5 things to know about the Falcons: Kirk Cousins is the headline attraction, but watch out for new defensive additions

Adam Bittner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers will travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons in their season opener Sunday. Here are five things to know about the NFC South foe.

Kirk Cousins is the man behind center ... for now — The Falcons tried and failed to find their guy to replace Matt Ryan as the face of the franchise during the coaching tenure of Arthur Smith — now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator — from 2021 to 2023. Names including Marcus Mariota, whom Smith had worked with as OC in Tennessee, and NFL draft pick Desmond Ridder did not work out. So enter Cousins, the grizzled veteran who led the Minnesota Vikings to a division title in 2022 but who’s spent much of the past year recovering from a torn Achilles. Is he the same guy who passed for 4,547 yards two years ago? Will his game naturally start to slip at age 36? Those are the questions he’ll face with pressure behind him on the depth chart in the form of rookie Michael Penix Jr., who guided Washington to a national runner-up finish in college a year ago. It was a pick that surprised many people around the industry who expected him to go as late as the second round of this past draft. But nonetheless, Penix enters with the experience to play quickly as a 24-year-old with six college seasons under his belt, so it will be interesting to see the dynamic between the two players unfold.

Bijan Robinson is a growing threat on the ground — The former eighth overall pick was never fully unlocked as a rookie a year ago as he split backfield carries with Tyler Allgeier in Smith’s offense. He averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per carry but totaled just shy of 1,000 yards at 976. New coach Raheem Morris is promising heavier usage under new OC Zac Robinson, so Robinson presents a stern early test of Steelers general manager Omar Khan’s rebuilt linebacker corps. They also can’t forget about Allgeier in short-yardage situations. Though he was less efficient than Robinson a year ago at 3.7 yards per carry, he totaled 39 first downs on just 186 carries.

Ditto Drake London in the passing game — The third-year receiver actually has a lot in common with top Steelers receiver George Pickens. Both are former high draft choices. Both are believed to have boundless potential as No. 1s in their respective offenses. But neither has really proven it in two NFL seasons. London has yet to go over 1,000 yards and has just six total touchdowns — two in 2023 — through the air. Like Pickens, there isn’t a lot of proven production behind London in the receiving room. KhaDarel Hodge, Darnell Mooney, Casey Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud III are Cousins’ other options following a season-ending injury to Rondale Moore. And like Pickens, London plays alongside a talented but seemingly underutilized tight end in for form of Kyle Pitts. Throw in veteran quarterbacks trying to find their way with both teams — Russell Wilson is the Pittsburgh version of Cousins in this case — and Sunday could prove to be a battle of which receiver plays their similar hand better.

Matthew Judon is here, suddenly — The veteran pass rusher joined the fray late, coming over from New England on Aug. 14 in exchange for a third-round draft pick. He brings a playmaking background that this Falcons pass rush has otherwise lacked. He had 12.5 sacks in 2021, then 15.5 in 2022 before an injury slowed him down to four a year ago. The Falcons, meanwhile, have not had anyone produce a double-digit sack total since Vic Beasley posted 15.5 all the way back in 2016. Watch to see how quickly Judon can fit into this defense and begin to make life tough on Wilson.

So is Justin Simmons — The safety formerly from Denver made the Pro Bowl a year ago and figures to make this secondary a lot more dangerous. He’s produced at least three interceptions in each of his last six seasons and also has five forced fumbles on his ledger in the last two years. He joins a defensive back line that already included another Pro Bowler, Jessie Bates III, who led the team in tackles a year ago with 132 while picking off six passes and forcing three fumbles of his own. Wilson will need to be wary with that duo lurking.