Falcons Trounced, 34-10, in Preseason Opener

Aug 8, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Dominique Davis (4) scrambles away from pressure in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Real, live, NFL football is here.

The Falcons took the field in the Georgia Dome on Thursday night, and while the result wasn’t pretty (at all), there is no need for panic. Yes, Atlanta lost by 24 points to the Cincinnati Bengals, but there were no injuries (this is huge) and it is tough to make sweeping judgment based on the amount of playing time that the “real” players received, and the vanilla component of play-calling.

Offensively, Matt Ryan looked crisp (6 for 9, 89 yards) in his limited time, but Steven Jackson (5 carries for 8 yards) couldn’t get anything going. Panic! For Jackson, it was an issue of offensive line play more than anything else, and we won’t really see the “unleashing” of Jackson until at least the 3rd preseason game. Also, the team played without both Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez, lending yet another reminder to raise an eyebrow on any result.

As far as the backups were concerned, I frankly thought Dominique Davis was a mess. He finished 8-for-19 for 78 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, but it goes past numbers. His accuracy was laughable at times, and the interception was one that made you either laugh (because it was a preseason game) or cry (because it was wretched). It’s too early to overreact on the backup QB situation, but he wasn’t great. Wide receiver Drew Davis did make a positive impression, grabbing 2 balls for 53 yards, and capitalizing on some extended field time.

The offensive line is the major concern on that side of the ball, and unfortunately, that fear wasn’t alleviated. There wasn’t a whole lot of push in the run game, and the play of the right tackle combination wasn’t exactly inspiring in the wake of the Johnson injury earlier in the week. I’ll make the “preseason” caveat (yet again), but that’s the one position group that I’m focused on the most.

On defense, the most encouraging takeaway was the play of the rookie cornerbacks. Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford looked to be comfortable, and there were no major issues from the duo. Throw in Asante Samuel, and my fears about the position may be coming down a bit. However, 2012 revelation Robert McClain visibly struggled, and they’ll need him in nickel/dime packages.

Without the services of Sean Weatherspoon, the defense lacks the feel of a “big-play” unit, and overall, they were uninspired. With that said, much of the Bengals production (24 points in the final 30 minutes and 2 seconds) was against pure backups, so the margin of defeat shouldn’t be laid at the feet of the “real” defense.

On the whole, it was an NFL preseason game. The results don’t matter, and as long as the team escapes with no injuries and some encouraging signs, everything is simply ok.

The Falcons will return to action next Thursday night (August 15th) on the road against the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. Stay tuned.