Falcons’ run defense another reason to be concerned for season

FLOWERY BRANCH — You may think the Falcons are in trouble this season because the quarterback competition remains unsettled more than two weeks into training camp, even though one of the competitors (Michael Penix Jr.) hasn’t been cleared to play.

You wouldn’t be wrong, but there is plenty more that is concerning about the state of the 2026 season than that. For instance, Friday’s exhibition game against the Denver Broncos showcased a defense that was overpowered, particularly in the run game.

The Broncos’ offensive line consistently won the line of scrimmage, clearing paths for Denver running backs to gash the Falcons’ defense. At times, it was not unlike watching an SEC team pound the run against a team from Conference USA.

By halftime, after which the game was left to players lower on the depth chart, the Broncos had run 17 times for 94 yards.

“Certainly can be better,” coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday.

Unsurprisingly, Broncos coach and forever Falcons villain Sean Payton’s comments after the game were a bit less vague.

“I thought we won the line of scrimmage.” (Speaking of the Denver offensive line.)

“I thought the runners played well and I thought we blocked them pretty well.”

If you care to, there’s enough gray area to conclude it meant nothing.

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Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (left) and Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger greet each other after their preseason game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in Atlanta. The Denver Broncos won, 27-7, over the Atlanta Falcons. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Denver is a better team. The Falcons were without a few starters, kept their scheme fairly straightforward and dipped into their backups during the first half.

However, through halftime, the Falcons gave ample snaps to several defensive linemen expected to contribute this season.

For instance, defensive lineman Chris Williams had 29 snaps out of 33 played by the Falcons defense in the first two quarters. Defensive end Cameron Thomas was on the field for 22. Defensive lineman Zach Harrison: 17.

Against that group of likely regulars, the decisiveness by which Denver controlled action when it was on offense was hard not to notice, particularly when taking into account that Denver’s starting running back (J.K. Dobbins) did not play.

It doesn’t help that edge rusher Jalon Walker, a skilled run defender, is out for the year, and that edge rusher James Pearce Jr. will be suspended for the first eight games of the season.

That does not mean the Falcons are unavoidably doomed to a ninth consecutive season without a postseason. But it was hard to take much encouragement from Friday’s 27-7 loss.

“Preseason games are important,” Stefanski said. “Listen, if they’re keeping score, we want to win. It’s the competitive nature of how we operate.”

This does seem like a case of how things are never as good or as bad as they seem. Perhaps the team’s joint practices with the Colts this week in Indianapolis will paint a different picture.

But if Friday was any indication of what lies ahead from a run-defense front, it may be a case of the Falcons getting what they’ve paid for (or could afford).

While doling out extensions to stars such as Bijan Robinson and Drake London, new general manager Ian Cunningham took a different approach in free agency, signing a number of veterans to one-year deals for relatively small contracts for cap purposes.

That includes players on the defensive front such as Williams, Thomas and Samson Ebukam. Defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand, who did not play Friday because of injury, is another.