In a surprising twist, the Pittsburgh Steelers played some of their starters in the final game of the preseason. It was just one drive, but the offense and defense had an impressive showing. Admittedly, it was against Atlanta's backups. Still, it's a good sign to see from a Steelers squad looking to contend this year.

But why did the Steelers play their starters in the preseason? It's rare to see regular first-stringers play in the preseason, after all. Mike Tomlin likened their preseason game to a sparring match between boxers. Here's his take on the starters playing.

“I don't really need validation,” Tomlin said, via the team's official website. “I think it's difficult to box without sparring. Preseason is an opportunity for us to spar and sharpen our swords for the battle.”

The Steelers offense looked good against the Falcons' second-stringers. Sophomore QB Kenny Pickett went 4-for-4 with some incredible passes to Diontae Johnson and Kenny Pickett. Meanwhile, the defense was terrifying per usual. TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward against backup players is simply an unfair matchup.

Nothing beats in-game reps, and Mike Tomlin understands that. No matter how hard you practice, there's nothing better than practicing against actual opponents. With the 2023 season coming soon, the Steelers don't want their starters to be shellshocked in Week 1.

Still, playing your starters has an inherent risk to it. In the same preseason game, the Steelers saw Heyward suffer an injury during the game. Hopefully, the injury to the star edge rusher isn't going to miss a lot of time.