When we learned the Falcons were going to trot out reserves for Friday night, it was fair to prepare for something of a slog. Seeing Desmond Ridder running an offense that features Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London, however briefly, sounds far more enticing than Logan Woodside slinging it to Josh Ali and Xavier Malone. No offense intended to those guys, of course.
While the Falcons did park their starters, we got a compelling game, regardless. The Falcons offense did enough to at least make things interesting—Woodside avoided big turnovers, we got a handful of nice catches, and Carlos Washington and Godwin Igwebuike fared well on the ground—and the defense largely smothered Miami before late big plays turned a close game into something of a preseason blowout.