Three winners and three losers from Falcons’ second preseason game against Ravens

We have to weigh our preseason bets carefully. Watching the game in a vacuum, you might panic about the state of the secondary defense, until you remember that the starters and even some of the big reserves were nowhere to be found on Saturday. You can also brag about the work of some of the deep reserves and receivers, but you have to consider who they will be playing against.

All that said, when you’re competing for roster spots or positions on the depth chart, these offers He does These games are hugely important, even if they have little bearing on the Atlanta Falcons’ chances in the upcoming game in September. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three winners and three losers from today’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. Baltimore Ravens.

Winners

Running depth in Atlanta

Last year, Carlos Washington had issues in the summer and was pushed off the roster due to new signings. This year, he’s doing his best to push Jesse McClellan down the depth list or onto the practice squad, showing great vision and development along the way.

Washington broke away from the clogged rushing lane early, overcame contact on multiple occasions, exploited the gap he was given with bursts of speed on multiple other occasions, and blasted his way to 37 yards on his first eight carries. The only bad thing about his day Saturday was that he lost his balance a few times, cutting a couple of longer runs shorter than he needed to, and that’s something he can continue to work on.

That was the end of the story… except that McClellan was pretty good, too. The rookie scored a number of good points, exploited the opponent’s ability to block and show his ability to get going, and averaged five yards per carry on the day, working hard in relief of Washington. McClellan’s touted ability to block and catch still looks like a work in progress, but both young quarterbacks clearly have the ability to capitalize on their opportunities as the summer approaches, and McClellan capped his day by running through two defenders and scoring a touchdown to put the Falcons within striking distance before falling just short of the end zone on a two-point attempt.

That leaves the Falcons with a choice to make, with one of the pair likely to be selected to the roster and the other to the practice squad. Either way, the young depth of the team behind the talented and young duo of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allegri is a plus, and having to make that decision is a relatively good problem to have.

Chris Blair

With the Falcons losing Rondale Moore and Jakeem Grant in back-to-back weeks, there’s certainly room for a receiver to step up and impress on his way to a potential fifth or sixth receiver role. Blair quietly made his case Saturday, showing his ability to get open both on the sideline and downfield and showing quality on a short pass from Taylor Heinicke that he turned into a 20-plus yard gain. He then took a nice, quick pass from Heinicke (who, it should be noted, had a a lot (He had a better day Saturday despite some miscues) He caught a pass through traffic early in the third quarter, bringing him to four passes for 91 yards on the day.

Blair has been here a short while now and has shown improvement in route running and ability to make plays after the catch, and if he continues his strong play in the preseason finale, he should be able to at least earn a spot on the Falcons’ practice squad again.

Natron Brooks

Brooks was a 2023 practice squad player who had his moments last summer, and he stood out in a big way Saturday because he was so good on a day when most of the deep reserves in the secondary were struggling in coverage in particular. By contrast, Brooks largely held his ground in coverage, hit the run with sure-footed tackling and good instincts, and was always around the ball and ready to pull the trigger when he had the chance to stop it.

That led to some standout moments and an even more impressive performance from the defensive backfield on Saturday, which included a forced fumble that the Ravens’ receiver was able to pick up again. This guy was doing some annoying Strikes.

There may or may not be a roster spot for Brooks to push into at this point, but practice squad roles will certainly be available again, and Brooks has put together a really good week of practice with a game that separated him from many of the players competing for roles on that secondary. Finishing the summer strong with a third good game in pre-season should ensure he remains in some capacity, and the physicality he brings in particular is welcome to this group.

Rock Orhorhoro deserves a lot of credit, as he scored an impressive early goal, and his defensive partner Brandon Dorlos, who was active and troublesome. The Falcons have some encouraging depth in that line.

Losers

Most of the high school

Josh Johnson is a fun, quality player who has been around the league for a long time because he gives you solid performances. Johnson is no A player should complete all 11 of his attempts, even against a backup defensive player, but that’s exactly what happened against the Falcons on Saturday afternoon. Johnson got a score and 120 yards on those attempts.

With the run defense so strong, the wobbles of players like Trey Favale, Anthony Johnson, Lucas Dennis and William Hooper were even more pronounced, likely prompting the Falcons to once again shake up their secondary for solutions. Things only got worse from there, with the Ravens’ deep reserves continuing to work effectively against Atlanta’s deeper reserves, culminating in a 50-yard third down that Anthony Johnson converted on a double play.

In reality, the team only needs a fourth safety, a fifth quarterback and some practice squad options, but with that group unable to cover itself in glory this week, the Falcons will have to decide whether to call it a tough afternoon and let those guys continue to compete in the preseason finale or try to find outside solutions.

Youngho Koo

After Coe hit a 54-yard shot to open the scoring, there were plenty of happy comments about how showing he could make a kick from that distance was a great sign after a sloppy 2023. Unfortunately, Coe’s day went downhill from there, with one short field goal among three failed attempts.

He attempted two throws from 40 yards and 45 yards and missed both by fairly narrow margins before making a 44-yarder in the fourth quarter, which was overturned due to a foul by long-time kicker Liam McCulloch, and then missed the next attempt from 49 yards.

I wouldn’t press the panic button about pre-season kicks, but I certainly think Coe himself would tell you he never wants to miss a kick in any game, let alone one. three Same afternoon. We’ll be watching with a little concern as the regular season begins and he shows his familiar reliability in September and beyond, because that was a tough day at the office. Atlanta Falcons writer and longtime alcoholic Will McFadden certainly isn’t worried.

Casey Washington

Taylor Heinicke has outplayed him more than once, but when you get targeted six times and don’t catch a single pass, it’s more than just a quarterback problem. Washington is a promising prospect who this coaching staff loves, but on a day when Heinicke’s connection to Blair was smooth and effortless, Washington found himself unable to catch two catchable balls and unable to get much in the way of separation.

It was a memorable day for a rookie receiver, so there’s no need to panic. But to ensure he gets a starting role early on, Washington will need to be a more consistent contributor, and we’re not there yet.