The Atlanta Falcons will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 1 home opener this Sunday. After an eventful offseason of new big-name additions, the most critical individual to their team’s success will take the football field in a meaningful contest for the first time since October 29th of last year.

A season-ending Achilles injury ended Kirk Cousins’s season and his five-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the 36-year-old is at the helm of not only the Falcons offense but organization as well. 

As one of four team captains, Cousins’s expectations should be high yet tempered, because he has not seen ‘full speed’ NFL action in 11 months following a severe injury. In his debut, he will not have a straightforward ‘welcome back.’  Here are three reasonable expectations for Atlanta’s new star. 

Kirk Cousins may initially look ‘rusty’ against a defense looking to rebound after a disappointing 2023 season. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been known to field some of football’s best defenses. Last year, they had an underwhelming season as both a pass and rush defense. However, with defensive stars in Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Patrick Queen, and T.J. Watt, the Black and Gold’s defense is poised to leap back to top ten status as they were in years prior.

With Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin bringing back eight of 11 defensive starters from last season, the unit already has chemistry.

Contrarily, for Captain Kirk, it could take a few possessions for him to get into a rhythm on offense with his new teammates. Before his injury last season, the former Minnesota Viking was lethal when finding his ‘rhythm.’

However, putting the game out of reach may not take a lot once he gets going.

Expect Cousins to be aggressive against a relatively unproven cornerback group.

Without a doubt, Atlanta’s opposition possesses a better defense than offense. However the strength of that defense lies in the front seven. Of the five cornerbacks on their roster, only Donte Jackson has more than two years of NFL experience.

Standout receiving threats in Darnell Mooney, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, and his new quarterback will look to isolate Pittsburgh boundary corners. It remains to be seen who his security blanket will be, but his star-tight end seems to provide many options. 

Should the home team’s new signal caller be able to exploit this group early, it will put pressure on former head coach Arthur Smith and a Steelers offense that has lacked an identity since the Ben Roethlisberger days. 

Cousins’s stat line may not win fantasy matchups, but it should be efficient.

With running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in the backfield, no one should expect the team to rely solely on his arm to win the game. While some quarterbacks will attempt 50-plus passes in certain games, that should not be the expectation in Cousins’s debut. Moreover, expect between 20 and 30 attempts, with him potentially throwing two touchdowns against a talented veteran defense.

Above all, the Falcons should see a glimpse of the best quarterback play since Matt Ryan’s days.