The Atlanta Falcons opened the 2024 NFL preseason with a loss to the Miami Dolphins, and it was about as ugly as you'd expect a preseason game to be. It's difficult to put a solid letter grade on a game where starters are healthy scratches, and so many players rotate on both sides. Nonetheless, I endeavored to do just that.
Offense: C-
The debut of Michael Penix Jr. was Friday's paperview headliner. All eyes were on the Washington product, and while we didn't exactly see fireworks from the offense, he performed well. Penix finished 9-16 for 104 yards and showcased some of the arm talent and processing skills that led to him being the 8th overall selection in the NFL draft. He looked to Casey Washington early and often. Despite some misses between the two, both players looked like they very much belong in the league.
The rest of the unit left much to be desired. Chris Blair fumbled the ball after a reception in the first quarter. The running backs and offensive line struggled to produce any sort of ground game, averaging a paltry 2.7 yards per rush. The aerial attack didn't fair any better. Taylor Heinicke and Nathan Rourke combined to go 7-24 for 48 yards and neither could lead the team into the endzone. Heinicke also lost a fumble that resulted in a Miami touchdown. Hopefully next week we can see the offense sustain some drives and punch the ball over the goal line more than once.
Defense: B-
The defense fared better than their counterpart in Miami, but it was still a mixed bag. Antonio Hamilton and Kevin King each played 37 snaps and performed well. Hamilton looked like the veteran he is on the field and made several plays. His physicality against the run was notable. Kevin King's performance was the most encouraging out of all defenders. He allowed zero completions on the four targets that came his direction, adding a pass breakup and an interception to his stat sheet. Kentavious Street reminded us all that he's deserving of a spot in the defensive line rotation. He only played six snaps but impacted the game with a run stop and a pressure.
With the good, came some bad. Much of the second and third units were washed at times in the run game. Arnold Ebiketie failed to set an anchor against the run, something that has been a weakness of his for his career. Bralen Trice had a couple of nice reps before going down with a season-ending ACL injury. The rest of the rookies failed to make much of an impact.
Special Teams: B-
Special teams are where fringe players look to make their mark. Deangelo Malone may have found himself on the roster bubble, but his play on special teams Friday night was a good first step toward keeping his spot on the team. He registered four solo tackles, including a pair of key stops on punt coverage. Younghoe Koo was his usual reliable self, knocking a pair of field goals through the uprights including a 53-yarder. The new kickoff rule brought some excitement to the game, but the Falcons failed to find any sort of spark in that department. Natrone Brooks had a 21-yard punt return, which was more the result of poor coverage on the Dolphin's end than a spectacular effort from Brooks. It'll be interesting to see what changes, if any, Marquice Williams makes next week against the Baltimore Ravens.
Coaching: A+
Only some sort of psychopath would harshly judge a coaching staff for what they do in a preseason game. This is their time to tinker with lineups and measure their depth. Raheem Morris did, however, find a way to ace his first game as the official head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. With 6:28 left in the second quarter Raheem threw his red challenge flag, challenging the spot of the ball that led to a Dolphin's first down. Why is this special? Because the challenge came against the new Hawkeye measurement system the NFL is testing this season. That's right. Raheem successfully won a challenge against the virtual measurement. He took on the machines and won. With this victory, some are calling the Falcon's head coach "Neo". A simple toss of a red flag has sparked eternal hope for all of mankind in the war against the machines. He's already a legend in my book.
