The Atlanta Falcons took the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time in 2026 to take on the Denver Broncos for their first of three preseason games.
Players are fighting for their jobs with limited time between now and the final cuts before the regular season starts. Unfortunately, few players proved they are worthy of roster spots.
But let's still look at the nitpicked winners and a few of the many losers from the blowout loss.
Winners and losers as fringe players fight for a coveted spot on Falcons 53-man roster
Winner: Jake Bailey - P
We have to start with the punter to emphasize just how bad this game was for the Falcons. The new Falcons punter looked good during his many opportunities, with four punts for 198 yards, two inside the 20, and no touchbacks.
Loser: Tua Tagovailoa - QB
There is no getting around it: Tua Tagovailoa looked terrible. From the first snap, he looked scared to stand on the turf. He fumbled, missed passes, and looked panicked.
The only grace you can give him is the struggles of the offensive line, especially at right tackle. Jawaan Taylor didn't play, which was a problem against the league's No. 1 sack team. Nevertheless, Tua showed nothing positive.
Winner: Maason Smith - DL
Everything has been positive about Maason Smith since he was acquired from the Jaguars -- and he proved that correct in live action. He looked like the big-bodied, physically dominant player he was drafted to be.
He had one standout play where he burst through two blockers in a flash to disrupt the play. He didn't end up recording a tackle, but he showed a dominant flash.
Loser: Cooper Rush - QB
The first interception -- possibly due to a miscommunication -- was bad; he threw it straight to the defender. Then he got some traction on a long drive before spoiling it with a pick-six. It was not a good showing for the favorite at the ever-so-important No. 3 quarterback spot.
Winner: Sydney Brown - DB
Sydney Brown looked like another home-run trade acquisition for Ian Cunningham. He made six tackles and had an impressive pressure on one of Jeff Ulbrich's few blitz calls. He is in the running for the starting nickel position, and his physicality could push him into it.
Loser: Pass rush
The concerning pass rush did nothing to dispel the concerns. Against the Broncos' top line, they found no pressure with a four-man rush. Samson Ebukam and Azeez Ojulari didn't show they can handle the majority of snaps.
The silver lining is that Ulbrich didn't show his blitz packages. We know that they didn't rely on a four-man rush last year, so seeing them not get pressure with the bland playbook doesn't tell us what things will look like during the season.
Winner: Malcolm DeWalt IV - CB
Malcolm DeWalt IV brought some reprieve for Falcons fans late. After an all-negative first half, DeWalt IV looked like he actually cared.
He made an impressive play on the football inside the five, which was initially ruled an interception before it was overturned. And then he made an excellent play as a gunner. It will be interesting to see where he goes from here.
Loser: Kevin Stefanski - HC
This team did not look ready to take the field. They looked discombabulated from the first drive on offense and defense. They were carved up on the first drive of the game and then Tua fumbled his first opportunity (literally), and it was all downhill from there.
The penalties stacked up, the mistakes piled, and the ugly showing didn't stop.
Add us as a preferred source on Google