Per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, the Steelers starters, with the exception of a “few veteran stars,” will play “about three series tonight.”
On offense, we know James Daniels, Nate Herbig and Kevin Dotson weren’t in uniform. Defensively, the wording sounds like Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, along with Patrick Peterson and Minkah Fitzpatrick, may be held out, but we won’t know for sure until 7:30.
But Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris and most of Pittsburgh’s offense will gear up for three series and look to build off the momentum they’ve had up to this point. The Pittsburgh offense has scored touchdowns in all three series they’ve played up to this point, with one coming in the first game and two in the team’s second win against the Buffalo Bills. The first-team defense has also yet to give up a point thus far in the preseason.
Wolfe’s wording doesn’t guarantee that the unit will play three series, and there’s a chance that if the team looks good enough, they could get pulled a little bit early. The key tonight is going to be avoiding injuries ahead of the regular season.
While the Falcons won’t be playing their starters, it will still be a good test for Pittsburgh against live competition. If the Steelers can sustain their offensive success against Atlanta, it will be a good sign heading into the season opener against the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10.
