Don’t let the final of 31-0 Jacksonville Jaguars fool you – the final score *should* have been this one-sided. While the Atlanta Falcons were playing their twos and threes, Jacksonville was playing their starters. When Atlanta was playing their threes and fours, the Jags were playing their twos. Given the disparity, despite the score, watching the film showed Atlanta playing surprisingly well.
Atlanta vs. Jacksonville: The Merry, The Messy, & the Meh
The Merry
The Quality of Depth
Taylor Heinicke had his hiccups, but he showed some nice improvisational skills and pocket awareness in this game (which doubtless helped his value as a trade chip to get sent off to the Los Angeles Chargers after initially making Atlanta’s final roster). Spencer Brown showed vision and light feet for his size (though at the time of this writing he is a street free agent). The offensive line generally did well opening holes and protecting the quarterback. The defensive line had moments of penetration and disengaging from blocks really well. Bradley Anae once again looked like the best Falcon pass rusher on the field (though he is also currently a street free agent). Donavan Mutin (another current street free agent) was all over the field on defense. Natrone Brooks again showed out (and earned himself a spot on the practice squad).
The Messy
The Little Things
Again, much of this was probably due to playing the bottom half or so of the roster, but if these sorts of issues persist for the starters, Atlanta will underachieve this year. Going 1 for 10 on third downs while letting your opponent go 8 for 14 is suboptimal, to say the least. Going one for four on fourth down is also poor, and some of the situations where it was decided to go for it were headscratchers (though it was the preseason). Raheem Morris‘ decision to challenge a completed catch turned out to be a waste, as the catch was pretty obvious. Time of possession was almost two-to-one in Jacksonville’s favor.
The Meh
Did We Really Learn Anything About the Falcons This Preseason?
Morris was clearly trying to avoid injuries this preseason (perhaps spooked by injuries in the first preseason game to DeMarcco Hellams and Bralen Trice), but with practically no starters and very few key reserves playing much (if at all), nobody really knows what the team taking the field against Pittsburgh on September 8 is going to look like. Now, from the perspective of not wanting to give your opponents anything to prepare for, this is a good thing. Fans and the media, however, are, of course, going to wonder if the top of the roster has built the proper amount of chemistry with each other to be able to hit the field in a real game and function at the level of expectation that has been set for this team.
Main Image: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
