The Falcoholic
On balance this sure was a preseason game, and that is not a compliment. Messy, penalty-soaked, and making you doubt the takes you had just a week ago, this was Atlanta Falcons preseason as its finest, which is still not a compliment.
That was especially true in the first half, when the offense was an utter mess featuring an interception, six penalties, and a lack of anything resembling quality play. Poor run defense and coverage lapses from the defense put the Falcons in a hole and ruined any chance of us enjoying what we were watching, aside from a beautiful Natrone Brooks interception.
The second half improved somewhat, though the defense still largely scuffled. The offense did in fact get going, with Nate Carter, Easton Stick, and Chris Blair providing us with real highlights along the way. We couldn’t exactly forget this was preseason—how could we?—but big plays lift the spirit and pass the time regardless. Players like Blair, Carter, and Brooks helped themselves, while players like Jack Nelson and Lamar Jackson did not.
On balance, it was exactly as messy as you’d expect preseason to be, but had enough big plays and dumb, entertaining moments to prevent us from turning off the TV or falling asleep after halftime the way we’re often tempted to do in glorified exhibition games. I dunno about you, but I’ll take it, especially with the Falcons seemingly avoiding any major injuries; we do need to keep an eye on that Emory Jones injury at the end of the game and hope he’s alright.
Only one more week to go and then we’re on to roster shaping and to regular season action, with a final proving ground for roster hopefuls still to come against Dallas. Here’s the drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.
Natrone Brooks kicked things off with a solid return on a skipped kick, getting close to the 25. Nate Carter was the first back out and picked up three yards on his initial run up the middle. Easton Stick then hit David Sills for about six yards on a rollout. Stick then picked up the first down on a keeper. A screen to Dylan Drummond went for maybe a yard, and then Carter was stymied on second down immediately. Stick then hit Sills on a sideline ball, and Sills reeled it in and extended for a first down. Carter managed a couple of yards on a game effort, but then Stick had pressure in his face immediately and was sacked for a seven yard loss. A swing pass to Nick Nash lost another yard, and the Falcons elected to punt. Bradley Pinion had a beautiful 55 yard punt that bounced backwards inside the five yard line, and the Titans were pinned deep.
The Titans picked up a few yards on a plunge up the middle. On second down, a lack of pressure let Cam Ward leisurely roll out and find his man for a catch-and-run that went...
