Falcons Shut Out vs. Steelers in Preseason Finale

The Pittsburgh Steelers were too much for the Atlanta Falcons in the preseason finale.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 24, 2023

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Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons (1-1-1) are riding into the season on a sour note after a 24-0 shutout at home Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0).

The Steelers opted to play their starters, while the Falcons sat theirs, making a quick mismatch out of the gate.

Pittsburgh scored quickly on its first two possessions, taking a 14-0 lead within the first seven minutes of the game.

Atlanta's Taylor Heinicke was unable to get much going and finished without any yards on his opening drive. Projected third-string quarterback Logan Woodside, in his final opportunity to prove he deserves a spot on the 53-man roster, went 24 of 31 for 196 yards.

Another player who shined for the Falcons was receiver Keilahn Harris, who caught six passes for 71 yards, leading the team.

Ultimately, tonight was about filling out the latter third of the roster and practice squad and shouldn't hold much weight to what the Falcons will do in the season.

However, Smith's choice to sit his starters does flex some confidence within the team's stars who will be laying it on the line week in and week out.

The Falcons' season opener is set for Sunday, Sept. 10 against the NFC South rival Carolina Panthers. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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Published Aug 24, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.