3 Reasons to believe the Atlanta Falcons can beat Pittsburgh

2 of 4

Nov 28, 2022; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan (2) runs with the ball during the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

1. The Steelers’ rush defense

If ever there was a perfect matchup for the Falcons to throw less than ten passes and simply hand the ball off to Cordarrelle Patterson, Caleb Huntley, or Tyler Allgeier this is the game. Coming off of a game-ending mistake the Falcons have twelve weeks of tape that demonstrate relying on Mariota isn’t going to get them the victory.

The Steelers are a bottom-ten rushing defense and have struggled to stop teams that didn’t have the depth in the run game that Atlanta has. Even Matt Ryan was able to put together rushing yards against the Steelers last week in a final attempt of a drive.

Pittsburgh is going to have a hard time stopping the Falcons if they simply commit to what they do best offensively and mix in Marcus Mariota runs and occasional fakes. Atlanta isn’t going to win this game by letting Mariota drop back and trying to run a balanced offense is what lost them the game against Washington. Run the ball and forget everything else on offense unless the Steelers force you to do otherwise. Atlanta’s run-first mentality should be the offensive focus in this game and should be able to play keep away putting up consistent points.

Home/Atlanta Falcons News