Falcons Vs Jaguars Recap: Defense Solid, Offense Rusty And It's Still The Preseason

Falcons Vs Jaguars Final Score: Falcons Fall To Jags 15-13 In Second Preseason Matchup

After a pretty uneventful third quarter, we at least saw some scoring an equally uneventful fourth. That scoring, however, was a 12-yard TD pass from third-string QB Luke McCown that would prove to be the difference in this one. But, it's the preseason, and obviously what really matters is player performance and not the points.

In a defensively dominated game where the only exciting play was a 76-yard TD connection between Matt Ryan and Harry Douglas, what was surprising was that Mike Smith decided to keep the team's starters in for the entire first half. Rookie Julio Jones posted two catches for 30 yards, but as a whole the first-team offense looked a little sloppy against a pretty average Jaguars defense. The offensive line in particular did not look very strong in pass protection.

On defense, Brent Grimes had a nice pick, Sean Weatherspoon recovered a fumble, and generally everyone made a good play at one point or another. While the Jags were able to somewhat move the ball, they were never able to really string enough first downs together against our classic "bend but don't break" defense.

With Dunta Robinson not playing due to injury, Chris Owens got the nominal start at corner and had himself a nice game in coverage. No big plays given up this time, and he even managed to force a Jags fumble. But even more impressive than Owens was Peria Jerry, who looked really explosive coming off the line of scrimmage. He posted one sack on the night, but should've recorded two had Garrard not managed to roll forward into Kroy Biermann's waiting arms.

As for the backups, for the most part they looked solid if unspectacular. Jacquizz Rodgers showed some nice agility, and Kerry Meier made a really nice catch that was overturned by a Jacksonville challenge. Interesting, however, was the fact that Adam Froman didn't get any playing time this week, even with John Parker Wilson still concussed. Just something to mull over.

While this game wasn't exactly pretty, we still saw some good individual performances from guys like Harry Douglas and Peria Jerry, which is always promising. Expect a more detailed account of tonight's game tomorrow.

Cliff Matthews Injury: Rookie Defensive End Shaken Up Against Jaguars

During the fourth quarter of the Falcons' preseason matchup against Jacksonville, seventh-round pick Cliff Matthews went down on the field with an unspecified injury and now has reportedly been taken to the locker room. Fortunately, the injury doesn't appear to be too serious, and I'd be surprised if Matthews is forced to miss any sort of extended time in next week's practice.

This injury comes after Matthews had a pretty solid game, highlighted by him pressuring fellow rookie Blaine Gabbert and forcing him to throw the ball out of bounds. While he won't be a starter, Matthews has had a very good showing in training camp so far, and should definitely be a big contributor to the Falcons defensive end rotation in the regular season.

You certainly never want to see an injury, but this could open the door for someone like Lawrence Sidbury to get more playing time and show some positive things to the coaching staff.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

Falcons Vs Jaguars Score: Falcons Lead 13-9 As Backups Finally Take The Field

The second-stringers took the field to start off the second half, and thus far have played reasonably well. Chris Redman got alot more playing time in this one, and led the Falcons on a quiet but efficient seven-minute drive that ultimately resulted in a 34-yard Matt Bryant field goal. The drive actually would have ended in a Jacquizz Rodgers TD run, except that was negated by yet another offensive penalty. Backup LT Jose Valdez also picked up a holding penalty on the very same drive.

However, so far Jacquizz Rodgers has looked really impressive. He's shown great vision and agility, picking up 39 yards on six carries thus far. Also worth noting is that Julio Jones played a little bit into the second half, and picked up his second catch of the night. Kerry Meier had a really nice catch too, but that was overturned by a Jacksonville challenge (really, who challenges in a preseason game?).

On defense, the backup squad has looked very solid against Blaine Gabbert and his compatriots, holding them to two field goals in the third quarter. However, one of those field goals game off of a muffed punt by Antone Smith, who I've actually never seen used as a punt returner until now. With him battling Gartrell Johnson for possibly the fourth RB spot, that certainly won't help Smith's case.

A couple guys that stood out to me were Chris Owens and Cliff Matthews. Owens, who is coming off of a pretty poor game against Miami, got the nominal start at corner this week for the injured Dunta Robinson and has made a few good plays so far, including a very near INT off Gabbert. Matthews has also looked pretty sharp so far, getting a good jump off the line of scrimmage in pass rush.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars Update: Falcons Still Lead 10-3 As Starters Play Through Entire First Half

Following up that beautiful touchdown play to Harry Douglas, the Falcons defensive starters again took the field against Jacksonville's second-string offense. Unsuprisingly, the Blaine Gabbert-led offense did not produce much while on the field, highlighted by a big Jonathan Babineaux sack.

Outside of the touchdown play, the Falcons offense has been more or less unproductive. They picked up yet another penalty- that makes four in the first half- and the offensive line again failed to give Ryan any sort of time to make his throws. It's not that the Jaguars are blitzing, because they certainly are not, but rather Jacksonville's front four have continually been able to pressure Ryan.

The defense hasn't allowed much all game, but in a way I'd almost call that a product of offensive ineptitude by the Jaguars then great play by Atlanta. On the whole, each offense has looked pretty rusty thus far, though considering the super-short offseason no one should really be too surprised.

On the other hand, I'm really surprised that Mike Smith chose to keep Atlanta's starters in for the entire first half. Maybe he simply isn't satisfied with their execution so far this preseason, but you don't want your starters getting hurt in a meaningless preseason game.

Thankfully, unless coach Smith forgot to take his meds, we will see Atlanta's backups take the field in the third quarter. One player we won't see in the next half will be new Falcons TE Reggie Kelly, who is not quite ready to take the field after being signed earlier this week. Kelly looks to be the team's No. 2 tight end for the length of 2011 following Justin Peelle's release.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For more on the Jaguars, check out Big Cat Country.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars Score: Harry Douglas Touchdown Puts Atlanta Up 10-3

The Falcons offense again took over, and again looked pretty sloppy. A great first down pass to Harry Douglas was negated by an illegal shift penalty, which was followed by Ryan being unable to connect with either Roddy or Julio Jones on passing plays. To cap it all off, Matt Bosher only managed to get the ball near midfield on a 37-yard punt.

Then, the Jags QB of the future Blaine Gabbert took over and the Falcons D tightened up, forcing a three-and-out of their own. Chris Owens got the start at cornerback tonight, and has made a few nice plays thus far. That'll certainly count towards his favor in the nickelback competition.

The offensive starters again took over for their fourth drive, and showed off some of that explosiveness everyone has been talking about. After hooking up with Roddy White for 19 yards on a third-down passing play, Ryan connected with wideout Harry Douglas for a 76-yard touchdown. As soon as Douglas caught that ball, he was off to the races and capped off a quick 95-yard TD drive.

With that score, the Falcons are now in the lead, up 10-3 on Jacksonville. This Ryan-Douglas connection could turn out to be alot better than people think.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

ANIMATED: Jacksonville Night Life In Regular Season Form

Falcons Vs. Jaguars Update: Opportunistic Falcons Defense Forces Another Turnover While Offense Stalls

Just as it seemed the Jaguars offense was beginning to string together a couple of first downs, Jacksonville WR Cecil Shorts fumbled the ball on a reverse play, and the opportunistic Sean Weatherspoon managed to fall on it.

Once the offense took over, they again didn't look quite as explosive as last week's game as the Jacksonville defense forced a three-and-out. Ryan did hook up with Harry Douglas on a nice 11-yard pass play, but was then called for intentional grounding after the offensive line didn't hold up well in pass protection. As a whole, it seems like Matt Ryan hasn't been getting very much time in the pocket.

After Matt Bosher's first punt of the game went for a touchback, the Falcons defense didn't look quite as sharp as the first two drives. Third-string running back DJ Karim seemed to be gaining chunks of yards every time he touched the ball.

However, there was one really nice play where Peria Jerry was able to bust through and almost bring down Garrard, only to see him stay on his feet for a few more seconds and fall prey to Kroy Biermann. The Jags managed to drive all the way down to the Atlanta 8 before the Falcons forced a 4th down on an overthrown pass by Garrard.

That drive led into the second quarter and a Josh Scobee field goal that tied the game up at 3-3. So, even though the Falcons don't look super fresh, remember folks that this is still just a preseason game. The starters will likely be taken out of the game shortly.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

John Abraham Injury Nothing Major, Peria Jerry Still Off The Field

The perfect NFL preseason game: nobody gets hurt. Sadly, the Atlanta Falcons have just lost their chances at scoring a perfect preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Friday night, as both DE John Abraham and DT Peria Jerry have left the field with one injury or another.

Abraham didn't appear to be hurt all that badly, but I don't know anything. He squatted on the sidelines after leaving the field, then went to take a seat as trainers looked him over. A few minutes later, he was back on the field.

Jerry, who's been hurt for most of his pro career and much of his time in college as well, banged into teammate Trey Lewis while trying to corral David Garrard in the Jacksonville backfield. He looked to have taken a helmet in the shoulder before tumbling backwards with his left leg bending awkwardly -- we'd hoped it might just be a stinger, but he was seen limping off the field.

Update: Jerry's heading back in too.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars Update: Atlanta Capitalizes On A Jacksonville Turnover

The Falcons defense started out well in this one. After nearly picking off David Garrard a few plays earlier, Brent Grimes finally got his hands on one and returned it to about midfield. Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense then took over and quickly took a 3-0 lead on a Matt Bryant field goal.

As a whole, I'd say the Falcons defense looks pretty sharp. Other than Dominique Franks falling down in coverage against Jason Hill, the Falcons defense executed very well.

As for the offense, we're seeing alot more "vintage" Mike Mularkey in this first drive. A couple good runs by Turner and Snelling, a dumpoff pass to Snell, and a rollout play that didn't work. So far there has been no involvement by Falcons receivers at all, outside of a false start on Roddy White.

It's also worth noting that Matt Bosher, who looked a little shaky in the first game, forced a touchback on the game's opening kickoff.

For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars: Matt Ryan, David Garrard Are The Players To Watch

The Atlanta Falcons will play their second game of the NFL preseason Friday night in Jacksonville against the Jaguars. It is a bit too early to tell exactly which players are on the chopping block considering the team doesn't have to make any cuts until August 30 so instead the players to watch have been deemed Matt Ryan and David Garrard.

Both Ryan and Garrard will be their respective team's starting quarterbacks when the regular season starts, but it doesn't hurt to see them get as many good reps in the preseason while everyone waits for the games to start counting.

The Falcoholic, SB Nation's Falcons' blog, breaks down the reason they've chosen Ryan as the player to watch when Atlanta has the ball quite well:

The Jags haven't been able to muster much of a pass rush in recent years, but they have a bit of an underrated secondary. Rashean Mathis looked he might flirt with elite status a few times in his career, and he's now in a contract year.

Okay, that's just one guy. But my point is that the secondary is solid, and I really want to see Matt Ryan continue to slice and dice his way through solid secondaries. I also want to see how Chris Redman and Adam Froman fare against the team's backups, especially with Froman needing to make up a ton of ground to even have a real shot at the practice squad.

The quarterbacks' fortunes also affect our receivers. Julio Jones needs to keep kicking ass-just because, basically-while guys like Brandyn Harvey have to keep showing something to make the final roster. The passing game is one to watch.

The Jaguars' quarterback is conversely the player that Big Cat Country, SB Nation's Jacksonville blog, hopes to see perform well in Friday night's game.

David Garrard - As I mentioned, he needs a strong showing to throw some water on the quarterback competition fire. Blaine Gabbert took full advantage of the time Garrard was out with his back injury and has impressed the coaching staff with the quickness he's picked up the offense. Garrard needs a good game, because the word is people in the building want Gabbert to win the job.

In summation, the Falcons fans just want to see Ryan continue to dominate while Jags' backers are hoping Garrard can keep the rookie at bay until he's ready to perform.

Let's get ready for some football!

Atlanta Falcons Releasing Justin Peelle After Injury Settlement

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to release tight end Justin Peelle, reports Aaron Wilson, following the two parties' acceptance of an injury settlement. The Falcoholic has more context:

Peelle was hurt in practice last week, and the Falcons immediately went out and signed Reggie Kelly. It was unclear how much time Peelle would miss—honestly, it's still pretty unclear at this point—but the Falcons must have felt it was serious enough that they needed to move ahead with Tony Gonzalez, Kelly and Michael Palmer and let Peelle go with a settlement.

Peelle's Falcons career spanned three seasons, during which he made 44 appearances, including 27 starts. The former Oregon Duck hauled in 37 receptions for 370 yards and scored five touchdowns. It's unclear what's next for Peelle; at 32, with an injury apparently severe enough to make paying him to go away more attractive than keeping him his most recent employers, his NFL career may soon come to a close.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars TV Schedule, Game Time And More

The NFL preseason continues this week as the Atlanta Falcons visit the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field on Friday, August 19 at 8 PM ET.

TV: FOX

Radio: 790 The Zone and Star 94 FM (Atlanta); 690 WOKV and 106.5 FM (Jacksonville)

The Falcons enter Friday's game coming off a 28-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener despite a solid outing from rookie wideout Julio Jones. The sixth overall pick in the 2011 Draft caught two passes for 43 yards and rushed for 12 yards on a reverse before the Falcons pulled him from the game, encased him in bubble wrap, and safely stowed him at an undisclosed location. Atlanta lost in part due to its inabiliy to stop The Big Play, yielding touchdowns on a 44-yard pass and a 75-yard punt return.

One has to figure the Falcons will continue to feature Jones during the few series he'll play, and look to tighten up its defense and special-teams play so as to not give up more Big Plays.

The Jaguars lost their preseason opener, 47-12, to the New England Patriots. Jacksonville managed just 193 yards of total offense, while the Patriots tallied 476 yards and only punted once. As bad as the Jaguars' offense was, its defense proved more inept, though it ought to have been encouraging that rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert played reasonably well (9-of-16 passing, 85 yards, no touchdowns or interceptions) in his NFL debut. They'll need an all-around improvement to keep pace with Atlanta.

For complete Falcons coverage, check out The Falcoholic. To learn more about the Jags, head to Big Cat Country.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars Depth Charts, Position Battles And Joint Practice Notes

The Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars practiced together in advance of their preseason matchup, as they also did last year. The 2010 edition, held in Flowery Branch, got famously scuffly and contrasted nicely with the more businesslike work the team put in while hosting the New England Patriots.

Alfie Crow from Big Cat Country observed this year's proceedings, finding them again heated and competitive. He's impressed with how good Atlanta looks, from its front lines to its depth. The cool thing about a joint practice is you get to hear about how your team's players did in addition to updates about some guys you've never heard of, and it sounds like WR Julio Jones, OT Tyson Clabo and the rest of the offensive line fared well.

A few Falcons players who could use a nice night Friday, based on this week's depth chart as broken down by Dave Choate: OG Garrett Reynolds, OG Mike Johnson, WR Tim Buckley, WR Brandyn Harvey, LB Robert James, LB Spencer Adkins and pretty much every running back besides Michael Turner, Jason Snelling and Ovie Mughelli.

The halfback chart is the most eye-catching, with Jacquizz Rodgers running fifth, but we know the team likes Rodgers. No worries here about him failing to make the roster.

Jacksonville has some position battles of its own, with former Georgia Tech safety Dawan Landry holding a starting spot in his first year as a Jag.

For more Falcons, head to The Falcoholic, and for more Jags, stop by Big Cat Country.

Falcons Vs. Jaguars: Dunta Robinson, Todd McClure To Miss Friday's Game

Dunta Robinson and Todd McClure have been ruled out for the Falcons' preseason game at Jacksonville Friday night

Atlanta Falcons Sign Reggie Kelly, According To Report

The blocking specialist rejoins the team that drafted him in 1999.

Falcons Training Camp: Corey Peters Carted Off Field With Knee Injury

Falcons defensive tackle Corey Peters suffered an apparent knee injury and had to be carted off the field during Sunday's practice.