The Steelers present a fairly unique challenge and opportunity for our Falcons. The challenge comes from a talented group of pass rushers up front—one of the most talented they’ve faced this year, if not the most talented—and a secondary that has punished mistakes by picking off passes all year long, not to mention yet another quality run defense. The opportunity comes from extremely poor coverage, the kind that could lead to the big, broken explosive plays that have fueled so much of Atlanta’s limited success through the air.
There are some big picture questions that need to be answered—can this passing attack lift out of the muck enough to punish Pittsburgh’s weakness, and can a line that has rarely been seriously challenged hold up as well as they did against Washington?