ATLANTA, GA — The 2021 NFL Preseason is underway as the Tennessee Titans defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta’s offense struggled in the opening half to find any rhythm. QB AJ McCarron was often forced out of the pocket due to the Titans’ pass rush, and the running game couldn’t alleviate the pressure and create any burst averaging just 2.5 yards per carry in the first half. It also did not help that Atlanta kept getting flagged on offense, recording four penalties in the first half for a total of 45 yards. McCarron finished the game 5-12 for 36 yards and 1 INT, sitting out the second half. The Falcons’ offensive line tonight consisted of only two starters, with rookie RT Jalen Mayfield getting some reps. Mayfield had a bit of a rough outing, but head coach Arthur Smith knows it’s part of the learning curve. “It was good. Kinda got his feet wet. We gotta go back and look at how he finished. How his technique was.”
Rookie QB Feleipe Franks started the second half under center and immediately provided a spark with his legs. Franks slipped away for a 15-yard gain after an offensive penalty to start the drive. That gave Atlanta the best field position they had to that point, but they had to settle for a field goal. The penalties continued for the Falcons on offense, as Franks extended plays but had a couple of runs that were called back due to penalties. Franks ended up as the leading rusher on the night for Atlanta with four carries for 76 yards, including a 52-yard run in the fourth quarter to set them up for three points but Younghoe Koo missed a 55-yard field goal right after. While Franks did push the ball upfield with his running ability, he didn’t do it with his arm, finishing 2-9 for 16 yards.
“We didn’t do enough to help AJ,” says Smith. “With AJ, the operation was a little bit cleaner, but obviously there were no results behind that, because of the entire picture of the offense in the first half. Feleipe, young guy, we want to be a little better operationally but Feleipe clearly showed he can extend plays. So that was good to see.”
Pressuring the quarterback was one of the team’s weaknesses last season, but it was the lone highlight of the night for them tonight. Rookie LB Adetokunbo Ogundeji and second-year LB Mykal Walker both recorded half a sack and a QB hit in the first quarter, as DL Jonathan Bullard notched a sack of his own. Marlon Davidson, the second-year man out of Auburn, was disruptive all night as he keeps developing.
“Defensively, I thought we were very physical,” says Smith. “You can feel those guys out there. Good to see Marlon have some success. A lot of those guys. You could hear the pads popping. That was encouraging.”
The Falcons finished the night with four sacks, seven QB hits, and six tackles for loss as quality players showed promise in the first quarter.
Smith says he will look at the game tape and then make an accurate assessment of the mistakes tonight. He does expect a tougher challenge next week against the Miami Dolphins.