After two days of joint practices in Indianapolis, the Atlanta Falcons faced the Indianapolis Colts in their second of three preseason games. And even though the starters didn't see the field, the Falcons' backups did the job well enough to help Kevin Stefanski get his first win with the team.
Following the 27-7 thrashing against the Denver Broncos last weekend, The Falcons did the thrashing this time around. They knocked off the Colts 34-6 in a game where there's no doubt who looked like the better team. I guess the chip on their shoulder and extra preparation translated where it counts.
Execution was a major issue last week, but the defense was humming, holding the Colts to under 200 yards of offense while the offense went over 450 total yards. It was the perfect victory in every facet, and here are the immediate takeaways that stood out.
Operations looked much, much cleaner
What a difference a week makes in the NFL world. Just eight days ago, the Falcons looked sloppy, unprepared, and straight-up discombobulated. They were called for nine penalties, turned the ball over twice, and were held under 200 yards, but execution couldn't have been any better on Saturday.
The offense was absolutely surging, scoring four touchdowns. Atlanta more than doubled their yards per play from last week, and they converting half of their third downs as the offense executed to perfection for all 60 minutes compared to the unforced errors we saw last week.
Whether it was through the run game or the air attack, the Colts had no answers to what Tommy Rees dialed up. And Jeff Ulbrich's defense kept Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson in check, as the Colts failed to score a touchdown in front of their home fans.
Everything that could've possibly went right this afternoon, did, especially since turnovers and penalties weren't an issue.
Tyler Goodson is settling the Falcons' RB3 competition in real time
Tyler Goodson has been pulling away in the RB3 competition throughout training camp, especially after he shined in those joint practices. But he enjoyed his breakout performance against his former team on Saturday afternoon, as Goodson was obviously the star of the show to anyone watching.
The 25-year-old recorded just six carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, as his 49-yard rushing touchdown was one of the Falcons' best highlight plays of the preseason. The run blocking looked sensational, and it may have been the play to help him permanently lock down his roster spot, especially since he had a 37-yard kick return too.
A bounce-back game for Cooper Rush
With Tua Tagovailoa not playing, it was Cooper Rush who got the start. And after he threw two interceptions (including a pick-six) last week against the Denver Broncos, nobody was particularly enthused about the idea of him starting over Jack Strand--but he proved his worth in the QB3 battle.
Rush started the first four drives of the game for the Falcons, leading them to three scoring drives (2 TDs, 1 FG), completing 10 of 11 passes for 86 passing yards. The vet completed a staggering 90.9% of his pass attempts eight days after he completed less than 40%. Talk about a stark turnaround.
The issue is that for as good as he looked, he may not have locked down the third-string QB job since Jack Strand looked just as good.
Jack Strand has real potential as a depth QB
While Cooper Rush got the start, undrafted rookie Jack Strand saw more time as the starting QB--playing a little more than a half. On his opening drive, Strand completed his first four pass attempts to lead Atlanta to another touchdown before halftime--and led them to another TD on his second drive.
Strand went 12-of-17 passing for 217 yards, his first career passing touchdown, and added another rushing touchdown. And while Cash Jones was his security blanket, two of his best throws of the game came on downfield plays to the two ex-Giants: Beaux Collins and Antwane "Juice" Wells Jr.
The 22-year-old was good last week, but he showed real command of the offense this time around. The arm strength that captivated the scouting department was on full display to the point that he is impressing everyone. The upside he has is so clear.
Even if he doesn't make the Week 1 roster, Kevin Stefanski better keep the Minnesota State-Morehead product in his long-term plans.
Christian Harris is falling down the depth chart
In a game where the Dirty Birds rested their starters, it's not a good sign that Christian Harris still played. But it's not just that. He didn't even draw the start. JD Bertrand and Kendal Daniels did, and he didn't even see his first snaps under late in the second quarter--and he played into the third.
Even Josh Woods saw the field before Harris, as did Harold Perkins Jr. It wasn't long ago that Harris was running away with the LB2 job next to Divine Deablo, but that was sure short-lived, as it really feels like both Daniels and Perkins managed to steal his starting job---which became clear today.
Welcome to the NFL, Cash Jones
While Goodson dazzled, he's not even the only running back who made a major impact in this matchup. Undrafted rookie Cash Jones was quiet this week, but took advantage of the extra reps this week, as he led the Falcons in receiving and was one of their most productive offensive weapons.
Strand's first NFL touchdown was also Jones' as he took a flat route 13 yards to the house--but his big receiving day didn't end there. The Georgia product tied Vinny Anthony II for a team-high four receptions, but he led the team with 62 yards after two 20+ yards receptions on Atlanta's final drive.
Cash Jones also proved himself as a valuable runner too. He carried the ball seven times for 41 yards (5.9 YPC) and is proving that he has merit to stick around on the practice squad over Nate Carter even if Goodson is the incumbent RB3. He finally looked like the secret weapon we saw during OTAs.
The juice is back
We spoke already about the Falcons looking unprepared last week, but they also played with no juice. They brought in Stefanski to give this team what they've lacked, and that juice was finally back on display on Saturday. This team played tough and dominated from opening kickoff until the final kneel.
When Goodson scored his 49-yard touchdown, the Falcons were called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty because the entire bench got up to celebrate with him. That was the sort of locker room buy-in that has been missing with previous regimes.
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