Thursday night’s preseason finale was ugly for the Falcons, as the Steelers jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and extended it to 24-0 before halftime. But Falcons coach Arthur Smith says he got to see what he wanted to see.
Smith noted that the Steelers were playing their starters while the Falcons were playing players on the roster bubble, and Smith said he wanted to see how those players would compete against high-quality NFL opponents.
“Everybody’s got to do what they think’s best for their own team and where they’re at,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of ways to look at it. Those young guys, guys that are out there fighting for roster spots, you should want to play against guys that we know are going to play at a high level on Sunday. Every team is different in where they’re at and you’ve got to make decisions for what you think is best to get yourself ready for Week One and evaluate where you’re at.”
Not many of those players on the Falcons’ roster bubble performed well against the Steelers’ starters, as the Falcons got steamrolled while the Steelers’ starters were in the game.