Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons Week 1 Preview: Best Bet, Odds, and Prediction
Falcons Aim to Kick Off Strong as Steelers Look to Challenge in Week 1 Showdown
Dan Karpuc - Aug 29, 2024, 9:18am EDT
Week 1 Matchup Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons
Date: September 8, 2024, 1:00 PM ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
BetMGM Odds: Falcons -155, Falcons -3, O/U 42
As the NFL season kicks off, the Pittsburgh Steelers travel south to face the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 1 matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons, looking to build on their promising offseason, are slight favorites with BetMGM setting the odds at Falcons -155 and a spread of -3. The Steelers, known for their gritty defense and evolving offense, will be eager to start the season strong on the road. With the over/under set at 42, this game is expected to be a tightly contested, lower-scoring affair. In this article, we’ll explore the best bets, odds, and predictions for this intriguing Week 1 clash.
My Best Bet: Steelers +3
To be clear, this bet is more about my belief in Mike Tomlin and less about my confidence in Pittsburgh’s offense under Russell Wilson and/or Justin Fields. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have gone 13-3 ATS against NFC South opponents and 55-36 ATS as an underdog. We know that Pittsburgh’s defense is going to play with the grit and tenacity we’re used to seeing from them after they finished sixth in scoring last year despite numerous major injuries they had to navigate. T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and crew should make things difficult on Kirk Cousins and Atlanta’s offense. Keeping control of the football will be of utmost importance for Wilson; since 2022, the Steelers have gone 17-4 SU when not throwing an interception.
While Atlanta’s offense should be much better under Cousins with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts all ready to produce, I have major question marks about the Falcons defense (specifically their ability to get pressure on Wilson with no proven pass-rushers) and head coach Raheem Morris, who is entering his first year at the helm of this roster. I’m going to consider Pittsburgh’s moneyline, but I’ll gladly grab them at +3 for some extra safety.
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