Wrapping up the Preseason: Steelers vs. Falcons
ATLANTA, GA DECEMBER 04: Pittsburgh safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39) and linebacker T.J. Watt (90) congratulate defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (97) after a defensive stop during the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons on December 4th, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Steelers are heading to Atlanta for one last preseason game against the Falcons before we prepare for the regular season. Mike Tomlin held a press conference Tuesday to discuss what we can expect to see in our game this week.
After putting up two very strong showings in all three phases of football in the first two games, there was some speculation that many of the starters will not be playing this week.
Mike Tomlin put that notion to rest fairly early in his press conference, saying: “those that are healthy are scheduled to play.”
There are fans that will love this and others that will hate it. However, Coach expanded on that by saying “...by no means am I guaranteeing that everyone plays. Really, it’s our ability to see what it is that we need to see before we move on.”
He tiptoed expertly around the specifics of who would play and to what extent, as a great coach does. With that being said, one thing seems to be clear: he wants to provide an opportunity for a lot of the guys who have worked their tails off throughout training camp to get some in-game reps before we trim the roster down from 90 players to 53. So, it’s reasonable to expect that first team reps are going to be limited at best.
One battle that I’ll be keeping my eyes on during our final preseason game is the battle for the slot corner spot between Elijah Riley and Chandon Sullivan. Riley had a nice interception in the red zone during last week's game against the Bills. Tomlin praised him following yesterday’s practice, saying that he has taken steps forward both on defense and special teams. It’ll be interesting to see if that trend will continue against the Falcons.
“I’m just interested in continual ‘arrow pointed up’ individually and collectively.” was Tomlin’s response when he was asked if he was looking for anything specific in our final game. Elijah Riley and Chandon Sullivan are two guys that should be taking those words very seriously, especially considering that Patrick Peterson has been getting occasional snaps at slot corner.
Another thing I'll be keeping my eyes on Thursday will be the division of labor at RB. Anthony McFarland fell off a cliff last week after a solid performance in our first preseason game. Jaylen Warren made the most of his only carry last week against the Bills, taking it 62 yards to the house. This caused some overemotional takes from Steelers fans on social media, questioning whether Najee Harris should expect to take a back seat to Jaylen Warren this season. I love Jaylen Warren, but I’m not one of those fans. There’s no need to pit these two against each other. They have completely different styles of playing the position, and I think they’ll both find a tremendous amount of success this year, because of how they compliment each other.
The Steelers are 4.5 point favorites for Thursday’s game with the total (over/under) at 28.5 points. With the amount of first team reps in question, it’s probably best to leave this game alone for bettors. The Steelers offense has been incredible to watch this preseason, but the Falcons defense has been playing stout. On the flip side, the Falcons offense hasn’t been able to do much, while the Steelers defense has been struggling to keep teams from moving the ball down field, bailing themselves out with splash plays.
I’ve been screwed twice already this preseason taking the under, but I’m going to do it yet again. With both teams trying to complete roster cuts, I’m not expecting either group to put forth varsity-like performances. The Steelers are just, simply deeper, so I like them to cover the spread.
Go Steelers!
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