The Pittsburgh Steelers start the season with a perfect opportunity to go 1-0 under new head coach Mike McCarthy. The team gets a rare home Week to start the season and will face an Atlanta Falcons team with backup quarterback Cooper Rush getting the start. If Pittsburgh is going to get this quick win, here are the keys to victory.
Get off to a fast start on offense
The legacy of Mike Tomlin when he was head coach were slow starts on offense. The best way to Pittsburgh to neutralize Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson is to keep the pressure on with the offense and force Atlanta to throw the football to keep pace.
Make Cooper Rush's life a nightmare
We cannot wait to see how new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham deploys his three elite edge rushers to torment Cooper Rush when he tries to throw the football.
We expect to see T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig sliding around the formation and making life miserable for the Falcons offensive line.
Clean football in all phases
The Steelers are going to have to knock some rust off with so many starters not playing in the preseason but it is important they play clean football. No silly penalties and avoid turnovers. The worst thing they can do with a team like the Falcons is give them hope with short fields.
Account for Bijan Robinson in the passing game
The best player on the field on Sunday is going to be Falcons running back Bijan Robinson but it is his value as a receiver out of the backfield the Steelers defense has to account for. His skills as a pass catcher are elite and he could be the best friend of Rush as a last-minute starter.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers vs Falcons: 4 keys to victory for Pittsburgh in Week One
