Gregg Rosenthal: Falcons Will Hang 42 On Steelers With Tua Tagovailoa In Big Blowout

The Pittsburgh Steelers now know what the 2026 season is going to look like since the NFL announced the schedules for each team for the regular season on Thursday night. The schedule features four primetime games for the Steelers along with two additional standalone games, including the league's first ever game in Paris, France. However, Pittsburgh will open the season up by hosting the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. The Steelers are favored as of right now in this game, but that can shift easily with how far away the start of the season actually is. Pittsburgh still has no confirmation of who the team's starting quarterback will be.

Atlanta has a new look as the team signed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa during the 2026 offseason and also hired Kevin Stefanski to be the franchise's new head coach. Stefanski is very familiar with the Steelers from his time with the Cleveland Browns, and he was always considered one of the league's better offensive coaches despite the lack of success that was had during his time in Cleveland. The Falcons also have Michael Penix Jr. as a quarterback, but he is recovering from a knee injury and there is a chance he won't be available for Week 1.

Popular NFL personality Gregg Rosenthal hosts the podcast NFL Daily, and he was breaking down what might happen in this game. Granted, a lot can change between now and the start of the regular season, but he believes there is potential for the Steelers to get completely embarrassed.

"I think Tua Tagovailoa comes out Week 1 in Pittsburgh, it's not like it's the craziest upset ever, but him and Stefanski take it back to Mike McDaniel and Tua. They don't get to 70, but they get to like 42. And it's just, they're playing this quick-strike offense, the Steelers look old."

Tagovailoa has become a bit of a laughing stock in recent years, but he has had good performances as a starting quarterback. There was a time where the combination of him and former head coach Mike McDaniel looked unstoppable during their time with the Miami Dolphins. One of those instances was back during the 2023 season when they beat the Denver Broncos by a score of 70-20. 

Tagovailoa threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns during that game, but he hasn't really had a performance like that since. He will have plenty of weapons surrounding him on offense with the Falcons. This includes arguably the best running back in the NFL in Bijan Robinson, along with one of the league's best wide receivers in Drake London. Kyle Pitts is also a tight end that can be hard to cover and is incredibly versatile, and that could cause some issues for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh does have to worry about having an older defense. The unit severely underperformed in 2025, but hopefully the coaching staff being different will help fix the issues that were present. This won't be an easy game for the Steelers to win, but getting blown out by the Falcons would certainly be a surprise. Denver also turned the ball over three times during that blowout back in 2023, and avoiding turning the ball over is something the Steelers have excelled at as of late.

Steelers And Falcons Each Have QB Drama Going On

Pittsburgh is going through the same saga with Aaron Rodgers that the team went through during the 2025 offseason, but the Falcons also do not know who their starter is going to be in 2026. Tagovailoa was signed to a one-year deal, but Penix is back on the field throwing. It is unclear if he will be available by the time the season starts, but if his health improves, a full on quarterback battle is expected during training camp. 

There are a lot of uncertainties about this game, and that is expected as it is four months away, but this prediction is pretty off the walls from Rosenthal.

What do you think of this prediction from Rosenthal? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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