Winners and losers from Falcons frustrating preseason debut

Winner: Michael Penix Jr.

Rarely can a player fail to take the field and be considered a far and away winner in the contest. This is the case for Penix based simply on the fact that Tua Tagovailoalooked bad and backup Cooper Rushsomehow looked worse. Penix cannot help but benefit from this, showing breathing life back into a competition that appeared to be already decided in favor of the veteran.

Not taking the field and giving fans and the coaching staff a look at its other options surely has the Falcons reconsidering what Penix can do to win the job. There is only positive fallout for Penix in a game that had no shortage of ugly quarterback play.

Loser: Zachariah Branch

Four targets for the rookie receiver and only two catches for a grand total of six yards doesn't match the camp hype. This is where it is important to note that the receiver is incredibly reliant on quarterback play that was difficult to watch. Still, this is going to be the case in the regular season as well, and fans were hoping for a bit more exciting of a debut from the young pass catcher.

With Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus being the team's veteran options behind Drake London, the door remains wide open. There is plenty of time for Branch to put together a great stretch, but this wasn't the debut fans were hoping for.

Winner: Azeez Ojulari

The Georgia product has quickly gone from a potential depth option to a possible starter after Jalon Walker's season-ending injury and James Pearce Jr. receiving a suspension. Ojulari offered a pair of tackles and half a sack in a game that is only going to help his chances of playing a meaningful role. For Atlanta, this is far from ideal based on the young talent you started camp with compared to the rotation you're now considering.

Still, there is little that can be done, and Ojulari is clearly taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him. The veteran's career is being given a second life, and thus far, the performance has been solid.

Loser: Cooper Rush

Rush didn't look the part of an experienced veteran backup receiving preseason reps, but a rookie unable to complete the most basic of tasks. The 7/19 passing was ugly, as were two interceptions, with one turning into a touchdown in the wrong direction on one of the uglier NFL throws you will see. The quarterback remains extremely limited, and everything about this performance served as a reminder of that fact.

Winner: Jack Strand

The undrafted rookie signing only completed half of his passing attempts, but led the team's lone touchdown drive and showed flashes of capability. Watching Rush implode had to leave the Falcons far more interested in what Strand can provide moving forward and offer the rookie a bit of hope that making the team's roster as the third option is still on the table.

Loser: Cash Jones

For Jones to make the roster, the Georgia product was going to need a huge preseason performance. Based on where the pass catcher went to school, there was more attention being paid to the fringe roster piece in hopes of finding a surprise playmaker. Instead, Jones was targeted only once and wasn't able to make the play, making it incredibly unlikely the pass catcher is going to have any true shot of cracking Atlanta's roster.

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