Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers, Week 1 2026

Falcons vs Steelers opens the 2026 season with two first year head coaches, one settled quarterback decision and one long rehab. Atlanta named Tua Tagovailoa its Week 1 starter on Monday, September 7. Michael Penix Jr. will be inactive at Acrisure Stadium.

Falcons vs Steelers starts at 1:00 PM ET on Sunday, September 13. Leave this page open during the game and the numbers keep themselves current: live score, game leaders, box scores, play by play with the game flow chart, and team statistics all refresh on their own.

Below you will find the broadcast details, the quarterback news out of Atlanta, the pass rush injuries that shape Falcons vs Steelers, and what is happening around the stadium on game morning.

Falcons vs Steelers Start Time, TV Channel and Live Stream

FOX carries Falcons vs Steelers in the early Sunday window. Pittsburgh is on Eastern time, so 1:00 PM ET is the local kickoff as well. Early windows are split by market, so confirm your FOX affiliate is showing this game rather than another. Out of market viewers need NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube.

Tua Tagovailoa Starts and Penix Jr. Sits

Atlanta closed its quarterback competition on Monday. Tagovailoa starts. Cooper Rush is the backup. Penix, the eighth overall pick two drafts ago, will be inactive.

Penix tore his ACL in November 2025 and has spent ten months rebuilding the knee. He says he is close, but not all the way back. "I want to be stronger. I want to be able to go out there and give the team 100%, and if I don't feel like I can do that, I don't want to," he said.

Kevin Stefanski refused to look past Sunday. "I'm gonna really stay in Week 1 right now and Pittsburgh and not speculate past that," the Falcons head coach said. Read that plainly: Tagovailoa has the job for Falcons vs Steelers and nothing further has been promised.

Atlanta Opens Without Its Two Best Edge Rushers

The Falcons lost both young pass rushers before the season started. Jalon Walker tore an ACL in practice on August 6 and is out for the year. James Pearce Jr. is serving an eight game suspension for violating the NFL personal conduct policy, effective August 30, with reinstatement due on November 2.

Za'Darius Smith and Samson Ebukam inherit the starting jobs. That pair combined for three and a half sacks in 2025. Brandon Dorlus, who posted eight and a half sacks last season, and Zach Harrison give defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich his rotation.

The timing matters on the other sideline. Aaron Rodgers turns 43 in December and confirmed in May that 2026 is his final season, closing a 22 year career. A thin Atlanta rush is the clearest reason Pittsburgh should feel calm about protecting him in the opener.

Falcons vs Steelers: Eight Quarterbacks on Two Rosters

Both clubs kept four quarterbacks on their initial 53 man rosters. Two teams doing that in the same game is unusual.

Pittsburgh carries Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar. Atlanta carries Tagovailoa, Penix, Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand. Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham put the logic simply on September 2: "The more reps, the more evaluations we can get, the better, right."

Both sidelines are new too. Mike McCarthy coaches his first game in Pittsburgh after nineteen seasons of Mike Tomlin. Stefanski coaches his first in Atlanta. Falcons vs Steelers is the rare opener where both rosters are still learning their own head coach.

Rosters keep moving all week. Practice squad elevations land on Saturday and inactives post ninety minutes before kickoff, so the field will not match today's depth charts. Track both clubs on the Falcons and Steelers pages, watch the first NFL standings of the year take shape, and see the rest of the week on the 2026 NFL schedule.

Ring Tour Weekend at Acrisure Stadium

The opener closes Pittsburgh's Kickoff Week. Six oversized replicas of the club's Super Bowl rings have toured the city since September 7, one neighborhood per day, each paired with a mural panel that fans painted themselves. Schenley Plaza in Oakland held Super Bowl XIII. Point State Park held XIV. The Duquesne Incline overlook held XLIII, with complimentary rides on Saturday afternoon.

All six rings arrive at the stadium on game day, where the finished twenty four foot mural is unveiled. The club published the full 2026 Kickoff Week schedule. If you are attending Falcons vs Steelers, gates open at 11:00 AM ET, which leaves time to see it before kickoff.

Falcons vs Steelers FAQ

Falcons vs Steelers hands both head coaches their first Sunday and hands Tua Tagovailoa his first start in Atlanta. Pittsburgh reports a healthy roster. Atlanta does not. Come back at kickoff for inactives and the live score.

Last updated: September 9, 2026