ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons made their 2026 debut in Friday night's first preseason game against the Denver Broncos. Wearing the team's new red home jerseys, starters and players fighting for a roster spot alike took to the field.
Final score: 27-7, Broncos
Why it's important: With the bulk of training camp practices in the rearview, preseason games are prime opportunities for players to either 1) solidify their spot on the 53-man roster, or 2) fight their way onto it.
Key takeaway: The most important takeaway from Friday night is that the result ultimately does not matter for the team's 2026 record, and the outcome should be treated accordingly. During the game's sixty minutes, we learned that there is still work left for this team to accomplish ahead of the season.
"I think we have miles to go," Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski said a week before the game. "There's a lot of work that I'm really pleased with, and there's a lot of work that we have left to do."
For the rookies on the roster, Friday provided an essential first taste of NFL action that they can now build on. That experience is a big first step towards getting ready for the season. After bringing in a sizeable batch of players in free agency, each game rep should help build the chemistry of this roster.
How the Falcons respond this week in joint practices and their second preseason game is more important than this outcome.
Key moment: With just over seven minutes left in the first half, the Falcons got the ball back down 17-0. This drive ended in a pick-6 returned 97 yards for a touchdown, but it was one that ultimately gave the offensive coaching staff the most to work with in terms of the volume of plays they could evaluate with the second-team offense.
Quarterback Cooper Rush settled into the drive, and the Falcons put together 13 plays to get them to the Denver 7-yard line (the 14th play of the drive being the interception). Throughout the series, Rush hit a wide breadth of receivers.
Dylan Drummond had a nice 14-yard grab before Rush went to Chris Blair to move the chains once again with a 16-yard pass. Vinny Anthony II got involved. So, too, did Zachariah Branch.
There were also a couple of short-yardage runs by Tyler Goodson, who got a lot of work in this first preseason game with Bijan Robinson not playing and Brian Robinson Jr. only working through the first two series with the first-team offense.
Even though this drive ended the way it did, it was one of the only series in the first half that saw offensive momentum, as well as the ball being spread out to guys coaches really do need to see in action as they make their roster decisions later this month.
Standout performance: Chris Blair. In his fourth season with the Falcons, Blair has quietly put together a solid training camp. That carried over to the field on Friday night, and Blair was a big part of the Falcons' most successful offensive drive in the first half. He made a couple of grabs, including a difficult 21-yard catch, and finished the evening with 37 yards to lead all Atlanta receivers.
Number to know: 2. That's how many series the Falcons' offensive starters — mainly quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — got Friday. This was expected, as Stefanski said Wednesday that starters would get a series on the field, or 10 plays, whichever came first.
Michael Jerrell started the game at right tackle, and moved to left tackle on the second series to make room for rookie Ethan Onianwa at right tackle. Jawaan Taylor was activated off the active/PUP list earlier this week, but only really got back into the flow of practice towards the week's end.
Of the eight offensive plays Tagovailoa ran from the pocket, he handed the ball off to Brian Robinson Jr. to start both series. Bijan Robinson warmed up and dressed with the team but did not play Friday. This was expected as he was still in a ramp-up period earlier this week.
Tagovailoa's go-to target through those first two series was Kyle Pitts. Tagovailoa threw the ball five times, and four of those throws went Pitts' way to the tune of 22 yards.
Injury updates:
- Safety DeMarcco Hellams was banged up at the tail end of a 5-yard touchdown play by Denver. He returned to the game during the next defensive series.
- As a reminder, quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is not yet cleared to participate in team periods in practice, so while he did dress and warm up with the team, he did not play Friday. Stefanski said before the game that when the Falcons head to Indianapolis next week for joint practices with the Colts, Penix will remain with the same limitations he has had to this point. Penix will participate in individual drills, 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, but not 11-on-11s.
Looking forward: The Falcons will hold their next practice Monday before heading to Indianapolis next week for two days of joint practices against the Colts on Wednesday and Thursday. Those practices will provide the coaching staff with an excellent opportunity to evaluate their players in 1-on-1 and full-team drills against another opponent.
Atlanta will play its next preseason game against the Colts in Indianapolis on Saturday, August 22. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
