Terrin Waack

ATLANTA After two eventful joint practices, the Atlanta Falcons hosted the Tennessee Titans for their second preseason game Friday inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Final score:Titans 23, Falcons 20

Why it's important:The NFL's 53-man roster deadline is less than two weeks away now,coming up on Aug. 26. Friday's preseason game gave a glimpse of which players the Falcons' coaching staff still needs to see more from before that time comes. Or, who they don't. For example, wide receiver Casey Washington played briefly in the first preseason game against the Detroit Lions, took a lot of reps with the offensive starters this week and did not dress against the Titans, which likely means he has proved himself enough already to lock up a spot. Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has made it clear he's not a fan of playing starters in the preseason.

Key takeaway: The Falcons' offense struggled to maintain consistency Friday. Apart from two breakaway touchdowns a 43-yard run by running back Nathan Carter and a 52-yard reception by wide receiver Chris Blair the unit couldn't really move the ball at a regular pace downfield. The front line had a slew of penalties that hurt the offense's overall production. An obvious example of this came after cornerback Natrone Brooks' interception (more on that below) when back-to-back penalties took the Falcons from the Titans' 27-yard line to the 42-yard line. Atlanta settled for a 42-yard field goal.

Key moment:Key? How about exciting? Quarterback Easton Stick's 52-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Blair in the third quarter. Blair is hoping for a roster spot after spending most of last year on the practice squad. He was ultimately elevated the max of three times andsigned to the rosterlate in the season. There's a lot of competition at his position, though, with someone like David Sills V also looking to survive cuts.

Who did not dress:ILB Divine Deablo. WR Darnell Mooney. S Jessie Bates III. WR KhaDarel Hodge. WR Drake London. RB Bijan Robinson. TE Kyle Pitts Sr. QB Michael Penix Jr. ED Jalon Walker. WR Jamal Agnew. QB Kirk Cousins. CB Mike Hughes. CB Clark Phillips III. S DeMarcco Hellams. CB AJ.. Terrell Jr. RB Tyler Allgeier. RB Carlos Washington Jr. CB C.J. Henderson. WR Ray-Ray McCloud III. CB Cobee Bryant. CB Keith Taylor. ILB Troy Andersen. ILB Kaden Elliss. ED Leonard Floyd. OL Chris Lindstrom. OL Ryan Neuzil. OL Matthew Bergeron. OL Jake Matthews. OL Kaleb McGary. OL Storm Norton. WR Casey Washington. TE Charlie Woerner. DL David Onyemata. ED Khalid Kareem. DL Ta'Quon Graham.(NOTE: This information is unofficial and was not provided by the team.)

Defensive standout: Natrone Brooks. The cornerback has been having a strong training camp, and on Friday he had the flashiest play of the first half from the Falcons' side of the ball. Facing first-and-10 at the Tennessee 43-yard line, Titans quarterback Brandon Allen attempted a deep pass that Brooks intercepted and returned 33 yards. The pick marked the Falcons' first of the preseason, and it led to Atlanta's first points of Friday's game.

Offensive standout:Nathan Carter. The running back was a bright spot for the Falcons' otherwise lackluster run game. He broke through up the middle in the third quarter for a 43-yard touchdown run and Atlanta's first time in the end zone. Those 43 yards were more than the Falcons had totaled rushing (39 yards) until then. Carter was already the leading rusher, with 20 yards before the score.

Special teams standout: Teagan Quitoriano. The tight end forced and recovered a fumble on kickoff coverage in the third quarter. Quitoriano is fighting for a third tight end spot behind Kyle Pitts Sr. and Charlie Woerner. Causing turnovers in the third phase of the game is a good way to get noticed. Also, quick shoutout kicker Younghoe Koo for making his exhibition return after being placed on injured reserve in Week 16 last season. Koo made both field-goal attempts from 39 and 42 yards out.

Number to know:55. The distance Bradley Pinion's punt traveled to place the Titans at their own 6-yard line. Rookie safety Xavier Watts downed the ball.

Titans tidbit:The Titans' No. 1 draft pick, quarterback Cam Ward, played three series in the first half. He completed two of his seven passes for 42 yards.

Injury updates:Quarterback Emory Jones took a hard hit when trying to pick up a first down on a fourth-and-2 play in the final three minutes. Jones ran 1 yard before being tackled by Titans linebacker Amari Burney. Jones walked off under his own power with athletic trainers by his side. Easton Stick came back out for the final series with Jones sidelined.

Settling the storylines:

• The Falcons and Titan held two joint practices before Friday's game:Tuesdays Camp ReportandWednesdays Camp Report.
• Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. did not play Friday, as planned. It would have been interesting if he had after Wednesday got a little spicy between him and the Titans' defense. Penix found himself in the middle literally ofa mid-practice fight.
• During the Falcons' first preseason game against the Detroit Lions, edge rusher DeAngelo Malone played the first half at inside linebacker. Head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich havea vision for the special-teams starter.
• Malone, safety DeMarcco Hellams and quarterback Easton Stick raised their stock in the Falcons' first preseason game, while cornerback Clark Phillips III and the second-team offensive line struggled. Here's a reminder ofall the movin and shakinthat has already happened.
• Falcons senior content producer Tori McElhaney sharedher 53-man roster prediction. There were players who both did and did not make the cut active in Friday's game against the Lions. The coaching staff will have many tough decisions to make in about two weeks.
• Recap all of the news leading up to Friday's game inone spot here.

Looking forward:There are no longer any training camp practices open to fans. So, the next opportunity to see the Falcons in action will be next Friday for their third and final preseason game. Atlanta will travel to face the Dallas Cowboys for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff inside AT&T Stadium.

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