Preseason Bold Predictions: Atlanta Falcons vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Atlanta Falcons are back on the field this weekend, set to take on the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday afternoon.

It’s essentially a guarantee that we don’t see any of Atlanta’s starters, especially considering the major injuries that occurred last week to some key players on the team. Head coach Raheem Morris expressed his feelings on playing starters in the preseason when he opened this week with a press conference on Monday morning:

“I don’t want to play in the games, you know? I really don’t. You gotta play some of the guys, you gotta play your first year outside linebacker to get him just a little bit of game repetition, right? All the guys with some real playing experience, you don’t really want to play."

- Raheem Morris

With that said, this will be yet another chance for the backups for both the Falcons and the Ravens to showcase themselves and make solid attempts at landing a spot on the final 53-man rosters for either squad.

Before we see the opening kickoff, we will take a look at four bold predictions that could take place for Atlanta at any point during the game:

Taylor Heinicke Steps Up

This certainly could be viewed as a bold prediction based on how the veteran quarterback played last Friday in Miami. Heinicke posted an abysmal stat line, recording only 11 passing yards while completing four of 11 pass attempts. This performance left fans confused as to why Heinicke is still on the roster considering his place in the quarterback depth chart.

For this bold prediction, I will suggest that Heinicke has a bit more of an inspiring showing, as he will achieve over 70 passing yards and one touchdown pass. This may re-open the door for Heinicke to solidify his spot as the team’s QB3 behind Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. in the coaches minds.

Pass Rusher Does His Job

Another player that didn’t quite play as expected was third-year veteran Arnold Ebiketie. Throughout the offseason, many expected Ebiketie to be the lead outside linebacker rushing the passer for Atlanta’s defense, however, Wednesday night it was announced that the Falcons traded a third-round pick for Patriots standout pass-rusher Matthew Judon . With that in mind, Atlanta now has their premier rusher on the edge, thus potentially leaving Ebiketie with a bit less on his plate than previously thought. Regardless, Friday night was not an outstanding game for Ebiketie. At some points in the game, Ebiketie was used as a rag doll by Dolphins’ rookie tackle Patrick Paul, which isn’t a very good thing to let happen for a player that is hoping to have a career-defining season.

In this second preseason outing for the Falcons, look for Ebiketie to showcase himself better than the first time around, and achieve at least one sack. Any way that he can get to the opposing quarterback is better than what he showed last Friday.

Michael Penix Jr. Lets It Fly

Quite possibly the most likely scenario to happen amongst these bold predictions.

Penix showed off his impressive arm talent and poise in Friday’s loss to the Dolphins, and he could definitely do it again in Baltimore. In this game, I am predicting the first-round rookie quarterback to drop a dime for a 55-yard gain, further impressing the coaching staff and the fanbase.

Run Game Improves

Atlanta’s run game last week wasn’t something to write home about. To be fair, starters like Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier didn’t appear in the game along with the five starters on the offensive line not appearing, so the run game wasn’t as spectacular as many expect it to be in the regular season.

Carlos Washington Jr. had 16 carries for 25 yards and the lone touchdown for Atlanta, while rookie Jase McClellan tallied 30 yards on nine carries. I will predict this duo to have a relatively better performance in this matchup. Washington may be able to top 50 rushing yards while his fellow running mate in McClellan totals above 45 rushing yards.

While these may not totally come to fruition, that is the goal of ‘bold predictions’, to think outside of the box, especially in a preseason exhibition.

Kickoff is slated for noon ET on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, with LIVE streaming available on NFL+