Rapid Reactions: Atlanta Falcons Lose to Dallas Cowboys

Neither was particularly impressive, with Nelson giving up a bad sack of Easton Stick while Parker was slapped with some penalties. The rookie will likely spend the season on the practice squad as he continues with his development. 

The unit as a whole came up short on a 3rd-and-1 late in the first quarter with a trio of Falcons blocking a single Cowboy. Running back Nathan Carter was tackled on that play as soon as he touched the ball, and the Falcons lost five yards on the play. As a whole, the rushing attack picked up just 16 yards on 10 carries (1.6 yards per carry) in the first half. 

Depending on the severity of the McGary injury, and with Brandon Parker and Jack Nelson struggling, general manager Terry Fontenot may have to look outside the building for help after cuts.

Younghoe Koo Misses Long Field Goal (But Don’t Overthink This)

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris all but confirmed what we have long thought about the team’s kicker battle earlier this week. 

“You never want to say any competition is over, but you know [Younghoe] Koo looked great,” Morris said earlier this week. “Lenny’s looked good, [and] really fired up about both those guys and what they’ve done, but Koo’s got some emotional bank account with me, and I’ll just leave it at that.” 

Koo, the team’s starting kicker since 2019, is coming off his worst-career profes sional season. The career 86% kicker connected on just 73% of his tries last year, so the team wanted to bring in some competition. 

The Falcons signed German-born kicker Lenny Kreig in March after a strong combine performance where he went 14-for-14 on kicks from 35 to 55 yards. The rookie kicker showed off a strong leg, including a 57-yard make in the Falcons’ first preseason game against the Lions. Ultimately, this felt like a job that was Koo’s to lose more than Kreig’s to win. 

Interestingly, Morris opted to send Koo out on Friday to kick. 

The veteran missed his first try from 51 yards but connected with his second attempt from 38 and his third from 28. Despite the miss, Koo has been sharp all summer, and a single kick is exceedingly unlikely to change any potential decisions from the coaching staff. 

Nick Nash, Feleipe Franks State Their Cas e 

UDFA wide receiver Nick Nash and tight end Feleipe Franks are both sitting on the roster bubble as the Falcons wrap preseason action, but both stated strong cases on Friday night. 

Quarterback Easton Stick was able to ride with these two en route to a solid first half of action. He finished completing 15-of-19 for 145 yards and a touchdown. Nash was his preferred target, catching five of his six targets for 69 yards. Franks caught a pair of passes, but one went for a 23-yard diving touchdown. 

Also on the bubble is wide receiver Chris Blair. He finished the first half with 38 yards on four catches (six targets), but had one moment of miscommunication with Stick that led to an interception. Blair broke off route while Stick threw it deep. The turnover was called back on a Cowboys substitution penalty. 

Blair also had a tough drop near the goal line in the second half, and Stick threw an interception. 

Ultimately, only the quarterback is likely to make the initial 53-man roster, but the other three could find themselves on the team’s practice squad. 

One interesting thing to note here is the absence of David Sills V. The veteran wide receiver was considered a bubble player, but with some lingering injury issues to Ray-Ray McCloud and Darnell Mooney, the team may opt to keep an additional wideout (on top of Casey Washington) to supplement them early in the season. By all measures, Sills could end up being that guy.

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