Nothing the Falcons did against the Titans on Saturday night was official because it was only an exhibition game.
That’s not the same thing as saying exhibition games are insignificant.
“They don’t count, but they do matter,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said in the days before the game.
What mattered most for the Falcons in their third exhibition game was showing that their front-line players are ready for the Sept. 7 season opener. After they were listless at Houston last week, Falcons regulars showed signs of finding their rhythm during a 24-17 loss to Tennessee at the Georgia Dome.
The starters played the entire first half and the opening possession after halftime while staking the backups to a 17-10 lead that didn’t hold.
“The first group, I thought they played good, solid football,” Smith said.
The passing offense clicked. Quarterback Matt Ryan completed 18 of 23 pass attempts for 224 yards and long touchdown passes to Julio Jones and Devin Hester.
Jones, playing in his second game since foot surgery ended his season in October, scored on a 52-yard catch-and-run. Hester, signed in the off season to return kicks, showed his value as a wide receiver when he caught a 31-yard touchdown pass to end the game’s first possession.
“We were very explosive today,” Hester said. “I tip my hat off to the offensive line. They gave Matt a lot of time to deliver the ball and put it in the right place. As receivers, we came up and made some big plays. Last week we didn’t play up to our part so we wanted to make sure today we came out and solved some of the problems we had.”
The Falcons’ new-look offensive line also appeared to hold up well in pass protection. Rookie Jake Matthews moved from right tackle to left after Sam Baker suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and Lamar Holmes entered the lineup at right tackle.
The Titans sacked Ryan once but he generally operated from a clean pocket.
“I felt very good,” Ryan said. “We ran the ball effectively. Our pass protection was really good. We’ve got some things to clean up, some protection stuff and some scheme stuff. We’ve got the same stuff that we want to clean up on the outside. All in all, across the board, it was a really good effort.”
The big game from Jones was a welcome sign for the Falcons. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2012 and started strong in 2013 before breaking a bone in his right foot. This game was the latest evidence he’s healthy again.
“He’s good to go,” Ryan said.
Hester’s offensive production was a bonus for the Falcons. He didn’t play an offensive snap for the Bears in 2013 but Falcons coordinator Dirk Koetter has shown he plans to use Hester as a weapon from scrimmage.
Hester had a 47-yard kickoff return and also recorded four catches for 56 yards.
“That’s something we’ve seen during training camp,” Ryan said. “When you get him out on the practice field, everybody has been very impressed. He showed what he’s capable of doing with the ball in his hands tonight.”
Jones and Hester’s big plays made for an efficient night for the No. 1 offense. The starters scored two touchdowns and a field goals on six possessions while gaining 266 yards on 38 plays (7.0 average).
The No. 1 defense wasn’t as sharp while giving up 10 points and 207 yards on 29 plays (7.1 average). The Falcons did sack Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker twice on 17 drop-backs, with linebacker Paul Worrilow and cornerback Robert Alford reaching him on blitzes.
Falcons starters could have had an even better night if not for their six penalties committed for 58 yards. The starters had two other penalties that were offset by Tennessee penalties.
The Falcons had 10 penalties for 97 yards for the game. In three exhibition games they’ve had 29 penalties for 268 yards.
The Falcons are among the teams trying to adjust to a new emphasis on illegal contact, defensive holding and hands to the face.
“We had way too many penalties,” Smith said. “That’s an area of concern. It has been (for) all preseason, not only for the Atlanta Falcons but for the entire National Football League. Hopefully we will all get this figured out before the start of the regular season.”
In addition to the penalties, the Falcons failed to convert a fourth-and-short at Tennessee’s 20-yard line just before halftime and went three-and-out on their only possession of the second half. And the No. 1 defense gave up Jake Locker’s 63-yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington in the second quarter.
Cornerback Desmond Trufant chased Washington on the play. He said he should have played Washington deeper.
“I’ve just got to play better,” Trufant said. “I’ve got to be consistent. I can’t give up explosive plays.”
The low points were balanced by lots of good for the Falcons, none more important than Jones’ return to form.
Jones flashed his rare combination of quickness, power and speed on the 52-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Jones caught Matt Ryan’s short pass after a hard cut as Titans cornerback Coty Sensabaugh and safety George Wilson closed to make the tackle. Jones shrugged off Sensabaugh and faked out Wilson before running the final 45 yards to the end zone with the help of a key block from Harry Douglas.
Jones finished with two catches for 63 yards and the touchdown. He also induced a 23-yard pass interference penalty against reserve cornerback Tommie Campbell that helped set up Matt Bryant’s 22-yard field goal for a 17-3 lead four minutes before halftime.
The Falcons’ first-team offense hit lots of high marks while scoring touchdowns on its first and third possessions. The Falcons rushed and passed the ball effectively, converted third downs and finished drives with the explosive plays by Hester and Jones.
Hester’s 17-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter capped an 11-play, 79-yard drive that included three third-down conversions. Ryan found Hester on a slant route and Hester shook defenders while racing to the end zone.
“We did a lot of good things on that first drive,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy Whtie said. “We had the defense on their heels. They didn’t’ know what we were doing.”
About the Author
