The Falcons snapped a 12-game preseason skid, following a 31-12 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday. The Falcons' last exhibition win was on Sept. 1, 2016, against the Jaguars. Here are some major takeaways from Atlanta's final preseason game of 2019.
Ollison continues his strong play
Falcons running back Qadree Ollison had another strong preseason performance. In the game, Ollison recorded 14 carries for 51-yards and broke for a 9-yard TD run. Ollison has made a strong case for the running back rotation behind Devonta Freeman and Ito Smith. For more coverage on Ollison's performance, click here.
Falcons GM talks Julio, Bryant and rookies
Falcons' general manager Thomas Dimitroff joined the CW broadcast staff during the game to discuss the ongoing negotiations with receiver Julio Jones, bringing in Matt Bryant for a tryout and his thoughts on the two rookie draft picks in Kaleb McGary and Qadree Ollison. For more on Dimitroff's interview said during the game, click here.
Tavecchio misses another field goal
During the game, kicker Giorgio Tavecchio's struggles continued after he missed his 53-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. He is currently 4 of 9 in the preseason. Although he missed his only field goal attempt, Tavecchio made all of his extra point attempts in the first half.
Atlanta signed kicker Blair Walsh following the Falcons-Redskins exhibition game. Walsh nailed his 46-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter, but his second attempt was blocked.
On Thursday, the team announced that they will bring in former kicker Matt Bryant for a tryout. For more coverage on the Falcons' kicking situation, click here
Tony Brooks-James leads in rushing
Running back Tony Brooks-James had a solid outing, finishing with with 137-yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns -- a 15-yard touchdown run in the first half and a 52-yard touchdown run in the second half.
McGary makes preseason debut
First-round draft pick Kaleb McGary turned many heads with his preseason debut. Earlier this week, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn discussed McGary's return to the practice field on Sunday.
He was sidelined throughout the preseason following his invasive cardiac procedure. McGary has been battling for the right tackle position between Ty Sambrailo. While McGary was out, Matt Gono has also been taking reps at the right tackle spot. For more on McGary's preseason debut, click here
Other notable performances
- Quarterback Danny Etling played well against the Jaguars. In the game, Etling completed 15 of his 25 passes for 17- yards and connected with Christian Blake for a 12-yard touchdown. Etling also had 67 rushing yards in the game.
- Cornerback Ryan Neal played well in the exhibition game. Neal led the team in tackles with seven recorded and came up with two pass deflections.
- Wide receiver Devin Gray finished with a couple notable catches in the game. Gray led the way in receiving with two caught passes for 41-yards. His longest catch was for 29-yards in the second half.
For those who want further analysis of Thursday's preseason game between the Falcons and Redskins, check out an archive of our live blog, below.
