The Atlanta Falcons did not look competitive on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Not every scoreboard is an accurate reflection of how the game transpired, but this 24-0 final definitely felt like a representation of what we just witnessed.
And it started early on, with a third-and-five explosive-play conversion from QB Kenny Pickett to WR Diontae Johnson getting things started. Another explosive pass play to WR George Pickens later on the drive sealed the deal. Then a good punt return for WR Calvin Austin III on the next drive set up another touchdown.
It may not have felt fair with the Steelers playing their starters against the Falcons’ second- and third-stringers, but head coach Arthur Smith wasn’t interested in sympathy. He knows they did not put themselves in a position to be competitive, and the results were unsurprising.
“You come out, get into a third down, they hit a go route. They come back, hit another one on the sideline. That’s a recipe”, he told reporters after the game, via transcript provided by the team’s media department. “You give up two explosives, negative plays, give up a punt return, it’s a recipe for disaster no matter who’s out there”.
The Falcons were not alone this preseason in being on the wrong end of the Steelers’ offense. Pickett connected on explosive-play touchdowns with Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth in the first two games. RB Jaylen Warren broke off a 62-yard touchdown run a week ago.
“Those are tough lessons to learn. You want to evaluate, embrace those opportunities”, Smith said in speaking about the resolve of his roster. “Certainly, nobody wants to ever lose. But you got to keep the big picture in perspective”.
What they could not do was turn the tide, at least until the second half. While they were kept off the scoreboard, Pittsburgh did not move the ball nearly as well once their starters exited. The second-string offensive line also struggled more, allowing some sacks and other drive-killing moments.
If the Falcons were using this finale to evaluate their end-of-roster guys, one wonders how useful they will find the tape. Maybe it can be used to figure out who is not making the team. There were some standout performances, or at least some better than others, but when you don’t look competitive, you want to turn the page.
“We faced some adversity there in the beginning, but give credit to Pittsburgh”, QB Logan Whiteside said after the game. Kind of shot ourselves in the foot earlier in a few drives – the pre-snap penalties and that’s just something you can’t do against a really good defense no matter who’s in for them. Coach Tomlin does a great job at getting them ready to go each week, so it was a tough task for sure”.
With the exhibition round in the rearview mirror, the question now is what recipes offensive coordinator Matt Canada and the offense can cook up for their future opponents in the games that actually matter. This was an imbalanced contest from the start, so even though the Steelers very much did what they should have been able to do, it only goes so far in what it says about this roster.
