0 - Amount of tolerance the Falcons had for last week's performance against the Texans. After a forgettable 32-7 loss in Houston, Atlanta came out with a noticeable chip on its shoulder and pushed Tennessee around in the first half in all three phases of the game. The second half saw the Titans claw back into the game and eventually take a one-touchdown fourth quarter lead that Atlanta couldn't overcome. But there was no denying the attitude Atlanta brought to this game, which led to a 17-10 lead over Tennessee at halftime.
5 - Total yards surrendered by the Falcons defense on the Titans' opening three-and-out possession, which set the tone defensively in the first half. While both teams played their starters on both sides of the ball for the entire first half, Atlanta's defense surrendered just 10 first half points and 165 first half yards, but 65 of those came on one play: a 63-yard touchdown pass from Locker to wide receiver Nate Washington. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's squad showed multiple looks throughout the night, often lining up five and six players on the line and employing 5 defensive backs in most sets. The defense brought more pressure than in the previous two preseason games, which paid off as Falcons first-teamers sacked Jake Locker twice in the first half.
5 -Days until the 1-2 Falcons play their fourth and final preseason game in Jacksonville, Thursday night at EverBank Field. The Falcons have closed out their preseason slate against the Jaguars four of the past five seasons, including the past three years.
7 - Yards lost by the Titans after Paul Worrilow blitzed from his middle linebacker position to rudely plant Titans starting quarterback Jake Locker on his backside. Worrilow, who found himself in many defensive sets as one of only two linebackers on the field, spent a lot of time either bringing pressure or dropping back into pass coverage. Worrilow added a tackle for loss and six total tackles, third most on the evening for Atlanta. Rookie DE Ra'Shede Hageman notched his first professional sack in the third quarter, while second-year CB Robert Alford logged his first ever sack in the second quarter.
8 - Tackles for second-year safety Kamal Ishmaei, which led the team on the night.
8.58 - Quarterback rating for backup quarterback T.J. Yates in the past two preseason games. Tonight against Tennessee, Yates spelled Ryan with 9:50 remaining in the third quarter and completed just 2 of 5 passes for 5 yards before being replaced by Sean Renfree with just under six minutes left. With Atlanta trailing the Titans 24-17 in the waning minutes, Renfree quickly led the Falcons downfield to the Tennessee 4-yard line, nearly engineering a game-tying touchdown before the Falcons failed to convert a 4th and 2 with just 66 ticks on the clock. After posting QB ratings of 114.2 and 96.7 in the past two games, Renfree appears to have an edge in the battle for the backup quarterback position behind Ryan.
14 - Number of Matt Ryan's 23 pass attempts that targeted either Julio Jones (5), Devin Hester (5), or Roddy White (4). The three wideouts combined for 9 catches, 153 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan also completed each of the five passes he threw to starting tailback Jacquizz Rodgers, totaling 31 yards.
25 - Yards after the catch on Devin Hester's 31-yard touchdown grab on the Falcons' opening drive of the game. Hester ran a quick out in the right flat then cut back sharply, leaving his defender frozen and leaving Hester running all alone in the seam. Ryan hit him in stride at the 25 as Hester shifted into his extra gear, weaving through and past the converging defenders to go untouched on his way to the end zone. Hester has quickly established himself as a serious receiving threat and a dangerous option for Matt Ryan, a daunting proposition for opposing defenses, who already have to deal with two of the game's most electric players in Julio Jones and Roddy White.
28 - Penalties for the Falcons in the first three preseason games. While in a normal year this would constitute considerable cause for concern, the flags have been flying like migratory birds all around the League these past three weeks. Both the Falcons and Titans were penalized 10 times on the night, and it's the third straight game where Atlanta and its opponent has combined for at least 18 penalties (25 vs. Miami and 18 at Houston).
33 - Minutes played by the Falcons' first-team offense tonight against Tennessee. Most NFL teams enter the week leading up to the third preseason game with a regular-season mentality, emulating the routine and preparation invested when the games begin to count in the standings. Most teams usually provide their front line players at least one half of action on the field before being relieved by backups. Though the final scoreboard displayed a 24-17 loss to the visiting Titans, Atlanta won the first half battle convincingly.
55 - Games played by Titans' head coach Ken Whisenhunt during his four seasons as a tight end with the Falcons (1985-1988), including 36 starts. He caught 55 passes for 551 yards during his Falcons career and caught 5 touchdowns, including 2 from current Falcons' radio commentator and preseason television broadcaster David Archer. Whisenhunt played collegiately at Georgia Tech and was selected by Atlanta in the 12th round (313th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft.
76 - Percent of passes Matt Ryan has completed in the first three preseason games (28 of 37). He's amassed 314 passing yards and his cumulative preseason quarterback rating is 118.5. Ryan has yet to throw an interception in three preseason contests.
136 - All-purpose yardage for Devin Hester, who returned 2 kickoffs for 73 yards, returned a punt for 7 yards and caught 5 passes for 56 yards, including a 31-yard opening drive touchdown.
136.2 -* *Quarterback rating on the night for Matt Ryan, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 224 yards and threw his first two touchdowns of the preseason. Ryan and the starting offense played the entire first half then came out after halftime to log one additional series before trading his helmet for a baseball cap.
360 - Degrees Julio Jones rotated on a scintillating 52-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter that put Atlanta up 14-3. Jones ran a little slant route underneath the coverage, and Matt Ryan split the ones on the front of Jones' jersey. Hauling in the perfect pass, Jones saw Harry Douglas trailing the play to his left and pirouhetted 360 degrees to shake his defender and give Douglas the opportunity to pick off the only other Titan in the area, setting up a footrace down the left sideline. Give Julio a footrace and little bit of pasture, and he most often returns the gesture with six points.
3900 - Minutes of waiting for bubble players on the Falcons' roster between now until the 75-man cutdown deadline on Tuesday, August 26 at 4 p.m. EST. The Falcons must trim 15 players off their current 90-man squad between Sunday and Tuesday to get to the 75-man limit. The final roster cutdown date occurs on Saturday, August 30 at 4 p.m. EST, when teams around the league make their most difficult decisions and pare down to the 53-man in-season roster limit.
