The Falcons mildly surprised us by choosing to park all their starters last night, with the possible exception of Arnold Ebiketie and Dee Alford. That didn’t make a difference in the outcome at all, as the Falcons won 19-3 thanks to an impressive effort by the reserves.
It did spark some questions and grumbling from fans and national analysts alike who were particularly surprised not to see Desmond Ridder, the team’s young starter at quarterback and a player Falcons fans are keen to see more of in game action. Despite Arthur Smith saying earlier this week that starters would play in preseason at some point, there was the question of whether Atlanta would repeat their starter-parking ways from 2021 preseason, where the team looked rusty out of the gate in the regular season.