What we learned from Falcons’ week in Indianapolis: QBs, run game, trench play

FLOWERY BRANCH — The Falcons flew home from Indianapolis with a convincing 34-6 exhibition victory over the Colts on Saturday and two practices littered with highs, lows and coaching points for Kevin Stefanski.

“There are things that happened in these practices that you can absolutely teach off and can get better at that occurred on those two days,” Stefanski said after Saturday’s preseason game. “Then to be able to come out here [Saturday] and compete like crazy with a bunch of young guys.

“I mean, it’s an important day for a lot of guys on that football field and putting good tape out there. And I thought, by and large, we did.”

The Falcons used practices Wednesday and Thursday to get extensive snaps for their starters in controlled settings against the Colts’ first-teamers. There were one-on-ones, then a multitude of team periods — 7-on-7, 11-on-11, two-minute drills, red-zone sessions and a move-the-ball drive.

Structured work aside, the week also gave the Falcons the chance to build on a disappointing preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, who took a 27-7 victory Aug. 14 in Atlanta.

The Falcons left Week 1 of the exhibition slate feeling they needed more energy. They arrived in Indianapolis intent on bringing it. By week’s end, they feel they accomplished their mission.

“Playing with a lot of energy was something that was really important for us, just because that’s something that’s very contagious,” wide receiver Zachariah Branch told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution postgame.
“So, whenever somebody makes a play, just make sure we have a lot of contagious energy and supporting our guys out there and trying to focus on the little details as best as possible.

“And I think that definitely helped us throughout the week.”

Here’s everything we learned from two days in Westfield, Ind., and a Saturday afternoon spent at Lucas Oil Stadium.

All four QBs make headlines: Tagovailoa rocky, Penix cleared

The biggest story of the Falcons’ week, if not training camp, came after Saturday’s game. Stefanski told reporters that quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been cleared for 11-on-11 work and will practice in team periods starting Monday.

It’s the most significant development in the Falcons’ quarterback race to date, as Stefanski has refrained from naming a starter and didn’t rule out Penix when given the chance earlier this training camp.

Neither quarterback performed particularly well in practice against the Colts.

Tua Tagovailoa went 8-for-13 passing Wednesday with only one completion greater than 10 yards, and he was 7-for-14 passing Thursday, though his session featured three touchdown passes in red-zone periods. Penix, meanwhile, was 6-for-9 passing Wednesday and only 2-for-5 passing Thursday in 7-on-7 periods. Both quarterbacks threw an interception.

Several players on the Falcons’ offense have touted the leadership styles and chemistry between Tagovailoa and Penix, and there’s no animosity between the two. Now, however, their battle to start Week 1 can fully commence — and at least publicly, their teammates say they don’t have a dog in the fight.

“Whoever’s back there throwing the ball, I could care less, honestly,” receiver Drake London said Wednesday. “But they’re both two guys who I love throwing the ball to me, and they’re two lefties, so I can’t complain.”

Naturally, Tagovailoa and Penix garnered much of the attention, but the Falcons’ other two quarterbacks — veteran Cooper Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand — stole the show during Saturday’s preseason win.

Rush went 10-for-11 passing for 86 yards, and the Falcons scored on three of his four drives. The 31-year-old veteran needed a bounce back after a two-interception performance against the Broncos and delivered a tidy, efficient showing in Indianapolis.

“He looked really good,” Branch said. “He’s a veteran guy, so he has a lot of experience in the way that he does certain things. He’s been great for us as well. Helped me learn in different situations, too. So, it’s been good learning from him and just playing with him as well.”

Strand replaced Rush with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter and stormed out of the gates, completing his first eight passes and scoring two touchdowns in as many drives.

The Minnesota State-Moorhead product finished 12-for-17 passing for 212 yards and one touchdown. And Strand, who stands 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, also scampered for a 16-yard rushing score.

“He’s a dog,” Branch said. “He’s pretty big too. He can go ahead and get a chance to run, lower the shoulder.
He has some great reads as well, too. He’s a great talent and an even better person.”

Rush and Strand are competing for the Falcons’ No. 3 quarterback job. The former made a loud statement to open the game, but the latter certainly gave the Falcons plenty to think about as roster cuts loom Aug. 30. And by day’s end, Stefanski was pleased with his signal callers.

“Both those guys made good decisions,” Stefanski said. “I thought there were some unique looks that we got in the game that we really haven’t seen a ton of in the last week or so, and I thought they both saw it clearly. The ball went where the ball was supposed to go the majority of the time.”

Falcons run game ‘did very, very well’

The Falcons have finished in the top 10 in rushing each of the past four seasons, and they have the ingredients to extend their streak to five this fall.

It’s difficult to judge rushing success in practice — for instance, star running back Bijan Robinson and rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels recently trash-talked one another over whether Daniels would’ve tackled Robinson if he was allowed — but the Falcons ripped several quality runs against the Colts.

Robinson, who met with reporters after Thursday’s joint practice, said the Falcons are “extremely” close to being where they want to be offensively, especially on the ground.

“It’s just cool to see us execute in the run game,” Robinson said. “I know they don’t show too much run game stuff for social media, but I feel like we did very well. [We had] a hat for a hat and getting the runs in and showing a glimpse of what we are going to do in the season.

“So, that’s why I enjoy these times to really see who we are against another team and I feel we did very, very well these past couple of days.”

The Falcons carried their success into the preseason game, one in which Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. didn’t participate, nor did their starting offensive line. Headlined by a 49-yard touchdown run from Tyler Goodson, the Falcons rushed 40 times for 164 yards and three scores against the Colts.

Goodson, who’s shared running back rooms with Robinson, Aaron Jones and Jonathan Taylor, knows what it looks like to play at an elite level — and within elite schemes. The Falcons have one, he says.

“As far as this scheme, it’s explosive,” Goodson said during training camp. “Everything plays off each other, and I’m excited to see how this thing goes.”

O-line took a challenge, then responded

Before Thursday’s practice, Stefanski turned a question about Tagovailoa’s performance into a challenge to the team’s offensive line.

“I think our protection needs to clean up in a lot of areas,” Stefanski said. “And the quarterback obviously plays a role in that as well. So, one of our focuses is just getting our protection better today from a technical standpoint as much as anything.”

The Falcons’ offensive line answered. The unit gave Tagovailoa and Rush better pockets in 11-on-11 periods Thursday, and then allowed just one sack Saturday while paving the way for a strong day on the ground.

“It was definitely a big challenge,” rookie offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa told the AJC of Stefanski’s message, “because it wasn’t up to par, how our protection was. And I feel like we took that personally and we made big strides [Saturday].”

Stefanski agreed.

“Better,” he said of the line’s performance. “I think that protection, it all works together. It’s the correct calls up front. It’s our technique. It’s the quarterback’s depth in the pocket. It’s receivers getting open in a timely manner. So, it all works together and I thought protection early was really good.”

The Falcons are still building chemistry on their offensive line. Their starting unit — left tackle Jake Matthews, left guard Matthew Bergeron, center Ryan Neuzil, right guard Chris Lindstrom and right tackle Jawaan Taylor — have played only a handful of drives together this offseason, all coming Wednesday and Thursday.

But if nothing else, their pieced-together lineup and second-stringers took a significant step forward after a rough preseason opener carried into Wednesday’s lackluster practice.

“Most definitely improvement,” Onianwa said. “I feel like a big thing last week was figuring out how to respond, and it’s showing physicality up front and just being more technically sound and assignment sound. I feel like we took that task and we really made big strides.”

Run defense showing signs of life

Perhaps lost in the praise of a franchise-best pass rush, the Falcons had the ninth-worst run defense in the NFL last season, allowing 126.2 yards per game on the ground.

Within defensive line coach Nate Ollie’s attacking-style front, penetration is a central component. That creates plenty of pressure on passing downs, but also leaves the team susceptible to leaky gaps in the run game.

The Falcons return only three defensive linemen from last season — Brandon Dorlus, LaCale London and Zach Harrison — and entered this offseason wanting to retool their personnel. They wanted, Ollie said, big bodies who could move.

Initial returns against the Broncos, who rushed for 162 yards, weren’t promising. But the Falcons played the run much better in practice versus the Colts, and they held Indianapolis to just 85 yards on 20 carries in Saturday’s exhibition.

Stefanski felt the Falcons’ defense played more downhill in Indianapolis.

“I thought our defense in the two practices really had great gap integrity in our run fits,” Stefanski said. “And you can have great gap integrity, but you also have to just play with reckless abandon. You have to have 11 guys showing up in the frame.

“I think you saw that certainly in the practices. I thought you saw a glimpse of it [Saturday]. That’s just there’s no other way to play run defense.”

The Falcons still found success rushing the passer. They tallied two sacks and four quarterback hits Saturday, which defensive tackle Chris Williams said marked a step in the right direction.