Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was emphatic last week on his disdain for the preseason after their preseason-opening loss against the Miami Dolphins . He brought those sentiments into the next week, making the surprising decision to sit rookie Michael Penix Jr. and decided to proceed with more caution against the Baltimore Ravens.
Atlanta has been bringing a lot of positive attention this week with the signings of Matthew Judon and Justin Simmons , but now Morris will have to answer for his decision to sit Penix.
Besides that, Atlanta didn’t show much to be excited about from the third-and-fourth string players that took the field, but there were minimal flashes from a few players that will highlight in their 13-12 loss to the Ravens.
Proceeding with Caution
Atlanta ended up sitting virtually everyone that could see significant time during the 2024 season. 37 players, including Penix, Clark Phillips III, Mike Hughes and safety Dane Cruikshank being the notable players who didn’t see the field.
Penix is expected to get all of his reps in the preseason, unless something happens to starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. However, the losses of depth pieces Demarcco Hellams and Bralen Trice have seemed to influence Morris’ decision to sit as many significant pieces to this year’s 53-man roster as possible.
Will we see Kirk Cousins, who is coming back off a season-ending Achilles injury in 2023? Will Penix play in next week’s preseason finale in front of the Falcons fans? Will we ever see Phillips and Hughes as they battle it out for the CB2 spot? It seems Morris is more concerned with proceeding into the season as healthy as possible instead of getting more continuity with the newly constructed rosters on both sides of the ball.
Ravens carve up Falcons secondary
No matter who was at quarterback for the Ravens, they completely carved up the Falcons secondary. The Ravens quarterbacks ended the day 21-of-25 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Josh Johnson, who played the entire first half, finished a perfect 11-for-11 for 120 yards and one touchdown, leading the Ravens on an impressive touchdown drive. Emory Jones flashed his arm talent heaving a 56-yard touchdown on a double move that left Falcons cornerback Anthony Johnson in the dirt on his way to 100 yards.
The lone bright spot for Atlanta was cornerback Natrone Brooks who looked like the best player on the field in black and red. Brooks ended the game with 13 tackles (8 solo) with a tackle for loss and showcased his physicality with a few big hits on Ravens receivers.
Is Koo…cool?
Preseason is a time to experiment and Falcons.com’s Tori McElhinney said it better than anyone could regarding Younghoe Koo’s difficult performance today.
That being said, missing three field goals, all within 50 yards, is something to monitor as we get closer to the season. Koo has been as cool, calm and collected a kicker as you will find for the Falcons not named Matt Bryant, but this mustn’t become a habit.
Highlights
- Ruke Orhorhoro ended Baltimore’s opening drive with a beautiful sack , as he confused the offensive lineman in front of him with an exquisite pass rush move.
- Falcons running game looked a lot better, finishing with 151 yards on 31 carries, including 55 yards from rookie Jase McClellan on just 11 carries. McClelland could be positioning himself to overtake Carlos Washington Jr. with another solid week of camp next week.
- Chris Blair has all but locked up his spot with a four-reception, 91-yard game today. Casey Washington saw six targets, but could not haul in any of them.
- Taylor Heinicke looked better, but still not great as he went 8-of-16 for 114 yards. John Paddock ended the day leading the Falcons to a potential game-winning drive on the last drive, but overall had a boom-or-bust sort of day, ending with 78 yards on 9-of-17 passing.
What’s Next?
The Falcons finish out their preseason schedule against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 23rd at 7 p.m. EST. This game will be streamed live on NFL Network and NFL+.
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