The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their third, and final, exhibition game of the 2023 preseason, and it is a road game vs. Desmond Ridder and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. While winning these games doesn’t truly matter in the grand scheme of the 2023 Steelers, how the team plays on both sides of the ball does matter.

Here are some keys to “victory” for the Steelers in this final preseason game Thursday night in Atlanta. Let’s start with the offense…

Offensive Keys

Starters Keep Pace

Is it fair to expect the starting offense to continue a touchdown-per-drive rate? No, that isn’t fair, nor is it realistic. But if they can continue to put the pedal down and move the ball with ease it would go a long way to easing the fan base’s concern over any potential shortcomings this season.

Run the ball

While Jaylen Warren’s 62-yard run last week was awesome, the running game outside of that run was underwhelming. It would be great to see the Steelers offense run the football with better efficiency and improve the balance of the offense.

TDs, not FGs

I don’t care which group is in the game, scoring touchdowns and not kicking field goals should always be the goal. Back-ups or not, put up 6s instead of 3s.

Defensive Keys

Stop the Run

This isn’t a knee jerk reaction to any shortcomings the defense has had this offseason. Instead, it’s just a constant reminder to the most important facet of defense, in my opinion, make a team one-dimensional. And that starts by stopping the run.

Pressure the QB

Nick Herbig has been a stud so far this preseason, and the Steelers defense as a collective have been putting massive amounts of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Time to continue this trend vs. the dirty birds in Atlanta tonight.

Continue taking the ball away

Outside of pressuring the quarterback, the Steelers defense has been taking the football away at a ridiculous clip. Keep up that trend, and hopefully it carries over into the regular season.

What are your keys to victory for the Steelers tonight vs. the Falcons? Let us know in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the exhibition season.