— Let’s get to the quarterback stats right away. Penix completed 18 of his 28 passes, facing both the first- and second-team defenses. Cousins was 7-of-9. Stick was 2-of-2. Jones was 2-of-4.
— Rotation among the first-team defense continued, which is no surprise given the depth available and how many position battles are happening. The very first lineup of 11 included defensive linemen LaCale London and Ta’Quon Graham, edge rushers Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd, inside linebackers Kaden Elliss and Divine Deablo, cornerbacks Mike Hughes, A.J. Terrell Jr. and Billy Bowman Jr. (slot) and safeties Jordan Fuller and Jessie Bates III. It definitely didn’t stay that way. For example, cornerback Mike Ford Jr. even took snaps with the unit. Rookie edge rushers Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. did, too. So, it’s difficult to name one starting lineup. There likely will never be just one.
— One position battle that may be the closest of all is the safety spot alongside Bates. Fuller is a veteran who the Falcons signed as a free agent. Xavier Watts is a rookie who the Falcons drafted in the third round. DeMarcco Hellams is a third-year player making his return from an injury. All of them spent nearly equal time partnered with Bates with the first-team defense.
— Casey Washington ran solely with the first-team offense, indicating that he has filled the void of the wide receiver spot vacated by Darnell Mooney, who is still out with a shoulder injury. Washington’s speed was seen immediately with his first target, which was a deep shot downfield from Penix. Washington easily outran his defender and created great separation down the left sideline.
— Floyd intercepted Cousins’ very first pass attempt with the second-team offense. The ball looked like it was intended for tight end Teagan Quitoriano, but instead of sailing over Floyd’s head, it landed right in his hands. Not too long thereafter, Deablo nearly had an interception against the first-team offense when Elliss tipped one of Penix’s passes meant for tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. The ball ultimately fell out of Deablo’s hands as he landed on the ground.
— There were two rushing touchdowns. Running back Tyler Allgeier had one – within the 5-yard line – with the first-team offense. Stick scrambled for about 48 yards to reach the end zone himself. Stick did that before he even attempted a pass. He did throw a touchdown pass, too, in a different series. It looked to be an 18-yarder to tight end Feleipe Franks.
— There were two catches by wide receiver Drake London that were tentative touchdowns. Depends who you ask. London had a beautiful catch over Terrell. It was a 20-yard completion, but the argument was whether London crossed the goal line. Wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard was calling for a touchdown to the referee. The second close call came on the very final play. This time, Hughes was covering London, who dove to catch a 15-yard pass in the end zone. Defense claimed London’s feet did not touch grass inbounds. Offense, naturally, claimed and celebrated otherwise. The team as a whole watched the replay during their post-practice huddle.
— Younghoe Koo kicked all of the field goals throughout the scrimmage, making six of his seven boots. It looked like the distances he was good from were (in order) 40, 33, 48, 38, 50 and 33 yards. His sole miss was a 60-yarder. If the scrimmage was any indication, it looks like the kicking battle has been settled in the veteran’s favor, at least for now, over rookie Lenny Krieg who is expected to be the team’s kicker in Friday’s game.
What’s next: The Falcons have the preseason opener against the Lions on Friday. It’s scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FOX5 will carry the live broadcast.
Countdown to kickoff: There are 32 days until the Falcons’ Week 1 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 7 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | See full schedule
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