The 2010 NFL season kicks off this week, and I am going to take a look at the upcoming matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Falcons surprised everyone by making the playoffs in 2008, but were unable to match that success in 2009, as they finished second in the NFC South at 9-7 and were not one of the six teams to make the postseason.

The Steelers had an even bigger drop-off in 2009, as they won the Super Bowl in 2008, but failed to make the postseason in 2009 and finished third in the AFC North at 9-7.

Looking at the NFL odds for this game, the Falcons come in two-and-a-half-point favorites over the Steelers, with the total currently sitting at 37.5 points.

As you already know, the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to start the 2010 season without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games of the season, and while it might not seem like much, how they do without Roethlisberger will likely determine if they make it back to the postseason or not.

Dennis Dixon has been named the starter for the first four games of the season in place of Roethlisberger, and while he figures to be solid, the Steelers won’t ask him to do a whole lot besides manage the game. That means we could see a big start to the season for running back Rashard Mendenhall, as the Steelers have expressed their interest in returning to a power running team in 2010.

With the offense without their key player at quarterback, the defense is going to have to be dominant for the Steelers to start the season.

The Steelers spent much of 2009 without their star safety Troy Polamalu, and there was no question that the defense missed his presence on the field. With Polamalu back healthy for the 2010 season, I look for the Steelers defense to return to the form that won them the Super Bowl in 2008.

The Falcons are a scary team out of the NFC this season, as not too many people are giving them a whole lot of credit with the Saints coming out of their division to win the Super Bowl in 2009.

I believe this is the season that quarterback Matt Ryan takes that next step and emerges into one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

Atlanta was hit hard with injuries in 2009, and if they can stay healthy I believe they have a great shot at not only making the postseason, but winning the NFC South. The key to the Falcons will be getting running back Michael Turner back into the form of his 2008 season, where he ran for 1,699 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Looking at the Odds

 I like the Steelers to cover the spread in the season opener against the Falcons. This is still a very good football team without Roethlisberger in the lineup, and I think the defense is going to be the reason they still are in the mix when Big Ben returns.

My prediction for this game is Pittsburgh, 20, Atlanta, 17.

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