Was It as Bad as It Looked? Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos Post-Mortem

ATLANTA, GA - The Kevin Stefanski era doesn't really kick off for the Atlanta Falcons until they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 13th, but they got a dress rehearsal on Friday night against the Denver Broncos.

Not much went right for Stefanski and the Falcons in their first preseason game against long-time tormentor Sean Payton and his Denver Broncos, coming off a 14-3 season.

Backup Broncos' quarterback Jarrett Stidham took the opening kickoff 69 yards in six plays for a touchdown, and Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa dropped his second snap in a Falcons uniform. The stage for the rest of the night was set as the Broncos built a 24-0 lead before winning 27-7.

The Broncos dominated every category of the box score, doubling (or more) the Falcons on yards, takeaways, first downs, and more.

But was it as bad as it looked on Friday night for the Falcons?

This was always going to be a bad matchup for the new Falcons staff. Payton is in his fourth year with the Broncos and returns nearly everyone from a team that was the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs last year. He made a tweak in naming Davis Webb offensive coordinator and play caller, but Webb has been with the Broncos all four of Payton's years.

The Broncos aren't installing this preseason; they're fine-tuning.

Very few, if any, coaches take the preseason as seriously as Payton. The Broncos have now won eight preseason games in a row, and Payton believes in playing his first and second-team contributors more than any other coach in the league.

Offensive Woes

The Falcons are installing a new offense, and Tua Tagovailoa has only had a week of practice, while Michael Penix Jr. isn't cleared for contact, or even potential contact, in training camp.

Falcons stars Bijan Robinson and Drake London were held out of the game, while Michael Jerrell manned the right tackle spot early, as Jawaan Taylor ramps up after being cleared to practice last week.

The "starting" offense only played two series, and left tackle Jake Matthews only played one. That left seventh-round pick Ethan Onianwa responsible for right tackle, while Jerrell kicked over to the left to face a Broncos defense that led the league in sacks last year with a whopping 68, 11 better than the second-place Falcons. Jerrell and Onianwa have a combined two NFL starts.

It showed.

$15 million edge rusher Jonathon Cooper was walking by Ethan Onianwa, and key reserve Jonah Elliss tipped the Cooper Rush pass that was intercepted by cornerback Riley Moss.

Moss is scheduled to be a $20+ million free agent after this year, while Rush was at home in Dallas out of the league with his feet up the day before training camp started.

The difference in usage of players and depth of talent was stark, even in the second quarter. Rush's end-of-half pick-six by Jahdae Barron was intended for Falcons wide receiver Chris Blair.

Blair has one catch in his three seasons in the NFL. Barron was the Broncos' first-round pick in 2025.

What about the defense?

The Falcons' defense got a pair of gut punches in the last two weeks. Atlanta spent two first-round picks on edge rushers in 2025. Jalon Walker tore his ACL and is out for the season, and hours before kickoff, Atlanta learned James Pearce Jr. would be suspended for the first eight games of the season.

Projected starters Da'Shawn Hand and key reserve LaCale London were missing from the interior defensive line. Zach Harrison just returned to practice last week. Linebacker Divine Deablo didn't play, and Falcons fans will remember that their five-game losing streak that tanked the season began with his broken arm in Week 7 against the 49ers, when the team was 3-3 coming off wins over Washington and Buffalo.

Starting nickel Billy Bowman Jr. is out for the foreseeable future, and second-round pick Avieon Terrell was out as well. Terrell has been pushing for a starting spot in Bowman's absence.

The Falcons have arguably the best safety tandem in the NFL; neither Jessie Bates III nor Xavier Watts played on Friday night.

It was a skeleton crew out there on defense. Of the missing players, only Walker and Bowman are considered long-term.

The Verdict

Tagovailoa did little to ease the concerns that his best days are behind him, but to be fair, what chance did he really have on Friday night? The Falcons are hoping neither Jerrell nor Onianwa sees meaningful snaps this year, let alone both. Let alone against the league's fiercest pass rush.

Will it get better for the Falcons? There's no way to tell for sure, but there's reason to believe the Falcons will be considerably better in a month against the Steelers than they showed in their first action against the Broncos.

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