1. The offensive line struggled. Surprised? Questions about the strength of the Falcons' offensive line circulated throughout the offseason and preseason. Nothing in the opener alleviated those concerns. Right tackle Lamar Holmes got crushed in pass protection but he wasn't alone, as Matt Ryan was constantly under pressure. He was sacked three times and hit often (although the Saints were credited with only six quarterback hits). This is a Saints' defense that set the NFL record for most yards allowed in a season in 2012: 7,042. What happens when the Falcons play a good defense? Wide receiver Roddy White's reference to scoring only 17 points: "Terrible."
2. Steven Jackson made his presence felt. This was the offseason move that went right. Jackson showed that he's a significant upgrade over Michael Turner, rushing for 77 yards on only 11 carries, including a 50-yarder, and adding five catches for 45 yards. He still has a burst. But his first game as a Falcon ended on a bad note: He failed to cradle a third-down would-be go-ahead touchdown pass from Ryan with 49 seconds remaining. It was not going to be an easy catch and the ball hit Jackson high on the chest. But in his words, "I dropped it."
3. Defense was a mix of good and bad. As expected, the Falcons' defensive front, which added Osi Umenyiora in the offseason but let John Abraham go, struggled to get pressure on quarterback Drew Brees. But the play of the secondary wasn't awful. Granted, Brees threw for a ton of yards (357 on 26-of-35 passing). But he seldom was rushed to throw and the fact that this young secondary held the Saints' potent offense to two touchdown drives was significant. Also, veteran cornerback Asante Samuel did not play because of a thigh injury, even though coach Mike Smith maintained earlier in the week that he would be available.
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