Falcons vs. Titans: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The Atlanta Falcons were dominated by the Tennessee Titans 23-3 in Arthur Smith’s debut as a head coach.

The first preseason game for the rookie head coach Arthur Smith didn’t go as well as he probably would have liked, but this Atlanta Falcons outing was meant to get evaluations on second- and third-team players fighting for spots on the roster. With that goal in mind there was some good, some bad, and some very, very ugly.

READ MORE: Titans 23 Falcons 3, Recap and Highlights

The Good

Dean Pees is one of the most respected defensive coordinators in the NFL, and there were encouraging signs from the unit as a whole on Friday night against the Titans. Entering the 2021 season, the biggest question regarding room for improvement was Atlanta 29th-ranked defense and a passing defense that finished dead last in the NFL.

The Falcons only gave up 244 yards, including just 106 passing. The defense had four sacks after only having 29 all of last season. Pees' defense generated pressure from multiple looks, including rushing four as well as linebacker and safety blitzes.

The Titans were only 3-of-12 on third downs against the Atlanta defense.

Several young players that the Falcons are counting on for big contributions stepped up and played well. Second-year defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, a 2020 second-round pick, had three tackles and a quarterback hit. He’s been getting good reviews in camp, and his play Friday was a positive sign.

Reserve safety Jaylinn Hawkins, a fourth-round draft pick in 2020, was arguably the player of the game. Hawkins had a pass break up and a sack on the same series to end a Titans drive in the second half.

Linebacker Mykal Walker was a PFF All-Rookie Team selection last year. He has been a camp standout in August. Walker got in on the action with four tackles and half a sack.

Undrafted free agent linebacker Dorian Etheridge was a standout for Atlanta. Etheridge finished with 13 tackles, nearly double the next Falcon, and three tackles for loss. Linebacker is one of the few positions of strength on the Falcons defense, but Etheridge did his part to earn a spot in the rotation for future games. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the only bright spot of the night was rookie quarterback Feleipe Frank’s ability to run. His 52-yard scramble in the second half accounted for nearly half of Atlanta’s yards.

The Bad

With second- and third-unit guys taking all of the snaps, there were still too many penalties. The Falcons were penalized 11 times for 99 yards. 

The Ugly

The notes on “The Bad” are short, because what was bad for Atlanta Friday night immediately fell into the category of "ugly.''

Atlanta’s offensive line played poorly in 2020, and without a single starter on Friday night, the second-team group showed even worse. The Falcons managed just 138 yards of total offense. Atlanta passed for 21 yards on 21 pass attempts. 

The Falcons rushed for 117 yards on the night, a decent number, but 52 of those yards came on one Franks scramble.

Quarterback A.J. McCarron was under pressure from the first snap, but even when he had time, he was atrocious. McCarron finished 5 of 12 for 36 yards and an interception. A second interception was overturned on review. 

Franks wasn’t any better throwing the ball. He was 2 of 9 for 16 yards, but his four rushing attempts for 76 yards at least showed he had some ability to move the offense.

McCarron was sacked twice and Franks three times. Their combined quarterback rating was 22.5.

Takeaways

One can’t jump to many conclusions after a first preseason game that involved all second- and third-team players, but there were still some takeaways to be had from the loss on Friday.

First, the Atlanta Falcons defense, the big concern heading into the season, is going to be better. Instead of boring and predictable, Pees is going to give multiple looks and take advantage of the speed he has at linebacker, including Walker and Deion Jones.

Second, there’s not much depth on offense. Atlanta’s line struggled in 2020. Smith’s scheme should help alleviate some of those concerns with multiple tight ends and a focus on the running game. But the offense linemen pushing for starting roles, including Willie Beavers and Jalen Mayfield, showed that they are a long way off from being ready for NFL defenses.

The depth at quarterback may be worse. While Franks helped excite the crowd with his legs, he’s not an NFL-ready passer. A.J. McCarron was just awful. The success of this offense is going to be dependent on the health of Matt Ryan.

The Falcons are in action again on Saturday night at 7 when they play at the Miami Dolphins. Atlanta fans should see some of the first-team players in action against Miami. ... hopefully with a bit less "ugly.''

READ MORE: Sacks in Bunches for Atlanta