With most of the Atlanta starters getting the night off, the Titans held on to defeat the Falcons, 23-20, Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Titans improved to 1-1 in the exhibition season, while the Falcons dropped to 0-2.
In addition to the starters, Falcons first-round pick Jalon Walker, the 15th overall player taken in the draft, did not play because of a groin injury.
Third-string quarterback Easton Stick, who was efficient in the Falcons’ exhibition season opener against the Lions, took a while to get going. He tossed an interception that was returned for a touchdown and had another pick wiped away by offsetting penalties.
Stick led the Falcons to a couple of field goals, a 43-yard touchdown run by running back Nathan Carter and 52-yard bomb to wide receiver Chris Blair.
“We didn’t get the penalties that we did in the first half that stopped some drives,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said. “That was the main thing on offense.”
Emory Jones had a chance to drive the Falcons to a potential winning score, but he was stopped short on a fourth-and-2 run with under three minutes to play.
“We were going for the win,” Morris said. “I’m not a big tie guy.”
The Titans were forced to punt and the Falcons got the ball back with 1:39 to play. Jones was injured on his run and Stick had to close out the game.
A bomb for Jesse Matthews with 11 seconds left fell incomplete, as the last-ditch effort failed.
Stick completed 19 of 32 passes for 173 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He had a passer rating of 71.6.
“We really did a good job of coming out and limiting the penalties in the second half,” Morris said.“I believe we had three in the second half and seven in the first half, that’s unacceptable.”
Titans quarterback Cam Ward, the No. 1 player taken in the draft, started and played three series. He completed 2 of 7 passes for 42 yards and had a passer rating of 52.1. Former Falcons wide receiver Van Jefferson dropped a long gainer that would have helped Ward’s stats, but overall, it was a lackluster showing.
The Titans held a 13-3 halftime lead as the Falcons’ backups couldn’t sustain drives.
After an exchange of punts, the Falcons were on the move until Titans cornerback Kendall Booker stepped in front of a Stick pass intended for wide receiver Nick Nash and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Kicker Joey Slye missed the point after as the Titans took a 6-0 lead.
The game devolved into a punt-fest until Falcons cornerback Natrone Brooks intercepted a pass from quarterback Brandon Allen and returned it 33 yards to the Titans’ 27.
“I was I kind of anticipating that route, so I just kind of stayed there and played the route,” Brooks said. “I just trusted my studying.”
The offense couldn’t stand the prosperity.
Rookie right tackle Jack Nelson had a holding call followed by a false start by left tackle Elijah Wilkinson. The Falcons found themselves first-and-25 from Tennessee’s 42.
The Falcons couldn’t overcome the penalties and settled for Younghoe Koo’s 42-yard field goal to close the gap.
On their ensuing drive, Allen connected with tight end Gunnar Helm for a 25-yard touchdown with :43 left in the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the Falcons clawed back into the game.
After three-and-out by the Titans, the Falcons got the big run from Carter with 12:12 to play.
On the kickoff, backup tight end Teagan Quitoriano recovered the fumble at the Titans’ 25.
“I was able to get off my block and found a really good play,” Quitoriano said. “When I wrapped up the tackle, I found my arm right on the ball and I just ripped it out. It fell right at my feet.”
The offense couldn’t move the ball and Koo made a 39-yard field goal to tie the game, 13-13.
The Falcons defense gave up a 13-play, 87-yard drive. Sixth-string running back Jemar Johnson scored on a 16-yard run to make it 20-13. Brooks missed a tackle that would have stopped the play. The Falcons don’t tackle to the ground in practice and that shows up in games.
Stick finally got into a groove and hit Blair for a 52-yard score on a smooth double-move route. Koo’s point after tied it up at 20 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter.
“I think everybody kind drove on that option route and kind of left me open,” Blair said. “Easton saw it and it was kind of the play we had the first time we threw the interception. We just came back to it and made it work.”
The Titans added a 23-yard field goal by Slye. Emory Jones came in at quarterback for the Falcons with 8:58 to play.
The Falcons elected not to play most of their starters again.
While Walker did not play the Falcons’ second first-round pick (26th), James Pearce Jr. started alongside of Arnold Ebiketie. He has some pressure on the Brooks interception.
For the most part, the Falcons defense didn’t mount much pressure against the Titans, as their quarterback had clean passing pockets for most of the game. They were no sacks and just two quarterback hits.
The Falcons are set to close out the exhibition season when they face the Cowboys at 7 p.m. Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
