Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers places Jawaan Taylor under immediate stress. When T.J. Watt aligns wide, he will attack Taylor’s inside shoulder before threatening the corner with speed. The teams kick off Sunday, September 13, at 1 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium, according to the NFL’s official 2026 schedule. By then, Atlanta must choose between Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback.
Both throw left-handed. That makes Taylor, Atlanta’s new right tackle, the blind-side protector against Pittsburgh’s deepest defensive position. Watt headlines the threat, but Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig prevent Atlanta from designing one protection around one rusher.
Pittsburgh can shift alignments, overload Taylor’s side or isolate him by walking an inside linebacker toward the opposite A-gap. Atlanta allowed fewer sacks than Pittsburgh last season. Yet that surface-level advantage disappears once the available pass rushers enter the calculation.
The Falcons must block Pittsburgh’s full rotation. Aaron Rodgers will face an Atlanta defense missing Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., who combined for 16 sacks last year. For Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers, that personnel imbalance gives Pittsburgh the early pass-protection edge.
The Numbers Favor Atlanta Until the Matchups Arrive
Atlanta surrendered 26 sacks on 545 pass attempts last season. Official Falcons statistics list that as the fourth-lowest total in the NFL.
Pittsburgh allowed 31 sacks on 550 attempts, according to the Steelers’ official team database. Rodgers took 29 of those sacks during his 16 starts. Those figures come from standard NFL game statistics. They record sacks against the quarterback and team, but they do not assign individual responsibility to a blocker.
Pro Football Focus handles that second layer through its proprietary charting and grading system. PFF charged former Falcons right tackle Elijah Wilkinson with surrendering seven sacks in 2025. It also gave Chris Lindstrom an 88.4 grade and assigned him one sack allowed.
That distinction matters. Official totals show that Atlanta protected its quarterbacks well as a unit. PFF’s individual charting identifies where the line experienced trouble. Pittsburgh’s defensive numbers create the larger warning. The Steelers recorded 48 sacks last season, while their four primary outside linebackers combined for 25.
Highsmith led the group with 9.5 sacks in 13 games. Herbig added 7.5, giving Pittsburgh a third edge defender who can attack either tackle. Watt finished with seven sacks across 14 appearances. However, that total hardly measures his influence on protection calls, chip assignments and quarterback launch points.
Mike McCarthy can rotate those rushers throughout the afternoon without giving Atlanta’s tackles a breather. Patrick Graham can also move them before the snap, forcing the Falcons to identify the matchup after the defensive front shifts. Peel back the baseline stats, and Atlanta’s paper advantage quickly crumbles.
The 2024 Opener Left Atlanta a Clear Warning
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers carries recent history. Pittsburgh won the teams’ 2024 opener 18-10 despite failing to score an offensive touchdown. Chris Boswell supplied all 18 points through six field goals. Watt and the Steelers’ front controlled everything between those kicks.
The official game book credited Pittsburgh with two sacks of Kirk Cousins. That modest total failed to capture Watt’s complete impact. During the second quarter, Watt beat the right edge and stripped Cousins near Pittsburgh’s red zone. An offsides penalty erased the turnover. Later, another flag wiped away a Watt strip sack during the third quarter. Neither play entered the official sack total. Both forced Atlanta to tighten its passing plan.
Watt also recovered a loose ball after a botched snap. Finally, he ended Atlanta’s last possession with a sack as Cousins tried to build a desperate 28-second drive. Pittsburgh disrupted the play’s timing without always receiving box-score credit. Atlanta scored once, threw two interceptions and produced nothing after halftime.
The personnel has changed since that afternoon. Kevin Stefanski now coaches Atlanta, while McCarthy leads Pittsburgh. Penix and Tagovailoa have replaced Cousins in the quarterback conversation. Watt remains the central problem.
Jawaan Taylor’s Footwork Faces an Immediate Examination
Taylor replaces Wilkinson after starting all 111 regular-season games he played for Jacksonville and Kansas City. Atlanta acquired him after Kaleb McGary retired in April. The Falcons did not receive a full summer of work from their intended starter. Taylor managed an injury during the spring and opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Atlanta activated him in August, but coaches continued monitoring his workload. That shortened preparation matters because pass protection depends on synchronized landmarks between tackle, guard and quarterback.
Taylor’s kick-slide depth will face an immediate test against Watt’s cross-chop. If Taylor oversets toward the sideline, Watt can plant and spin across his face. A shallow set creates another problem. Watt can convert speed into power, extend his inside arm and drive Taylor back toward the quarterback’s launch point.
Taylor also needs to adjust his timing to a left-handed passer. Penix and Tagovailoa naturally open and escape in different directions than a right-handed quarterback, changing the tackle’s recovery angle. Beside him, Lindstrom gives Atlanta an elite stabilizer. PFF charged the four-time Pro Bowler with one sack across 1,086 snaps last season.
Still, Lindstrom cannot chase Watt outside without exposing the B-gap. Taylor must handle the initial width, keep his shoulders square and avoid crossing his feet when Watt counters inside. When Watt dips his shoulder, half a step may separate a 20-yard completion from a loose ball on the turf.
Pittsburgh Can Force Atlanta to Declare Its Help
Atlanta can protect Taylor with tight-end chips, running-back scans and condensed formations. Each answer carries a cost. Sending Bijan Robinson toward Watt delays the running back’s release into the route. Keeping a tight end attached removes another receiver from the initial progression.
Pittsburgh can respond by placing Highsmith opposite Watt. Sliding the line toward one edge then creates an isolated matchup on the other. Herbig complicates the count further. Graham can place all three edge rushers on the field, then drop one into coverage after Atlanta declares its protection.
That design forces the quarterback and center Ryan Neuzil to solve the pressure together. A late adjustment could leave Robinson blocking a linebacker inside while Watt gets Taylor alone outside.
Pittsburgh does not need to blitz frequently under those conditions. Four rushers can threaten five blockers, allowing seven defenders to squeeze passing lanes around Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Bijan Robinson Can Keep Watt From Attacking Freely
Robinson gives Atlanta its best protection tool without functioning as a permanent sixth blocker. Official Falcons statistics credit him with 1,478 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards last season. His ability to threaten either sideline forces edge defenders to respect their run responsibilities.
Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees have installed more under-center concepts this summer. From that alignment, Atlanta can pair wide-zone action with bootlegs and intermediate crossing routes.
Watt cannot immediately chase the quarterback if Robinson threatens his outside shoulder. One undisciplined step can open a cutback lane behind Lindstrom and Taylor. Atlanta should also use quick screens and swing passes to punish aggressive rush angles. Getting Robinson the ball outside makes Watt stop, redirect and tackle in space.
Play-action offers another answer, but it demands time. Longer-developing concepts can ask Taylor to hold the edge for close to three seconds after the quarterback turns his back to the defense. That window becomes dangerous if Atlanta falls behind the chains. Pittsburgh can ignore the run fake on third-and-9 and attack the set point.
The Falcons therefore need productive first-down carries more than empty rushing volume. Second-and-5 keeps the entire call sheet open. Second-and-12 lets Pittsburgh release its edge rotation.
The Protection Test Flips When Pittsburgh Takes Possession
While Atlanta tries to contain outside pressure, Pittsburgh faces a different problem. The Steelers must control Atlanta’s interior movement and identify blitzers without the benefit of facing its full defensive front. Atlanta recorded a franchise-record 57 sacks in 2025. Official Falcons statistics credited Pearce with 10.5 and Walker with 5.5. Those two will not play in Week 1.
The Falcons announced that Walker tore his ACL during an August 6 practice. In a separate official team update, Atlanta confirmed that the NFL suspended Pearce for eight games under the Personal Conduct Policy. Those absences remove Atlanta’s two fastest edge threats. They also make defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich more dependent on veteran replacements and designed pressure.
Atlanta signed three-time Pro Bowler Za’Darius Smith after Walker’s injury and Pearce’s suspension. Smith brings 70.5 career sacks, but he joined the team in mid-August and initially worked only in individual drills.
Brandon Dorlus presents the most established returning threat after recording 8.5 sacks last season. Azeez Ojulari, Samson Ebukam and Cam Thomas will also receive opportunities from the edge. Pittsburgh cannot ignore that group. Yet none offers the same proven 2025 combination of burst and production that Pearce and Walker provided.
That contrast creates the defining protection imbalance in Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers. Atlanta faces Watt, Highsmith and Herbig. Pittsburgh faces a rotation rebuilt less than four weeks before kickoff.
Aaron Rodgers Can Solve Pressure Before the Snap
Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season, according to official Steelers statistics. His protection begins with recognition rather than mobility. Before the snap, Rodgers can use cadence to expose a blitzer or force a defender to show his assignment. He can then reset the protection or replace the pressure with a quick throw.
Center Zach Frazier plays the second half of that exchange. Frazier told the Steelers’ official site that a full season beside Rodgers improved their shared language and communication. Atlanta must therefore disguise pressure without creating confusion in its own coverage. Ulbrich can threaten the A-gaps with linebackers, then rush a defensive back from the edge.
Interior movement offers another route. Dorlus can slant across a guard’s face while a linebacker loops behind him, forcing Frazier and Mason McCormick to exchange assignments in a tight space.
Pittsburgh can protect its right side with Darnell Washington. At 6-foot-7 and 264 pounds, Washington essentially functions as an extra tackle in six-blocker formations. His presence allows Pittsburgh to chip an edge rusher before releasing Jaylen Warren into the flat. Washington can also stay attached and give Rodgers a firmer launch point for deeper throws to Michael Pittman Jr.
Rodgers does not need a perfectly clean pocket. He needs a clear picture and enough room to complete his throwing motion. Without Pearce and Walker, Atlanta may struggle to change that picture quickly enough.
The First Three Drives Will Expose the Real Edge
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers should reveal its protection balance before halftime. Taylor’s first few pass sets will show whether Atlanta trusts him alone against Watt. Frequent chips from Robinson or a tight end would signal immediate concern.
Watch Taylor’s initial step. If he opens too quickly, Watt will attack inside. If he stays square for too long, Pittsburgh’s best rusher can race around the corner. Atlanta must also track how Graham deploys Highsmith and Herbig. A three-edge package could force Stefanski to abandon five-man protections before the Falcons establish their passing rhythm.
On Pittsburgh’s possessions, Rodgers’ cadence will test Ulbrich’s disguises. If Atlanta shows its pressure too early, Rodgers can redirect the protection and throw into the vacated area.
The Falcons’ best route to control starts with Robinson. Successful early-down runs would slow Pittsburgh’s edge rush and preserve play-action. Quick throws can then keep Watt from building momentum against Taylor.
Pittsburgh’s route looks cleaner. Protect the interior, use Washington to reinforce uncertain tackle matchups and make Atlanta’s replacement rushers win one-on-one. Atlanta allowed five fewer sacks last season and returns four established starters. Yet Pittsburgh counters with better edge health and a quarterback who solves pressure before the snap. That gives the Steelers the pass-protection advantage entering Week 1.
For Atlanta to overturn it, Taylor must survive Watt without constant help. If he cannot, Pittsburgh will dictate Atlanta’s formations, shrink its route combinations and turn one reconstructed position into the game’s deciding matchup.
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FAQ’s
Why is Jawaan Taylor’s matchup against T.J. Watt critical in Week 1?
Left-handed quarterbacks put Taylor on the blind side. Watt will attack Taylor’s inside shoulder and edge speed all afternoon.
Who is competing for the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback job?
Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa are competing for the starting quarterback spot. Both passers throw left-handed.
Why is Atlanta’s pass rush shorthanded against Pittsburgh?
Atlanta will play without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Walker suffered an ACL tear and the league suspended Pearce.
How did the 2024 Falcons vs. Steelers game end?
Pittsburgh won 18-10 using six Chris Boswell field goals. T.J. Watt constantly disrupted Atlanta’s offense despite penalty wipes.
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