Steelers Closely Watching As Week 1 Opponent Falcons Dealing With Several Big Issues

The Pittsburgh Steelers are full steam ahead with 2026 training camp beginning on Wednesday. It is an exciting time, but not just for the team in the Steel City. The AFC North has seen a plethora of changes, particularly because Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals is the only returning head coach. That doesn't mean, however, that the division will be able to escape one of the leaders who used to roam the sideline for one of the organizations. Kevin Stefanski moved on to the Atlanta Falcons after his firing and it just so happens that he NFC South and AFC North are paired up in 2026.

The Steelers couldn't escape Stefanski for very long. He is first on the docket for the 2026 campaign as the two franchises will face off in Week 1 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. This will be the second time in three years that the two teams go head-to-head on the NFL's opening weekend. A lot has changed for both rosters and coaching staffs since the new hires were put into place.

Stefaksi is dealing with an issue that Mike McCarthy currently is not, however. There is a lot of quarterback uncertainty that the Falcons are up against entering camp. It was expected that Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr. and Trevor Siemian would be the three signal-callers in the room, but that quickly changed on Wednesday morning after some news was reported.

For starters, Siemian will no longer be on the roster. He was never going to win the starting job, but he is a veteran with experience that will no longer be around to help with game planning. On top of that, a whole host of players landed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which spells trouble all around for Stefanski and his goals.

Just when it could not possibly get worse for Atlanta, Penix is also not even cleared to fully work in just yet. The young passer tore his ACL toward the end of the 2025 season.

Essentially, it was believed that the Falcons would only have one somewhat reliable quarterback healthy with training camp beginning. Instead, Tagovailoa was also added to the injury mix, prompting Atlanta to sign Cooper Rush.

It's safe to say that Stefanski has a lot of problems to work through, and the Steelers currently have the upper hand as far as Week 1 goes because Aaron Rodgers seems ready to roll.

Pittsburgh has 17 regular-season games, but the first one becomes the most important until it is over. This news coming from Atlanta is worth noting because training camps and preseason games are meant for everyone getting on the same page. With injuries all over the place, including to the top-two signal-callers, things just got so much harder for the Falcons.

Steelers Are Focused On Staying Healthy Throughout Training Camp

Pittsburgh will be doing things a little bit differently in 2026. McCarthy has already stated that there will be no live tackling during training camp. Whether this is an effort to keep guys healthy or simply not tiring out a veteran group too early, the Steelers are trying to stay away from what the Falcons are currently going through. Exhibition contests could always lead to unfortunate injuries coming to the surface, but, for now, Stefanski and co. are already in an extremely tough spot.

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