Three NFL teams that received a brutal preseason reality check

Atlanta Falcons

Tua Tagovailoa received the first opportunity in Atlanta’s quarterback competition. Five passing attempts later, the Falcons knew little more than they did before kickoff.

Tagovailoa completed three passes for 22 yards as Atlanta’s first two possessions ended in punts. The Falcons eventually lost 27–7 to Denver, producing only 166 total yards and converting three of their 12 third-down attempts.

The quarterback did not attempt to hide behind the preseason label.

“Definitely not up to standard, not even up to par,” Tagovailoa said afterward, according to ESPN.

Atlanta can blame penalties, a fumbled snap and the limited playing time. None of that changes what the performance revealed. This offense is being asked to survive while Michael Penix Jr. recovers from another knee injury, and Tagovailoa did nothing Friday to make that arrangement feel comfortable.

The Falcons have time to fix it. They may need every minute.

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota technically escaped its preseason opener with a 13–10 victory over the New York Giants. Nobody inside the organization will care much about that score after Jamal Adams was carted off with a right knee injury.

Adams had joined the Vikings in July and was already being moved between linebacker and safety. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores appeared to have found another versatile piece to disguise coverages and create pressure.

That plan may have disappeared after only 11 defensive snaps.

"You're just crushed for him," coach Kevin O'Connell said on the television broadcast. "The role that he was kind of paving for himself, and then just having a personality and experienced toughness that he brought in such a short amount of time. We're going to miss him and we're going to need to see some guys here step up. But what I told Jamal is our organization, we've got our arms around him. And he's a part of this thing. But you absolutely hate to see that."

The Vikings did not lose because of poor quarterback play or a collapsing defense. Their reality check was crueler. A player expected to fill a specialized role could be gone before Minnesota ever had the opportunity to unveil it.

That is the miserable bargain of preseason football. Coaches want answers, but sometimes the price of receiving one is far too high.