Following last week's drubbing of the Indianapolis Colts, the Atlanta Falcons managed to sustain their momentum to end the preseason on a high note entering the roster cut deadline. And while it wasn't as pretty as last weekend's victory, the Falcons made easy work of the Miami Dolphins on the road.
On Friday night, Atlanta knocked off the Dolphins 17-12 as Tua Tagovailoa was able to capture some much-deserved revenge in his return to Hard Rock Stadium. That was the defining storyline of the night for the Falcons, but with roster cuts looming, the focus remains on who will save themselves.
Kevin Stefanski's group came through though, and it was a fairly dominant affair, so with that said, these were the biggest immediate takeaways from the victory:
The biggest storylines from the Atlanta Falcons' final preseason game
An up-and-down return to Miami for Tua Tagovailoa
As I mentioned in the intro, Tua Tagovailoa's revenge game was the defining storyline--especially since the Falcons were playing their starters and he got the start. And considering this was an audition for him to gain ground in the quarterback battle, he really wasn't able to change much.
While he looked more comfortable in the offense, completing eight of nine pass attempts for 95 yards, the stat line can be deceiving. The bulk of the passing yards came on a screen that Kyle Pitts took for almost 40 yards and a bunch of checkdowns to the point the start exposed his limitations.
Moreover, Tagovailoa fumbled a snap for the second time this preseason, but unlike last time, he lost this fumble. He badly needed a strong showing to prove he deserves to start over a now-healthy Michael Penix Jr., but while he looked better than he did in his debut, it wasn't reason for optimism.
Vinny Anthony II is making a late push for a roster spot
All summer long Vinny Anthony III has positioned himself as someone who could push for a roster spot, and the undrafted rookie's final audition went as well as you could've possibly imagined. He caught three passes of four targets for 21 yards and recorded an impressive 52-yard kick return.
Anthony has always been someone the Dirty Birds knew they could rely on as a returner, and between that and his emergence on offense, he's pushing for a roster spot. The ex-Wisconsin standout has been a key part of the WR6 battle, and seems to have real merit to make the roster.
Even if he doesn't survive final cuts, he's giving his new regime a reason to stash him on the practice squad or land another opportunity elsewhere.
James Pearce Jr. looked like a man unleashed
The Falcons' pass-rush as a collective decimated the Dolphins' quarterback, and at the epicenter of that success was James Pearce Jr., who saw his final in-game action until Week 9. He logged three tackles, a TFL, and two of the five sacks that Atlanta's defense mustered against a weak O-line.
After Pearce became the first Falcons rookie since Vic Beasley to record 10 sacks in a season last year, we knew he got get to the quarterback. That was never in question. The bigger concern is who will step up in his absence, since this team will clearly miss his burst off the edge for half of 2026.
The penalty issues have continued
An issue that has plagued Stefanski's group all summer has been penalties. Across their first two preseason games, the Falcons were penalized a staggering 15 times for 154 yards as the penalty woes have followed him from Cleveland--and unfortunately that trend continued in the finale.
The team in red and black was called for another 10 penalties for 78 yards against the Dolphins--putting their preseason total up to 25 flags for 232 yards. So much for becoming more disciplined without Raheem Morris. This new staff better clean things up in the two weeks until the season starts.
Harold Perkins Jr.'s strong summer translated to in-game action
Harold Perkins Jr. has been one of the standouts of the summer for the Atlanta Falcons, even taking some first-team reps in training camp. The EDGE/LB hybrid has been labeled the perfect Kaden Elliss replacement by some, but that hype fizzled after he failed to record a tackle in either of the first two preseason games.
However, the finale proved that the Perkins Jr. hype train has officially left the season. The sixth-round rookie recorded three tackles (all solo), a TFL and his first NFL sack. And while his roster hopes were likely never in jeopardy, this breakout performance all but confirmed the notion he's here to stay.
Another rookie from the UDFA class may be worth stashing
Flowery Branch is home to one of the most successful UDFA classes from the 2026 Draft, as the Falcons just keep finding gem after gem. Jack Strand, Vinny Anthony, Carlos Allen Jr.--the list goes on. At this point, you can just pick your poison because another undrafted rookie is turning heads.
Rookie tight end Jack Velling has had his fair share of bright moments this summer, but the preseason finale was his strongest showing yet. He caught a team-high four passes for 30 yards and his first NFL touchdown--which came with an electric spike celly that must've made Gronk proud.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like the Falcons will have room for him on their roster, but the practice squad is an option.
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