Falcons D at Titans: Bunches of Sacks - And An Injury
The Atlanta Falcons did not experience overall success in Friday's NFL preseason-opening 23-3 loss at the Tennessee Titans, with the defense going though a handful of ups and downs under new coordinator Dean Pees.
READ MORE: 23-3 - Recap and Highlights
Pees believes in the blitz, and got one to work in the early going as on a third-and-six, undrafted free-agent linebacker Erroll Thompson got home against the Titans QB, the result a forced incompletion.
But the Falcons experienced something negative on defense, too, beyond just allowing the 23 points to the Titans.
Atlanta endured a pair of defensive line injuries, with Ta’Quon Graham and John Cominsky both exiting.
Graham, it was determined, hurt his hand, but he did make a return to the game. Cominsky, however, was immediately put under evaluation for a possible concussion.
Atlanta was able to collect more pressure on the QB throughout the game, with second-year linebacker Mykal Walker and rookie edge Ade Ogundeji combining to bring down Titans quarterback Logan Woodside.
Along the way came another sack from another blitzer, this time Pees dialing up a rush from Jaylinn Hawkins, the second-year safety, who also gets to Woodside shortly before halftime.
In the end, the Falcons got their feet on the ground in terms of what this defense intends to do as Pees and head coach Arthur Smith work to engineer a turnaround from last year on that side of the ball. The Cominsky injury aside, the ups here come in the form of a total of four sacks - a solid start to what Pees is trying to accomplish.
