I don’t have to sell you on how critical this game is for the Falcons or the Steelers. Both teams are in danger of falling into a deep hole in a competitive division, with the Falcons possibly getting in so deep that they’ll effectively be out of the playoffs before the season is even half over. They won’t be mathematically eliminated, of course, but they’ll be in a situation where they need to go 8-3 or better just to sniff the postseason.
This week’s opponent is another in a series of games against teams with good offenses and subpar defenses, matchups the Falcons have not been able to exploit to this point.