MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Friday provided the first look at the 2024 Atlanta Falcons in a game-day uniform, even if the majority of expected starters did not play. That first look led to a 20-13 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.
Below are five things that stood out from the Falcons' exhibition loss.
KEY INJURIES
This is by no means a positive standout. This is actually something everyone hates to see. At any point in the season. Perhaps even more in exhibition games, when results truly don't matter.
The Falcons had two players from the defense go down with injuries in the first half.
During the first quarter, Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams was carted off the field. The injury happened on a second-and-14 play from the Dolphins' 8-yard line. Miami quarterback Skyler Thompson completed an 11-yard pass to wide receiver River Cracraft. The ball was fumbled but went out of bounds.
Then, in the second quarter, Falcons outside linebacker Bralen Trice was assisted off the field by two trainers. His injury happened on a third-and-6 play from the Falcons' 43 yard line. Thompson threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Malik Washington on the play. Trice got caught up in the mix along the line of scrimmage.
Both Hellams and Trice have been strong depth options for the Falcons this training camp.
Hellams was looking to build on his rookie season in which he started four of the 15 games he appeared and got better as the year progressed. He has been competing with Richie Grant for the second starting safety spot opposite Jessie Bates III.
Trice, meanwhile, is the Falcons' third-round draft pick and has been spending time with both the first- and second-team defenses in practice. Atlanta is in search of a strong presence on the edge, and Trice has been building a case for himself. He looked sharp during Friday night's game before leaving with the injury.
No in-game update was provided on either player's status. Neither returned to the field of play.
"Obviously we had the two injuries in that game that I know about right now that felt bad," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said afterward. "I'll have a better feel (Saturday) when we get a chance to let the doctors see those guys."
SECONDARY STARS
The battle to be cornerback A.J. Terrell’s running mate has mainly been between Mike Hughes and Clark Phillips III in training camp. It was announced prior to the game Hughes would not play against the Dolphins, sitting out alongside Terrell. Phillips started but played limited snaps, only taking 12 on defense and three on special teams. That meant the Falcons wanted to test further depth options.
Kevin King and Antonio Hamilton Sr. therefore received the main nod at the position in Miami. Both veterans, who signed as free agents this past offseason, stepped up in their Falcons debut. King had a few more flashy plays than Hamilton, so he'll get his flowers here first.
It was King who forced the fumble during the play where Hellams got hurt. The ball did go out of bounds, which meant the Dolphins maintained possession, but King was able to execute the possible turnover nonetheless.
The next time King got his hands on the ball, he kept it. King intercepted a pass from Thompson later in the first quarter that was intended for Washington. Falcons defensive lineman Zach Harrison applied pressure on the play that lead to the off throw that King capitalized on.
"They ran the play that we had talked about, so that was one of the plays I was envisioning on making when I was going through my little manifestation for the past few days," King said. "And just being able to trust it, to be in position and trust yourself and go make a play. ... I was trying to get to the house, but hey, it's all good."
That turnover led to a Falcons touchdown anyway.
King nearly had another interception in the second quarter but wasn't able to bring it in on an attempted deep pass from Thompson to wide receiver Kyric McGowan. But again, King was there, collecting his second pass breakup. He finished with three tackles overall, too.
Hamilton, on the other hand, made his name known with his consistency. He broke up a pass between Thompson and Washington, which happend on the play in which Trice got injured. Hamilton otherwise had three total tackles. One was for a loss of 4 yards, stopping a completed pass before it could progress.
CONNECTION BETWEEN ROOKIES
All eyes were on Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as he made his debut. Understandably so, considering he's their first-round draft pick. His play also drew eyes towards wide receiver Casey Washington, one of Atlanta's sixth-round draft picks. The two connected numerous times during the first half.
Penix's first-ever NFL pass was delivered to Washington and caught for a 7-yard gain. That was the first of three completions between the two rookies. The others went for 4 and 16 yards, adding up to 27 yards total.
There was a variety to their mix, too. For example, that first completion was a short pass to the right. The very next play, Penix tried to hit Washington deep on that same side but missed. Or, another example, the 16-yarder was a shot up the middle.
"Throughout OTAs, training camp or whatever it was, every time we got reps together we found something between us," Washington said. "I just think that's something that was a positive thing. I'm going to take that and run with it. If he's going to throw me the ball, I have to find a way to get there and make the play."
Penix played in five series before getting replaced by quarterback Taylor Heinicke midway through the second quarter. He left having completed 9 of his 16 passes for 104 yards.
Washington continued on but wasn't targeted as often and finished his debut with the three receptions on nine targets.
SPECIAL TEAMS, SPECIAL PLAYER
The very first play of the game was brand new to the Falcons and Dolphins alike. Remember, the NFL introduced new kickoff rules for the 2024 season. So, it may have been because of that unknown Atlanta elected to receive upon winning the opening coin toss. It's common for a team to defer, but every coach has his preference.
Regardless of the reason behind that decision, the Falcons sent Carlos Washington and Micah Abernathy out there as their kickoff returners. Washington ending up catching the ball and running it 10 yards out to the Atlanta 23-yard line.
Natrone Brooks and Dylan Drummond were also tested out as kickoff returners.
After all was said and done, Washington returned two kicks for 18 yards. Brooks and Drummond returned one apiece for 2 and 23 yards, respectively. Atlanta did have trouble fielding two kickoffs cleanly, which will likely be discussed when the Falcons resume camp practices on Monday.
"It looks exciting," Morris said. "I think it's exactly what we wanted from the fan standpoint. It brought the play back to life. I was able to get a couple returners out there, get a couple coverages, get a chance to evaluate some people in space and tackling. I was fired up with how that stuff looked, and I think we'll get better and better as we go."
When it came to coverage on special teams, outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone made his presence felt. He was the one who brought Washington down on the Dolphins' first punt return. Falcons punter Ryan Sanborn booted the ball 48 yards to the Miami 25-yard line. Washington muffed the catch and recovered it 3 yards back. Before he could make any forward progress, Malone was there, leading the Dolphins to a loss of 10 yards on the return. Their offense then had to start its series at their own 12-yard line.
That was Malone's best moment on punt coverage, but not his last. He was credited with another two stops in that regard.
Malone also made a stop on kickoff coverage, further making a case for himself as a special teams weapon. His one tackle there was on Washington again, landing the Dolphins at their own 27-yard line.
RUNNING INTO A WALL
The Falcons struggled to get their running game going, closing out with only 81 yards rushing on 30 carries.
To be fair, none of the starting offensive lineman played. In their place, the first group consisted of Barry Wesley at left tackle, Julién Davenport at left guard, Jovaughn Gwyn at center, Kyle Hinton at right guard and Storm Norton at right tackle.
To be even more fair, the Falcons were also without their first-team running backs. Neither Bijan Robinson nor Tyler Allgeier played either. Carlos Washington Jr. and Jase McClellan filled those voids and carried most of the weight.
"I feel like we could've did a lot better," Washington said. "We left some plays out there. But it's a little give and take. First preseason game, got to work out the kinks and all that. But overall, I think it was a good game. We just have to start fast."
Washington, who has been receiving a lot of rep love in training camp, led the team with 15 attempts, going for 23 yards. He scored the Falcons' sole touchdown: a 1-yard touchdown up the middle. He was able to sneak in behind Gwyn and Hinton on a huge fourth-down play.
McClellan, though, produced the most rushing yards with 30 on nine carries. His 11-yard run on a first-down play in the third quarter stood as the Falcons' longest gain by a running back. Fourth-string quarterback Nathan Rourke finished with the longest run of the game when he picked up 21 yards on a scramble late in the final quarter.
There has been debate over who will be the third running back on the depth chart, and the chatter circles Washington and McClellan. Washington spent the 2023 season on the Falcons' practice squad, while McClellan is another one of their sixth-round draft picks and was the starting running back for the University of Alabama last season. Preseason games are a prime opportunity to show what they can do under pressure, but they'll certainly look to improve upon this debut.
