Falcons second-year lineman Wes Schweitzer made his first NFL start against the Steelers on Sunday.
Schweitzer, who played 22 snaps, is in a battle with Ben Garland for starting right guard spot.
On the Falcons opening series, Schweitzer held his own against a strong Steeler defensive front.
On the first play, running back Tevin Coleman was dropped for a 1-yard loss by Pittsburgh’s Javon Hargrave.
On the second play, Pittsburgh’s Stephon Tuitt was able to push Schweitzer back about a yard to the left, but away from the play.
On the third play, Schweitzer was sturdy in pass protection and had some help from center Alex Mack. Quarterback Matt Ryan connected with wide receiver Mohamed Sanu for a 12 yard gain.
On the fourth play, Schweitzer had to climb to the second level and block Hargrave. On the following play he had a nice seal block on Tuitt and Terron Ward broke loose for a 16-yard gain.
So the battle went, Schweitzer didn’t stick out on the 10-play, 91-yard touchdown drive.
“I was pleased with how the first drive went,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “Ben (Garland) came into play center and (Schweitzer) stayed at guard. He had two real solid and long series there.”