Preseason stakes must be weighed carefully. Watching the game in a vacuum, you could panic about the state of the secondary, until you remember that the starters and even some of the top reserves there were nowhere to be found on Saturday. You could also gush about the work of some of the deep reserve running backs and receivers, but you do have to consider who they were playing against.
All that said, when you’re jockeying for roster spots or positions on the depth chart, these performances do matter a great deal, even if their impact on the Atlanta Falcons’ gameday fortunes come September may be minimal.