Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
BLOCK! Falcons Swat Jaguars Punt Into TD
The Atlanta Falcons are injecting some juice into the final preseason game.
After forcing the Jacksonville Jaguars to punt deep in their own territory, the Falcons applied even more pressure on fourth down.
Veteran linebacker Quinton Bell blocked Logan Cooke's punt just outside of the 5-yard line. It was recovered by rookie linebacker DeAngelo Malone, who fell on it just outside of the end zone.
On the next play, running back Qadree Ollison charged into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
Ollison's touchdown run marked his fourth carry of the day. He's now racked up 21 yards in the first half, leading the team alongside Caleb Huntley.
Moving back to the blocked punt, seeing some special teams improvement is a welcomed addition to the team. The Falcons ranked towards the bottom of the league's special teams rankings a year ago, but plays like this won't keep Atlanta there in 2022.
Special teams is the easiest way to try and earn playing time or make the team. Bell, who was on the team's practice squad a year ago, likely earned major brownie points with head coach Arthur Smith and special teams coordinator Marquice Williams.
As a seventh-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Las Vegas Raiders (then the Oakland Raiders), he failed to make the team out of his rookie training camp. He appeared in five games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and won a Super Bowl with the team, but now he's looking for more playing time with the Falcons. Plays like this will help that cause.
