Read More: Charlie Batch (QB – PIT), Ben Roethlisberger (QB – PIT), Byron Leftwich (QB – PIT), Dennis Dixon (QB – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a hit at quarterback on Saturday night as backup Byron Leftwich suffered a broken arm in a 34-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons. While Ben Roethlisberger is firmly entrenched as the starter, Leftwich had been the backup, with Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch also in the mix during the preseason. With Leftwich out, both are likely assured roster spots, and will battle for the backup job.

Leftwich went down hard in the second half, reaching out with his left arm to break his fall. At the time, it appeared as though he may have suffered some kind of left wrist injury, though we later learned he’d broken his arm.

The news is not good for Leftwich, according to Steelers’ beat writer Ed Bouchette. While nothing is official, Bouchette expects Leftwich to head to injured reserve, ending his season.

With Leftwich out, the Steelers quarterback situation is more fluid than before, and the final preseason game will likely be used to see what they have in Dixon and Batch. Both players will likely see only limited time during the season, and only in the even something happens to Roethlisberger.

Leftwich completed one pass for 11 yards on Saturday night before going down with an injury.

For more on the Falcons visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. Check out Behind the Steel Curtain and SB Nation Pittsburgh for more on the Steelers. Visit SB Nation NFL for more on Week 3 of the preseason.

Read More: Byron Leftwich (QB – PIT), Rex Grossman (QB – WAS), Isaac Redman (RB – PIT), Antonio Brown (WR – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins

The final score was just 16-7, but the Pittsburgh Steelers were beaten badly by the Washington Redskins in their first preseason game.

Now, obviously, it’s a preseason game, so there’s no reason to freak out, but there wasn’t much to like about this one. There weren’t many skill players who did all that well – Antonio Brown had a nice game, Isaac Redman had a great touchdown run, and you could maybe add Byron Leftwich to that category, but that’s about it.

The Steelers’ defense, including its first-team defense (minus Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, it should be pointed out), was soundly beaten by Rex Grossman and the Redskins’ passing attack, and Grossman and Kellen Clemens combined for 312 yards passing. The scoring total would have been higher for the Redskins if not for two ugly field-goal misses by Shayne Graham (who was replaced mid-game by Graham Gano, who fared far better).

The Steelers’ offense couldn’t do much either. Dennis Dixon played the end of the game alongside mostly undrafted-free-agent types and didn’t get much help from them, but he still managed to go only 1-for-10, the one completion being a completion downfield to big rookie Eric Greenwood after a nifty scramble. That aside, Dixon did little to convince other teams that he should be a starter. Also, wide receiver Arnaz Battle had a very poor game, dropping at least a couple balls.

On the bright side, Cameron Heyward had a spectacular tackle that demonstrated some serious brute strength, punters Daniel Sepulveda and Jeremy Kapinos both mostly looked great, and the two teams generally played a clean game that didn’t feature many penalties. But the Steelers have a lot to work on between now and the start of the regular season.