Report: Pittsburgh Steelers to open NFL season at Atlanta Falcons

As he settles in as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith will reportedly head into familiar territory right away. According to WSB-TV’s Zach Klein, the Steelers will head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in the season opener.

Smith spent the last three years as the Falcons’ head coach, amassing a 21-30 record before his firing after the 2023 season. He then latched on with the Steelers, where he’ll now work with a quarterback room of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields after some major moves this offseason.

According to Klein, Smith won’t have to wait long to return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Smith spoke about his tenure in Atlanta after taking over in Pittsburgh earlier this offseason, pointing out the need to build the roster from scratch during his time at the helm.

“It was a unique situation, essentially rebuilding a team” Smith said, via Falcon Report’s Daniel Flick. “There were some good lessons learned. It was a tough lesson, but it’ll help me here, especially with some of the young players here that we have, and how you fit the offense and try to play to those guys’ strengths.”

Pittsburgh and Atlanta both made major moves at the quarterback position this offseason. Wilson is coming in as the expected starter for the Steelers this year with Fields as his backup while the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a lucrative contract and selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Raheem Morris is now at the helm for Atlanta, as well.

Chiefs, Ravens to kick off 2024 NFL season

The full NFL schedule is set to be revealed Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET, but some games have already been announced. That includes the first game of the year, which will see the two-time defending champions in a rematch of the 2023 AFC Championship.

The Super Bowl LVIII-winning Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Baltimore Ravens in a highly anticipated matchup to start the year. The 2024 NFL season begins on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC.

Baltimore 1-3 against the Chiefs with quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes under center. Last time the Chiefs and Ravens were face-to-face, Kansas City won 17-10 and advanced to the championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report.