Sometimes it's not "just a preseason game." Case in point: Tonight's Falcons vs Bengals game in Atlanta.

On a day when the city's sports hero admitted full responsibility for his actions while pleading guilty to dogfighting charges, Falcons fans desperately needed a distraction. Preferably, a distraction that involved relatively competent play on the football field. Joey Harrington provided that bright light.

13-21, 164 yards and 2 touchdowns.

This wasn't just a preseason game. His performance tonight was decent enough to provide some hope that Atlanta won't be a total embarrassment. After a first snap sack where he looked like the Joey of old, failing to throw the ball away with no open receivers, Harrington was crisp from there on out. He should have racked up another touchdown on a dropped touchdown pass by Roddy White.

On the flip side, this game may have also shown that the Bengals defense isn't quite ready to take Cincy to the top of the AFC. Harrington took advantage of some poor coverage more than he made plays happen. Either way, today ended far better than it started thanks to, of all people, Joey Harrington.