ATLANTA — The early stages of the Bengals' preseason game Friday night against the Falcons provided a glimpse of how coach Bruce Coslet might handle his Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks.

        Akili Smith, the franchise's future, started. After hitting his first pass for 31 yards to Peter Warrick, Smith went 0-for-6 on pass attempts.

        “That might be a situation in a regular-season game where I might put (Scott) Mitchell in the game,” Coslet said Saturday. “And then maybe put Akili back in. A situation like that may arise. I hope it doesn't. But it very well could. You know, put Mitchell in, settle everybody down, settle Akili down. And then maybe put Akili back in.”

        The veteran Mitchell has completed 15 of 24 passes in the preseason for 175 yards. He has run for one TD.

        “He's a cool-under-fire type player,” Coslet said of Mitchell. “He's done great.”

        Mitchell has directed the team on seven drives and led it to 20 points on four scores, including two touchdowns.

        And Friday in Atlanta, just as he did in Buffalo, Mitchell started the second half with the team trailing and left early in the fourth quarter with the lead.

        Atlanta won 31-16 on three fourth-quarter TDs.

        Smith finished 9-of-19 for 94 yards, making him 21-of-37 in the preseason for 198 yards.

        “Our protection broke down a few times, and we were getting some patterns from our receivers that weren't really up to par. Our receivers didn't play very well,” Coslet said.

        “And Akili has to know where they are, and they have to be there every time. You put those two things together, and Akili doesn't look so good. He wasn't as accurate as he was the first game. It's a combination of all three.”

        Coslet also said Smith played better on the move and out of the pocket.

        ROSTER CUTS: The Bengals probably will release some more players today, Coslet said.

        INJURY REPORT: The only serious injury of the Atlanta game was cornerback Rodney Heath's right shoulder strain. He and tight end Damian Vaughn are probable for Saturday's preseason home opener against Chicago.

        The following players are out for the Bears game: Greg Myers, Michael Bankston, Michael Basnight and Rich Braham.

        These players are doubtful: JoJuan Armour, Tom Barndt, Sirr Parker and Alan Buckwalter.

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