BALTIMORE — The Atlanta Falcons dressed 53 men Saturday for their second preseason game, a 13-12 loss to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. None were starters, aside from special teams.
THE PLAYERS WHO SUITED UP
The Falcons' non-dressed list was 11 players longer against the Ravens than it was against the Miami Dolphins last week. Twenty-six players didn't play in Miami. Thirty-seven were out of uniform in Baltimore.
This shouldn't be all that surprising, considering the Falcons sustained some key injuries last week in Miami. Outside linebacker Bralen Trice, defensive back Harrison Hand, and wide receiver Rondale Moore were all placed on the reserve/injured list due to knee injuries in the aftermath. Safety DeMarcco Hellams remains on the 90-man roster but is out for a "significant" period of time due to an ankle injury, per head coach Raheem Morris.
Surely the coaching staff doesn't want to risk any more losses, especially in the preseason. So, the Falcons gave plenty of playing time to those fighting for a future with the organization.
Those who did not dress included: quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr., wide receivers Darnell Mooney, Drake London, KhaDarel Hodge and Ray-Ray McCloud III, running backs Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier, tight ends Kyle Pitts, Ross Dwelley and Charlie Woerner, offensive linemen Chris Lindstrom, Matthew Bergeron, Drew Dalman, Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary, defensive linemen David Onyemata, Kentavius Street, Ta'Quon Graham, Zach Harrison, Grady Jarrett and Eddie Goldman, outside linebackers Lorenzo Carter, Matthew Judon and Arnold Ebiketie, inside linebackers Troy Andersen, Nate Landman and Kaden Elliss, cornerbacks Dee Alford, Mike Hughes, Clark Phillips III, A.J. Terrell and Antonio Hamilton Sr. and safeties Jessie Bates III, Richie Grant, Dane Cruikshank and Hellams.
Defensively, the Falcons started defensive linemen Zion Logue, Brandon Dorlus and LaCale London, outside linebackers James Smith-Williams and Demone Harris, inside linebacker JD Bertrand and Milo Eifler, cornerbacks Anthony Johnson and Natrone Brooks and safeties Michah Abernathy and Lukas Denis.
Offensively, the Falcons started offensive linemen Julién Davenport, Jovaughn Gwyn, Ryan Neuzil, Kyle Hinton and Andrew Stueber, tight end John FitzPatrick, running back Carlos Washington Jr., wide receivers Casey Washington and Dylan Drummond and quarterback Taylor Heinicke.
DEFENSIVE OBSERVATIONS
The front thrived. The secondary, not so much.
During the first half, the Ravens totaled 150 offensive yards – 119 passing and 31 rushing. Quarterback Josh Johnson completed all 11 of his pass attempts for 120 yards; he was sacked once for a loss of 12 yards by rookie defensive lineman Ruke Orhorhoro. His backup, Devin Leary, went 1 of 3 for 11 yards. The Ravens averaged 1.7 yards per carry on 18 attempts. Their longest burst on the ground went for 8 yards.
This theme persisted into the second half.
Emory Jones, the Raven's third-string quarterback, completed a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dayton Wade. Cornerback Anthony Johnson was in coverage on the play but got fooled on a double move by Wade.
Tommy Togiai and Bradlee Anae each came away from the game with a half-sack against Jones. Overall, the Falcons had six tackles for loss but no pass breakups, further highlighting the discrepancy between the front end and the back end of Atlanta's defense.
The Ravens totaled 301 offensive yards -- 230 passing and 71 rushing.
OFFENSIVE OBSERVATIONS
Given how many players sat out Friday, an inactive Penix wasn't necessarily a shock, but it was notable. The Falcons brass has made it clear – repeatedly – that Cousins is the starting quarterback and Penix the backup. So, Atlanta wouldn't have risked its starter by playing Penix, but it decided to keep him out of harm's way regardless.
Penix took 34% of the Falcons' offensive snaps against the Dolphins, completing nine of his 16 pass attempts for 104 yards in his exhibition debut. He was pulled before halftime.
In the second preseason game, it was Heinicke who took the field with the Falcons' starting offense. He was pulled midway through the third quarter, allowing John Paddock his first opportunity to see game action. Heinicke finished with eight completions on 16 pass attempts for 114 yards. Paddock was 9 of 17 for 78 yards. Neither quarterback had a touchdown pass or an interception. They were also kept clean on Saturday as Atlanta's offensive line did not allow a sack.
Wide receiver Chris Blair was Atlanta's top producer, catching four of his five targets for 91 yards, including a 32-yarder in the second quarter. Wide receiver Casey Washington had a team-high six targets but didn't catch a single one.
The Falcons' sole touchdown came via a 3-yard run by rookie running back Jase McClellan. His carry on the 2-point conversion that followed fell short.
SPECIAL TEAMS OBSERVATIONS
Kicker Younghoe Koo missed three field goals in the game – all flying too far left. His first miss came from 40 yards out in the first quarter; his second was from 45 yards out in the second quarter; and his third was from 49 yards out in the fourth quarter. He did, however, nail a 54-yarder to put the first points on the board. He then made a 25-yarder shortly after halftime.
This is preseason, though, so don't sound the alarms just yet. In regular-season play, Koo has only ever had three games in which he missed more than one field-goal attempt (one in 2017, two in 2023). That's out of 78 career games. He has never missed three in a single game, though.
Elsewhere, Koo deserves some flowers for his tackle on the opening kickoff. He booted the ball 61 yards from the Atlanta 35-yard line and then hustled his way downfield to stop Ravens returner Chris Collier at the Baltimore 34-yard line. Koo was in the action, too. Not chasing.
