smith has planned for them?

Both Pittsburgh and Atlanta made some significant changes throughout the 2024 offseason. The Steelers have three new quarterbacks, and at least one of them will make their debut in the black and gold down south. For Atlanta, the signing of Kirk Cousins in free agency was the biggest move, but the organizaton also recently acquired two defensive stars in Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon. 

Judon took the stage in a recent press conference to discuss the upcoming game against the Steelers. There, he gave his flowers to Pittsburgh's Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and acknowledged it'll be a physical day. Judon proceeded by explaining that the Falcons are prepared and ready to face off against both of the Steelers' quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Judon hinted that their defense is ready for whatever Smith has planned for the Steelers' offense. 

"Since it's Week 1, we only have what they put out in preseason," Judon told reporters. "Which we all know that's not the real plays. There's gonna be foils and folds. I think Mike [Tomlin] said you gotta expect Fields to play. So we gotta practice for that, but then you also have to practice for Russ [Wilson] and what he's good at. It's a lot of research that you've got on them, especially because the OC came from here."

Smith has completely changed the design of the Steelers' offense, which makes it tough to some degree for the Falcons to strategize. On the flip side, Atlanta is extremely familiar with how Smith likes to run offenses, which is dominating in the rush attack. 

It's going to be tough for both squads to game plan for Week 1. Teams are still trying to find their identities. The Steelers know what they want their identity to be, but it's going to come down to execution under Smith. It's anybody's guess as to which team has the advantage when it comes to Smith facing off against his former team.

Will The Steelers Find Their Identity On Offense Early On In 2024?

In the last couple of seasons, the Steelers' offense, especially the run game, seemed to have started off extremely slow. As they would get deeper into the season, running backs Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren would start to get going. That cannot happen again for another season, and the two of them need to start off on the right note. Without a top-notch running game, the Pittsburgh offense won't be able to do anything. For that reason, it's crucial that Smith and the offense find their identity early, and preferably in Week 1. 

Unfortunately for Harris and Warren, the offensive line is a little banged up with injuries. If the running game is non-existent early in the season, then that could be a huge reason as to why. Luckily, the Falcons run defense isn't anything to worry about besides Judon. If the offense can find its rhythm early in the season, then this team should be in store for a good year. Along with them, the defense is expecting to have a dominant season under TJ Watt and the rest. 

Do you think Harris and Warren will be able to start off hot in 2024? Or will it take some time under a new system to get going? Let us know in the comments below and give us your predictions for Steelers versus Falcons.

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