The Falcons had a rough opening night of preseason football, and the final line told the story: Denver 27, Atlanta 7.
Atlanta never found much rhythm in the first half, when the Broncos built a 24-0 cushion and controlled the game from start to finish. The Falcons were outgained 224-119 before halftime, managed only six first downs, punted five times, and watched Denver collect 14 first downs of its own. By the time the boos started coming from the stands, the damage had already been done.
That kind of outing makes it easy to separate the night into a few clear winners and losers, even if the list of positives was short.
At quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa got the first crack at making a statement in the competition with Michael Penix Jr., and he didn’t deliver it. His night got off to a rough start with a dropped snap that killed the opening drive, and the offense never really recovered. Tagovailoa finished 3-of-5 for 22 yards, and Atlanta’s offense produced just one first down and 24 yards on eight plays while he was in there.
Afterward, Tagovailoa didn’t hide from it.
“I’ve got to be better for our guys offensively,” Tagovailoa said after the game. With this being preseason, that gives you no excuse to go put a performance like that on tape. Not satisfied, not happy at all.”
Cooper Rush also had a night to forget. He came on in the first half and threw two interceptions, and both mistakes turned into Broncos points. One of those picks went 97 yards the other way for a touchdown, a backbreaking swing in a game that was already getting away from Atlanta.
UDFA Jack Strand, though, gave the Falcons their cleanest quarterback work of the night. He led a touchdown drive after a Broncos turnover deep in their own territory and finished 6-of-12 for 50 yards. He wasn’t asked to carry much, but he avoided the kind of mistakes that hurt the two quarterbacks ahead of him.
The bigger picture at quarterback didn’t change much, either. Tagovailoa’s chance to separate himself took a hit, while Penix’s eventual clearance got a boost in anticipation.
Penix has been in practices all summer but has not taken part in team drills. His clearance could come within the next two weeks, and he is set to travel with the team to Indianapolis next week, though that will likely come after the second preseason game.
Even with that timeline, the Falcons still believe there’s a path for him to open the season as the Week 1 starter, and Friday did nothing to move them off that thought.
If the offense was mostly a mess, special teams gave Atlanta something to hang onto. The Falcons pinned the Broncos inside their 20 on five punts and gave up only 11 return yards, with rookie Michael DeWalt IV standing out as a gunner. Jake Bailey averaged 49.5 yards per punt, while Matthew Hayball averaged 44.8.
The return game got work, too. Vinny Anthony II, Tyler Goodson, and Olamide Zaccheaus handled kick returns and averaged 28.8 yards per return.
Zachariah Branch took the lone Broncos punt and showed some shiftiness in the process. It was a useful night for a unit that was among the NFL’s worst in 2025, and that alone made special teams one of the few small bright spots.
Up front, the tackle play was another concern. Michael Jerrell opened at right tackle, with Ethan Onianwa and Brandon Walton following him, and none of them held up especially well against Denver’s edge rushers. Jawaan Taylor is still the presumed starter, but he’s been easing back in after an offseason injury, and the Falcons are hoping to get a better look at him in crossover practices with the Colts this week and again in the third preseason game.
On the left side, Jake Matthews played only the first series before giving way to Jerrell. Wanya Morris also saw action at tackle in the second half, though he didn’t leave much of an impression.
For Atlanta, it was one of those preseason games where the scoreboard, the quarterback play, and the pass protection all pointed in the same direction. The special teams unit at least showed up. The rest of it left plenty to clean up.
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