Falcons vs Steelers Predictions: Low-scoring affair on the cards

The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday evening (18:00), live on Sky Sports Action as both teams begin their respective 2024/25 campaigns.

After a tumultuous 2023/24 campaign, the Falcons have made many changes to both their playing roster and coaching staff, while the Steelers look to navigate a tough opening couple of fixtures. Read on for my Falcons vs Steelers prediction, as well as the latest team news and match odds.

NFL Odds

Team News

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has said that tight end Kyle Pitts and linebacker Nate Landman were limited in practice on Wednesday, but the former isn't expected to miss out here as he's dealing with a hamstring issue.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, are dealing with a lengthy injury list as rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson (ankle), offensive lineman Troy Fautanu (knee) and running back Jaylen Warren (hamstring) were also limited on Wednesday.

Guard Isaac Seumalo (pectoral) did not practice and has been ruled out for Sunday's encounter.

Falcons vs Steelers Odds

The Falcons are 8/15 - or a 65.2% chance - on the moneyline,  while the Steelers are 6/4 to begin the new season with a win.

The spread is currently set at 3.5, with the Falcons 20/21 to overcome the deficit, and it's 20/23 for the Steelers with the same point head start.

Bijan Robinson is the favourite to score the first touchdown of the match at 9/2, and he also tops the market for the Falcons anytime scorer at 20/21.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+3.5) @ 20/23

Pittsburgh's defense was a huge factor in them securing the seventh seed in the AFC play-offs last season as their offensive output was one of the worst to date in the Mike Tomlin era.

Now they've added Russell Wilson to the starting quarterback spot and while he may be past his best, I fancy him to lead the Steelers to cover the spread here.

The Falcons have brought in a new head coach in Morris, and an aging quarterback themselves in Kirk Cousins, and I don't really know what to expect from this new-look Atlanta offence. Cousins is also coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, and facing an elite Pittsburgh pass rush defence is probably not the way he wanted to return to the football field.

The Steelers' defence will be key here. and is the main reason in me backing them to cover the spread.

Under 42.5 total points @ 20/23

As mentioned, I think the Steelers' defence will be a key component in this game, and with not knowing what to expect from the Falcon's offence, I think this will be a low-scoring affair.

Wilson and Cousins are both making their debuts for their new teams, and there's a lot of new faces on both teams, so a bit of a learning curve is to be expected.

This match will be a measuring stick for both teams so I can both sides opting for a cautious approach.

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