2023 Preseason: Winners and Losers from the Atlanta Falcons game with the Miami Dolphins

Loser: QB Logan Woodside

Sure, Logan Woodside had a solid outing, but when searching for losers, he stood out despite connecting on 60.8 percent of his passes. Woodside is a talented player for a third or fourth string quarterback, but his game really shows the discrepancy of a third string player. Even in this offense that insulates a quarterback, he needs to be more efficient and accurate with his throws to show that he's deserving of a roster spot and the 3rd quarterback spot on game days.

Winner: Upgraded pass rush

Whether it was Mike Jones coming through the middle, Albert Huggins penetrating the interior, Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone attacking off the edge, or someone else creating pressure from a nickel blitz or some sort of safety blitz, the Falcons really have defined a real pass rush. The Falcons had five sacks and nine quarterback hits during the game and terrorized Miami passers all throughout the game. They even forced an intentional grounding penalty as well. The Falcons pass rush showing improvement even with the depth units is a promising sign.

Loser: K Younghoe Koo

Younghoe Koo has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the last three seasons. He's really come into his own as a kicker, but tonight was not his best night. On the wet field in Miami, he missed two extra points and the Falcons didn't attempt any field goals. Koo will hopefully get everything fixed in the end. He's shown that he has been one of most reliable pieces of the offense in the last three seasons and should get back to his form at some point before the season starts.

Winner: CB Breon Brooks

Someone who hasn't had much said about them during training camp was Breon Brooks. However, in this first game, he showed why he was still on the roster despite a two-game suspension coming his way to start the season. Brooks played well in coverage throughout the game when he was in it. He also made multiple splash plays with three pass deflections, a tackle-for-loss and a pick-six that capped off the Falcons scoring and his excellent game in the fourth quarter.

Winner: CB/PR Dee Alford

The Falcons were already going to trust Dee Alford to be the nickel cornerback if all preseason depth charts were to be believed. But he might have earned a role as the starting punt returner as well. On a fourth quarter punt return, Alford took it to the house and solidified his spot in the punt returner rankings. Atlanta would be foolish to not continue to put Alford back out there for the 2023 season. Past that, Avery Williams should resume the job, but Alford should have the spot for 2023.

All advanced stats are courtesy Pro Football Focus or Football Outsiders. All traditional stats are courtesy of official team websites, NFLGSIS or CFB Stats. All RAS and athletic testing numbers are courtesy of DraftScout.com and Kent Lee Platte's RAS Football website.