Steelers vs Falcons: Steelers Wire staff picks

Steelers Wire staff make their picks for this week’s game.

It’s finally time to see the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off the regular season. This week the Steelers travel to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in a reunion with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to the team he used to coach. This is one of those games where neither side knows what to expect from the other.

Our staff decided to make their picks for this week’s game and you can see the whole thing below as we call for a sweep of the Falcons this week.

The Steelers understand how important it is to get off to a fast start. So much will depend on the quarterback position and since we don’t know who will actually start for Pittsburgh, it muddies the waters even more. The Steelers defense is so good and we just don’t know what we will get with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. I expect the Steelers defense to attack Cousins and keep him off balance, making life easier on the Steelers offense. Pittsburgh pulls off the close win thanks to the foot of kicker Chris Boswell. Steelers 20, Falcons 17 – Curt Popejoy, Managing Editor

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Predicting the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first week of the season is tough. With a new quarterback and coordinator, no one knows what this offense will look like. Though Falcons safeties Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons will make life harder on the passing game, I think Russell Wilson won’t commit turnovers and manage the game well enough to pull out a win. The defense will do what it does best and keep Kirk Cousins and Company under wraps. The Steelers will start the season 1-0 in a fairly low-scoring game Steelers 13, Falcons 10 – Allison Kohler, Contributor

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Steelers’ offense will prove that its struggles in the preseason were the building blocks needed to vastly improve from last year’s offensive woes, ultimately resulting in a satisfying victory over Atlanta. Steelers 31, Falcons 17 – Andrew Vasquez, Contributor

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Steelers vs Falcons: Pittsburgh 3-point underdog to Atlanta to open season

The Steelers open the season as road underdogs.

After what has been a long and tumultuous offseason, it’s finally game week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh kicks off the regular season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons in a showdown between new Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and the team he used to coach.

The Steelers have turned over a huge chunk of the roster this offseason in hopes of getting the team’s first playoff win since 2016. A key to a successful season for the Steelers is a fast start.

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BetMGM has the odds for this week’s game and the Falcons are currently three-point home favorites over the Steelers. Atlanta made a huge addition this offseason adding free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins and they hope he is the missing piece on offense.

The Steelers focused on offense this offseason as well with three new quarterbacks but most pundits have serious concerns if adding guys like Russell Wilson and Justin Fields is going to make this team better.

2022 was the last time the Steelers and Falcons squared off, Pittsburgh won 19-16 thanks to four Matthew Wright field goals.

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What’s new about the Chiefs in 2022?

What is new about the Cardinals Week 1 opponent since last season?

The Arizona Cardinals open the 2022 season against one of the most dominant teams of the past few years — the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since these two teams last met in 2018, the Chiefs have made the postseason every year, highlighted by a Super Bowl ring (two appearances) and two conference championship appearances.

Last season, they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. Following the loss, general manager Brett Veach opted to move on from some of their star veterans in favor of a youth movement.

Kansas City traded superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a draft haul last March. Hill was the most explosive playmaker in the AFC for the past few seasons but was dealt away amidst contract negotiations.

Hill’s speed was such a mismatch for almost any defense the Chiefs played. The threat of Mahomes’ arm with Hill’s speed opened up the intermediate passing attack for Travis Kelce. That threat is no longer there.

Hill isn’t the only Pro-Bowler to leave the Chiefs. The team parted ways with former Cardinals standout safety Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger had been a team captain and one of the primary reasons for their defensive turnaround, paving the way for their two Super Bowl appearances.

With Hill and Mathieu being the biggest losses, they weren’t the only ones. The Chiefs parted ways with numerous veterans since last January.

Chiefs’ key offseason losses

  • WR Tyreek Hill
  • S Tyrann Mathieu
  • CB Charvarius Ward
  • WR Demarcus Robinson
  • OLB Melvin Ingram
  • ILB Anthony Hitchens

Chiefs’ key offseason additions

  • WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
  • WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
  • S Justin Reid
  • CB Trent McDuffie
  • EDGE George Karlaftis
  • WR Skyy Moore

The biggest name at wideout to replace the traded Hill is, of course, Smith-Schuster. JuJu had a dominant season with Pittsburgh in 2018 but struggled to repeat that same level of success afterward.

Defensively, Justin Reid is a solid player but isn’t the same caliber as Mathieu. First-round rookies George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie are both very promising and will have large roles early on.

All in all, the Chiefs will be a force as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. The team did lose a number of key contributors, and it is their first game without them.

If the Cardinals are going to win this game, they’ll need to capitalize on those losses.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Philadelphia Eagles will meet the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 of NFL action from Bank of America Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Philadelphia Eagles will meet the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 of NFL action from Bank of America Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles are in desperate need of a win after losing 42-30 to Kansas City and will look to Jalen Hurtz to help them bounce back. As for the Panthers, they are coming off a 36-28 loss to the Cowboys and will look to bounce back.

This will be a great Sunday of NFL ball, here is everything you need to know to stream the action on Sunday afternoon.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers

  • When: Sunday, October 10
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 11:20 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers (-2.5)

O/U: 46.5

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

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All of LeBron James’ tweets about Week One in the NFL

See what LeBron James had to say after a busy opening Sunday in the NFL.

Opening Sunday in the NFL is in the books after a busy Week One.

After three weeks of preseason action, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys kicking things off on Thursday night, most of the teams started off on their potential journey Sunday to the Super Bowl.

With the NBA still in offseason mode until Oct. 3, when the Los Angeles Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets in the preseason opener, players still have the time to catch games and watch the football athletes compete.

That was the case for Lakers star LeBron James, who has personal rooting interests with the Cowboys and the Cleveland Browns.

James had much to say throughout the NFL day, so here are all of his tweets, in order, about Sunday’s opening day:

Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Chicago Bears will meet the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football from the brand new SoFi Stadium in LA.

The Chicago Bears will meet the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football from the brand new SoFi Stadium in LA.

The Bears are coming off an 8-8 season and will be looking to improve that year over year under Matt Nagy, they will be starting Andy Dalton tonight as opposed to Justin Fields. As for the Rams, they finished 10-6 but picked up Matthew Stafford in the offseason to help them get to the next level and have seen some promise this preseason.

This will be a great game on SNF, here is everything you need to know to stream the NFL action tonight.

Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams

  • When: Sunday, September 12
  • Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: NBC
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams (-8.5)

O/U: 46.5

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Cleveland Browns will meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from Arrowhead Stadium.

The Cleveland Browns will meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from Arrowhead Stadium.

The Browns are coming off one of their best years this decade going 11-5 under Kevin Stefanski, they are looking to make the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time since 1988. As for the Chiefs, they had another great year but ended up falling in the Super Bowl. Kansas City’s goals don’t change much year over year but they will be looking for the Super Bowl again under Patrick Mahomes.

This will be a great Sunday of NFL football, here is everything you need to know to stream the NFL action today.

Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs

  • When: Sunday, September 12
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Cleveland Browns vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-5.5)

O/U: 54.5

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Green Bay Packers will meet the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.

The Green Bay Packers will meet the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.

The Packers will look to make a push this season to make the Super Bowl, they have lost four of their last seven NFC title games and will look to Aaron Rodgers to get them to the next level. Meanwhile, the Saints are coming off their fifth straight NFC South title and will look to improve their 12-4 record a year ago.

This will be a great game, here is everything you need to know to stream the action on Sunday afternoon.

Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints

  • When: Sunday, September 12
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 11:00 a.m. ET.

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) vs. New Orleans Saints

O/U: 49.5

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Denver Broncos vs. New York Giants live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Denver Broncos will meet the New York Giants in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from MetLife Stadium.

The Denver Broncos will meet the New York Giants in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from MetLife Stadium.

The Broncos are coming off a 5-11 season and will have much higher expectations than years past after adding Teddy Bridgewater as their QB1. As for the Giants, they finished 6-10 and will get Saquon Barkley back this season as they look to improve year over year.

This will be a great Sunday of football, here is everything you need to know to stream the action on Sunday afternoon.

Denver Broncos vs. New York Giants

  • When: Sunday, September 12
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 9:00 a.m. ET.

Denver Broncos (-2.5) vs. New York Giants

O/U: 53

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots live stream, TV channel, start time, odds, how to watch the NFL

The Miami Dolphins will meet the New England Patriots in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from Gillette Stadium.

The Miami Dolphins will meet the New England Patriots in Week 1 NFL action on Sunday afternoon from Gillette Stadium.

The Dolphins are coming off a 10-6 record under Brian Flores last year and they had some signs that they are getting better in a tough AFC East division. As for the Patriots, they will start their new quarterback from Alabama, Mac Jones and he looked great in the preseason. Will Tua or Mac come out of this game on top?

This will be a great Sunday of NFL football, here is everything you need to know to stream the NFL action today.

Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

  • When: Sunday, September 12
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

How to watch the NFL this season

fuboTV has complete local NFL coverage (CBS, FOX, ESPN), plus NFL Network and NFL Network Redzone. FuboTV includes every network you need to watch every NFL game in your market.
fuboTV is available on your phone, tablet, desktop, TV, connected TV Devices including Roku. Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV plus many more.
*Regional Restrictions Apply*

NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 11:45 a.m. ET.

Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots (-3.5)

O/U: 43.5

Want some action on the NFL? Place your legal sports bets on this game or others in CO, IN, NJ, and WV.

We recommend interesting sports viewing/streaming and betting opportunities. If you sign up for a service by clicking one of the links, we may earn a referral fee.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.