RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sources
The starting quarterback situation may still be a source of anxiety, but Atlanta Falcons fans should be feeling much more confident now than they were last week at this time coming off an embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos .
The Falcons rebounded from that game with a dominant showing on the road against the Indianapolis Colts , winning by a final score of 34-6 .
Here's a quick review of how they did in all three phases.
Offense
All of Atlanta's starters on offense sat this one out, with head coach Kevin Stefanski using the joint practices as this week's reps for the ones. Nevertheless they put in a sharp game, beginning with veteran quarterback Cooper Rush. He went 10/11 in the first half, leading several scoring drives - with an assist from a 49-yard touchdown run by third-string running back Tyler Goodson. The run game was otherwise pretty quiet, though.
With five minutes to go in the half, the Falcons brought in undrafted rookie QB Jack Strand and he kept the ball rolling, completing his first four passes - ending with a play action touchdown to fellow undrafted rookie Cash Jones. That gave Atlanta a commanding 24-6 lead going into the half.
Strand picked up where he left off to start the third quarter, delivering a 21-yard play action pass to Joshua Simon, followed by a perfect 36-yard moonball to Antwane Wells Jr.. Moments later, Strand scrambled in for a 16-yard touchdown to finish the drive. Strand couldn't quite find the end zone the next trip down, but continued to throw at a high level the rest of the game, ending with a passer rating over 130.
Defense
We didn't see much of the Falcons' first-string defense, either - with a couple exceptions - including a cameo from linebacker Christian Harris on a slick come-from-behind tackle near the end of the first half. Rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels flashed early on with some physical stops, and collectively the defense held Seth McGowan and the Colts' run game in check, containing them to just 3.2 yards per carry in the first half and 4.3 for the game.
They didn't generate much in the way of pressure on second-year quarterback Riley Leonard, though. The Falcons managed just two quarterback hits (Cameron Sample, Keshawn Banks) and zero sacks going into the locker room. They were able to get to Anthony Richardson for two sacks in the second half. The Colts offense just wasn't able to get any momentum no matter what they tried - how much you can credit Jeff Ulbrich's defense is up for debate, though.
Special teams
It was a good day to be a Falcons punter, who got paid to stand on the sidelines for the vast majority of the afternoon. Jake Bailey had just two attempts the whole game, totaling 112 yards. Meanwhile, Nick Folk connected on both of his field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder and he went 4/4 on extra points.
As for the return game, the Falcons got flashes from Tyler Goodson, who returned his one attempt for 37 yards - and rookie Vinny Anthony II chipped in one for 28 yards. Dylan Drummond showed potential as a punt returner, totaling 49 yards on four attempts.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Instant Analysis: Falcons spank Colts in second preseason game
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.