The main takeaways, moments and more from Fridays game between the Falcons and Cowboys.

Will McFadden

DALLAS The Atlanta Falcons concluded their preseason slate Friday night with a loss to the Dallas Cowboys inside AT&T Stadium. While the outcome doesn't matter, the game will help shape the Falcons' 53-man roster, which must be finalized by 4 p.m. E Tuesday.

Let's dig into the details of the preseason finale and find out which players helped their case.

Final score:31-13, Cowboys

Why it's important:Falcons head coach Raheem Morris explained the importance of this game before the team's final open camp practice and said, "This is a big practice squad [game]. This is a big roster game. This is a big depth game."

There are still decisions to make on "starting roles," as Morris described them, and Friday's game was the last piece of the puzzle before the staff has to make them. Put simply: For some players, this is the last chance to put their best foot forward.

Key takeaway: Without many of their starters on the field, the Falcons' defense struggled to slow down the Cowboys, and Atlanta's offense could not move the ball consistently. Given that the Cowboys were also playing their reserves, the game was somewhat of an indicator of the teams' respective depth. While Atlanta had some good moments, and there were certainly some impressive individual performances, the overall result was a bit underwhelming.

Key moment:Purely for game purposes, quarterback Easton Stick's fourth-quarter interception put the final nail in Atlanta's coffin. He tossed the ball right to Cowboys linebacker Shemar James, who returned it 11 yards to set his team up in Falcons territory. Ten plays later, Dallas punched the ball into the end zone and took a 31-13 lead.

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. ED Arnold Ebiketie. QB Kirk Cousins. CB Mike Hughes. CB Clark Phillips III. S DeMarcco Hellams. CB AJ.. Terrell Jr. RB Tyler Allgeier. RB Carlos Washington Jr. ED James Pearce Jr. S Xavier Watts. S Billy Bowman Jr. WR Ray-Ray McCloud III. ILB Malik Verdon. ILB Troy Andersen. DL Brandon Dorlus. ILB Kaden Elliss. ED Leonard Floyd. OL Chris Lindstrom. OL Ryan Neuzil. OL Matthew Bergeron. OL Jake Matthews. OL Elijah Wilkinson. OL Kaleb McGary. OL Storm Norton. WR Casey Washington. TE Teagan Quitoriano. WR David Sills V. TE Charlie Woerner. DL David Onyemata. DL Kentavius Street. DL Ta'Quon Graham. (NOTE: This information is unofficial and was not provided by the team.)

Defensive standout performance: Zach Harrison. The defensive lineman was one of the few suited-up players who we also expect to see a great deal of on Sundays, so his performance was a true positive for Atlanta. Harrison was disruptive at the line of scrimmage; he had a smooth swim move to beat Dallas' left guard and make a stop 4 yards in the backfield. The third-year pro has been impressive all preseason and is in good form heading into Week 1.

Offensive standout performance:Chris Blair. Unlike Harrison, Blair is a player on the bubble with roster cuts looming. He did his best to make a final case for inclusion on the 53-man roster, though. Blair was a favorite target of Stick and caught six of the nine passes thrown his way for 65 yards. On the Falcons' opening drive, he sprinted past the defense and looked open for a potential touchdown, but Stick found another wide receiver, Nick Nash, for a 24-yard gain instead.

Special teams standout performance: There weren't many special teams highlights for Atlanta, but Josh Woods delivered one. In the second quarter, he flew down the right sideline on punt coverage and walloped Cowboys receiver Jalen Cropper deep in Dallas territory. Woods was a special teams standout for the Falcons last year, and he continues to make big plays in the third phase of the game.

Number to know:51. That's the distance kicker Younghoe Koo missed from on his first field-goal attempt. He later connected on a pair of kicks from 38 and 28 yards, respectively. However, the miss is notable after last year's inconsistencies. Morris has continued to support Koo, but a clean sheet in Dallas would have been nice.

Checking on the Cowboys:Joe Milton III was impressive. The second-year quarterback was traded to Dallas this offseason, and he looked right at home against the Falcons. Milton scored the first touchdown of the game on a 1-yard scramble, and he later connected with wide receiver Jalen Brooks on a pristine 29-yard pass to open up scoring in the second half. Milton ultimately completed 10 of his 18 passes for 132 yards and the touchdown.

Injury updates:

• Reserve safety Josh Thompson was injured in the first quarter and was evaluated by athletic trainers on the field. He then got up and jogged back to the sideline under his own power. Thompson later returned to the game after being evaluated in the sideline blue tent.
• Reserve offensive lineman Jake Hanson went down down in the fourth quarter after a run play. Quarterback Ben DiNucci came over to help him up, but Hanson waved him off. Once athletic trainers came out, Hanson limped off with them.

Settling the storylines:

• The Falcons had their final two open practices of training camp before Friday's game. You can learn more aboutMondays practiceandWednesdays practiceby clicking the respective links.
• On the final day of camp practice, starting right tackle Kaleb McGary wascarted off the field. A report came out the next day that McGarywould miss timewith an "apparent leg injury." McGary signed an extension over the offseason and is a key part of Atlanta's offense.
• McGary isn't the only offensive lineman expected to miss time.A different reportsurfaced that claimed reserve tackle Storm Norton would miss 6-8 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery.
• Those injuries complicate the 53-man roster picture with just a few days remaining before cutdowns. Tori McElhaney explains why this Falcons roster isparticularly difficult to pin down. She also discussed the state of the offensive line after the injuries inthis weeks mailbag.
• Speaking of roster projections, Tori and Will McFadden shared their thoughts on who would make the cut. You can read Tori's predictions,here. You can read Will's predictions,here. Terrin Waack will have our site's final predictions on Sunday.
• Recapall of the newsleading up to Friday's game in one spot.

Looking forward:The Falcons have to reduce their roster to 53 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. Atlanta will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 on Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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