The Atlanta Falcons misplaced 13-12 to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, however this being a preseason sport, the contours of the competition matter little or no.

Let’s discuss what we actually realized from the large moments and the selections main as much as the sport.

The Falcons worth well being an incredible deal

Atlanta sat, by workforce reporter Terrin Waack’s rely, 37 gamers on Saturday. To place that in some perspective, which means they basically performed with the identical 53 man roster they’d have on common season Sundays…however that quantity was with out mainly any of their starters and most of their prime reserves.

That meant the preseason product was understandably iffy, however it was additionally a significant assertion on what Raheem Morris and firm consider the preseason. It’s a time for the reserves to get their work and make their circumstances for depth chart jockeying and roster spot grabbing, not a time for established gamers to get in somewhat work, and method borrowed from legendary preseason hater Sean McVay. The accidents to Bralen Trice and DeMarcco Hellams made the Falcons even extra cautious within the second week, and fortunately, they escaped from this sport with none further accidents that we all know of.

I put this takeaway first as a result of it’s clearly the one which issues essentially the most to the Falcons, who’re prepared to danger somewhat rust from starters within the service of getting these starters to the season wholesome. Provided that this franchise clearly expects to contend in 2024 and given what number of gamers they’ve both coming off main harm (Kirk Cousins, Grady Jarrett) or just set to play too massive a job to danger their well being, you’d be hard-pressed to quibble with lots of the selections the Falcons made on Saturday. That’s true even when I’d have actually preferred to see Michael Penix toss the soccer round once more, and even when the choice to park Penix for the preseason finale deserves its personal article quickly.

The massive roster choices have already been made

Let’s assume these 37 gamers are all roster locks, which I assume is a good factor to say. That leaves 16 open spots and one other small raft of potential follow squad roles to fill. Even the competitions for beginning jobs are being determined in follow, in the event that they haven’t already been determined.

Out of these 16 spots, Younghoe Koo, Liam McCullough, and Bradley Pinion have three of them and are merely enjoying as a result of they’re specialists. Ruke Orhorhoro, Brandon Dorlus, James Smith-Williams, and Micah Abernathy are possible all roster locks as effectively and are merely getting expertise and filling essential gameday niches owing to the variety of gamers out there. That would go away one thing like 9 spots open, and that’s should you assume (as I’ve) that Taylor Heinicke might be ticketed for one more workforce’s roster. There’s not a whole lot of precise competitors happening for roster spots right here, in different phrases.

There’s nothing flawed with that, however it does take away somewhat little bit of the small intrigue preseason can provide us. Nonetheless…

The massive preseason moments are enjoyable and worthwhile

Chris Blair has been grinding away for a short time now, making an attempt to make the roster final summer time, winding up stealing his means again onto the Falcons follow squad, signing a reserve/future take care of the workforce, after which competing this summer time. Possibly all of it provides as much as one thing, perhaps it doesn’t, however Blair was a standout on Saturday in a means that may matter an incredible deal for him.

Posting practically 100 yards and searching easy and succesful as a receiver, Blair made his case for a roster spot and certain helped impress a brand new teaching employees sufficient to place him in severe consideration for a follow squad slot if the receiver depth chart is already fairly settled of their minds. If he doesn’t stick round, he did sufficient to be a focus for one other franchise that wants receiver assist. In a largely forgettable grind of a sport, Blair’s standout day, Natrone Brooks displaying out as maybe the most effective defender on the sector for the Falcons and making his personal case for a spot this 12 months, and Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus enjoying effectively and displaying the teaching employees they are often relied on to be disruptive forces if known as upon have been vivid moments with probably outsized implications for these gamers.

Coaches don’t love preseason video games, however gamers who wish to make an affect or seize a spot need to benefit from the alternative. If Blair and Brooks wind up being follow squad mainstays and even contributors for this Falcons workforce, Saturday can have mattered loads.

Younghoe Koo can have the fanbase on edge for some time

Koo, like Matt Bryant earlier than him, has been a favourite of Falcons followers for some time now. While you’re a kicker and also you’re dependable, that tends to occur. The issue is that misses shortly take your luster away, no less than till you string collectively many profitable kicks.

That’s the place Koo is now. After a few ugly video games in 2023 took among the shine away from a principally profitable season, Koo whiffed 3 times on Saturday in opposition to the Ravens, all of them to the left. That might be a correctable situation that Koo irons out—he’s actually busted out of brief slumps and rebounded from errors loads of occasions in Atlanta—and the season will roll round and we’ll return to being fairly comfy when he traces as much as strive a area aim. Many Falcons followers nonetheless aren’t sweating Koo’s standing in any respect, to be honest.

However for the remainder of the fanbase, Koo is now like some other kicker within the league not named, say, Justin Tucker. Breath will likely be held till he returns to the shape that made him one of many league’s higher kickers, and if there’s a vivid notice right here, it’s that he has the expertise and the historical past to make us imagine that’s borderline inevitable.