Flick's Forum: Falcons Unconcerned Over Preseason Approach. After Steelers Loss, Maybe They Should Be

The Atlanta Falcons' season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers raised questions about coach Raheem Morris's approach to not playing starters in the preseason.

Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris's decision to rest starters in the preseason proved costly vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

ATLANTA -- Kirk Cousins warned of the Atlanta Falcons' slow offensive start a month and a half ago.

The Falcons' veteran quarterback, asked early in training camp about the value of playing in preseason games, said he thinks seeing live bullets is helpful.

It's perhaps even more beneficial for an offense with so much new -- Cousins aside, Atlanta has a first-year offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson and several new weapons, headlined by receivers Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud.

But as Cousins said in late July, his interest in playing in the preseason fell on deaf ears -- those of Falcons coach Raheem Morris, who was steadfast in his commitment to avoiding injuries and held his starters out of the exhibition slate.

On Sunday, Atlanta's offense trudged through a season-opening 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Falcons had only 226 net yards of offense - and only 51 in the second half -- while posting just three drives of seven or more plays.

Rusty? Evidently. But Falcons All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom doesn't believe the issues are related to the lack of preseason snaps.

"Not at all," Lindstrom said.

Atlanta banked over 5,000 reps in practice this offseason, including over 2,000 in training camp. The team also held an intrasquad scrimmage -- though it was first-team offense vs. second-team defense and first-team defense vs. second-team offense -- and competed against the Miami Dolphins in a pair of joint practices.

As a result of the Falcons' extensive summer work, Morris felt confident in their preparation entering Sunday. He showed no signs of remorse after Atlanta's season-opening defeat, which saw the offense pick up just one first down in the fourth quarter.

"I'm not really concerned with that," Morris said. "I think that is especially about mitigating injuries. So we wouldn't have played nothing but 10 snaps anyway if we did play, and we did not. I don't even value that as much as you do.

"I know you may have an opportunity to think that way, but you’ve got to go out there and execute when you get your opportunities to play in this league, and that's what's got to happen."

Atlanta suffered a handful of injuries during its trip to Miami, losing third-round rookie outside linebacker Bralen Trice and projected No. 4 receiver Rondale Moore to season-ending knee ailments. Safety DeMarcco Hellams sustained an ankle injury that will result in him missing "significant time," according to Morris.

Injuries happen. They're an unfortunate part of football. Moore's injury happened away from the play in practice. By in large, injuries are uncontrollable. Atlanta attempted to control what it could by limiting preseason snaps, but it also hurt itself come Week 1.

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Cousins, revisiting the topic of exhibition playing time after Sunday's loss, said it's hard to say whether playing in the preseason would have helped the Falcons' offense.

"I think the key is we're healthy for Week 1, and that was really the focus," Cousins said. "There's never excuses. You have to be ready to go when your number is called regardless. That was certainly no different today."

For Cousins, part of the allure of playing in the preseason was the chance to get hit. His body went to the turf just once this summer -- by accident in practice Aug. 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sunday marked his first game back since suffering a torn Achilles in Week 8 of last season, and he took seven official hits and two sacks.

Hits aside, Cousins struggled through the air, going 16-of-26 for 155 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. In the second half, he went 3-of-8 for 19 yards and an interception. Both of his turnovers came when he had pressure in his face and dirty pockets around his feet.

Two of Atlanta's three turnovers -- Cousins's second interception and a fumble amidst poor timing when tight end Ross Dwelley was hit by a snap while coming across the formation -- happened in Steelers territory and squashed promising drives.

Could those have been prevented by seeing, as Cousins said, live bullets? Perhaps. But receiver Darnell Mooney still feels the overall product was fine.

"I think it was smooth," Mooney said. "We didn't beat us up at all. We played smooth, just got to lower the turnovers. That's the only thing that's beating us. Defense played good. Offense, just got to lower the turnovers -- it was just unnecessary turnovers."

Left tackle Jake Matthews, who's started a team-record 162 consecutive games, said postgame he doesn't think preparation was a factor. Instead, Matthews, like many of his teammates, pointed to penalties and turnovers.

"I can really [only] speak personally. I felt ready to go and I felt like the team was ready more than I've felt in a long time," Matthews said. "We just made too many mistakes. That's the National Football League for you."

In a day littered with offensive struggles, second-year running back Bijan Robinson was the Falcons' most productive performer. He touched the ball on 23 of the unit's 50 snaps, compiling 111 yards from scrimmage -- 68 on the ground and 43 through the air.

Robinson saw glimpses of Atlanta's offensive potential Sunday. He said the team needs to find consistency both rushing and passing and needs to eliminate turnovers. Once it does that, he feels the sky is the limit.

But the Falcons only showed that in spurts against the Steelers -- in part because, as Robinson noted, it was the offense's first time on the field together in a live setting.

Now, there's an understanding of what the group can do, Robinson said -- and while he joined Cousins in bypassing an answer as to whether playing in the exhibition games would've aided the Falcons' production Sunday, he thinks on a broader scale, it may have helped.

"Obviously it's probably good to play the preseason," Robinson said. "But I think with the guys we have, we tried to just go out there and do what we do. I don't really know. We should've went out there to go execute better today."

Asked directly whether the preseason would have helped with cohesion, tight end Kyle Pitts, who scored Atlanta's lone touchdown but caught only three passes for 26 yards, kept his answer short but direct.

"I wouldn't really say it's that," Pitts said. "We still had to put the reps in during practice and put a lot in out there."

Robinson believes the offense was on the same page. Miscommunication and slip-ups occurred, but everyone knew their assignment on each play call. The post-snap details, such as missed blocks or poor decisions, were the ultimate daggers to Atlanta's hopes of starting undefeated.

Perhaps with one or two quarters of preseason action, such miscues could have been avoided.

"It’s the little things sometimes that can really hurt you," Robinson said. "It’s the small details that can cause the turnover. So, it’s those kinds of plays that we have to eliminate, but we will work on it this week during practice."

The season is long, and Sunday's game shouldn't be viewed as an indicator of what's to come. It was, however, an important game considering the Falcons' next two contests -- at the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football and vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.

Two primetime games against reigning playoff teams, including the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Philadelphia didn't play its starters this preseason. Kansas City did. Both teams are 1-0 heading into Week 2.

Each team has different approaches. In the grand scheme, the Falcons' season won't be decided by Week 1, which further means the preseason debate won't matter as the year rolls forward.

But after a summer spent building expectations toward a new brand of football, Atlanta's self-inflicted wounds prevented it from getting off to the start many hoped -- and if only for this week, it's fair to question whether extra preseason snaps would have made the difference in a game determined by miscues.