Before too much of any of this is read into too much, it is, of course, the first week of the preseason. Virtually no projected starters played. Obviously, then, excitement should be muted for the positives and disappointment should be similarly subdued for the negatives.
So, with that, on with the show…
The Merry
Michael Penix, Jr. – the controversial first-round pick for the Falcons didn’t set the world on fire. He wasn’t perfect. He missed some easy throws and his stat line wasn’t eye-opening. However, he was calm, confident, and poised. The game didn’t seem to be to big for him. He came off of primary and even secondary reads to make completions. His arms strength was evident. He certainly passed his first test.
Pass protection – for playing second and third-stringers, the OL did a good job protect the QBs. Giving up only one sack and five hurries on 40 dropbacks is a pretty successful day.
Pass defense – surprisingly enough, the pass rush is included in this. No, the Falcons didn’t record any sacks, but they did generate seven hurries, and that was on only 33 dropbacks by Dolphin QBs. The rush came mostly from the interior, with Zach Harrison getting two hurries, along with one each from Kentavius Street, Ruke Orhorhoro, and Tommy Togiai.
Coverage-wise, Kevin King and Antonio Hamilton had very good games. King had two passes defensed and an interception, and Hamilton had a pass defensed along with three tackles (including a tackle for loss). Overall the Dolphins only completed 12 of 33 passes for only 3.7 yards-per-pass-play. As a team, the Falcons deflected eight passes.
DeAngelo Malone – while Malone continues to disappoint as a defender, he is excelling on special teams. He led the Falcons with four solo special teams tackles.
The Messy
Injuries – Atlanta had already lost WR Rondale Moore for the season earlier in the week during joint practices with the Dolphins. In the actual game the Falcons would lose edge rusher Bralen Trice for the year and S DeMarco Hellams for a yet-to-be-determined (but likely significant) period of time. Neither player was projected to be a starter, but both were being counted on to provide quality depth
Edge rushers – Malone recorded zero stats as a defender. Arnold Ebiketie had no sacks or pressures and got washed out of the run game on occasion. Trice had no pressures, and neither did Lorenzo Carter. Bradley Anae had a pressure, and with Trice’s injury, Anae may need to step up.
Run-blocking – the OL played no starters, and second-string interior lineman Ryan Neuzil also sat. That said, the line got zero push in the run game. Take away quarterback Nathan Rourke’s 21-yard scramble and the Falcons rushed 29 times for only 60 yards.
Fundamentals – this was mostly, but not solely, on the defense. The Falcons allowed 4.1 yards-per-carry to Miami. Atlanta defenders showed a glaring failure to stay at home and maintain containment on RB Jaylen Wright’s longest run. The Dolphins had a couple of big passing plays where there appeared to be a failure of communication in the back end of Atlanta’s defense, allowing Miami receivers to run uncovered. The Falcons converted only 2 or 17 third down attempts, and also failed to come away with any points from a four-down goal-to-go situation.
Taylor Heinicke – with Kirk Cousins the clear starter and Penix looking at the very least solid, Heinicke needed to make a case to stick as the #3 QB. He failed to do that on this day. He completed only 4 of 11 passes for only 11 yards, took a sack, fumbled a snap, and had a passer rating of 44.9.
The “Meh”
Special Teams – aside from DeAngelo Malone, nothing eye-catching came from the special teams units. Younghoe Koo, Brad Pinion, and Liam McCullough were as expected. The returners were average. The new “dynamic” kickoff return rules generated anything but “dynamic” returns.
The TV broadcast – this evaluation is being written from watching an NFL Network rebroadcast of a local Miami affiliate station. It’s unclear if the issues observed here were the fault of the affiliate or the NFL Network. Audio was often poor during the first half. Several minutes of the game were cut from the broadcast, typically during the transition from one quarter to another, and most noticeably from the first half to the second half.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
