Falcons fall to Titans, 24-17, in dress rehearsal

The Atlanta Falcons went through the motions of their “dress rehearsal” for the 2014 season on Saturday night, and for the most part, things went quite well in the Georgia Dome. The “A-team” outplayed the visiting Tennessee Titans throughout their time on the field, and while the final score didn’t indicate that positive effort, the Falcons are likely pleased with the majority of their performance in a 24-17 loss.

The first team offense was highly productive in their main tune-up for the regular season, and as usual, that was led by quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan finished the night with 224 yards on 18 for 23 through the air, and he engineered two touchdown drives for Atlanta in the first half. Throughout the night, Ryan looked to be in complete control, and his numbers look even more prolific when considering that he played only one series in the second half.

Julio Jones made the biggest play of the evening, as he took a pass from Ryan, broke free of the Tennessee pursuit and went to the house from 52 yards out for a second quarter touchdown. It is incredibly encouraging to see Jones looking fully healthy, and with some health from a productive performance from Devin Hester, the Falcons passing game had the feel of a “big play” unit on this night.

Elsewhere, the offensive line was solid enough throughout the evening, as the Titans only managed two sacks in the game, but Jake Matthews had a couple of clear mistakes, and that is to be expected as he transitions to life on the left side. On the ground, Jacquizz Rodgers got the most work, gaining 33 yards on 10 carries, but Antone Smith earned more touches (four) than Devonta Freeman (three), and that is a spot that continues to be intriguing, especially with Steven Jackson remaining on the sidelines.

Aside from some breakdowns down the stretch with back-ups on the field, the biggest hiccup of the night defensively came on a 63-yard touchdown catch by Nate Washington in the second quarter. Desmond Trufant was seemingly beat deep by Washington, and while it isn’t always clear as to what collection of issues contributed to the play, there was no pass rush and the veteran receiver was able to get to the top of the defense in a hurry.

As always, the final score of any preseason game is virtually meaningless, and when the big guns were on the field on Saturday, the Atlanta Falcons performed well. The group will have its preseason send-off on Thursday night in Jacksonville against the Jaguars, but until then, the focus will be on the first batch of cuts (taking the roster to 75), which are set to come down sometime on Sunday. Stay tuned.