NFL Preseason Week 2: Takeaways from Friday's Action

One of the worst things you can do as a fan of an NFL team or a writer covering a club is to overstate the preseason's importance.

We will not fall into that trap. As we know, the results of these games mean nothing. But that doesn’t mean these contests are not important.

On Friday night, the Atlanta Falcons visited the New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs hosted the two-time defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.

What did we learn from these two contests? Probably not much in terms of the fortunes of these teams this season. But we managed to make a few observations about all four clubs, most of it based on their performances in the first half.

It will make for some interesting food for thought this week before each team gets ready for the all-important third preseason outing.

Atlanta Falcons: Offense Looks Sharp

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New York Jets 30, Atlanta Falcons 22

MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

It proved to be an eight-point loss for Dan Quinn’s Atlanta Falcons, but you had to be impressed with the way this team came out of the gates Friday night.

The Atlanta attack appeared quite balanced, and veteran quarterback Matt Ryan played well in his brief time on the field. The seven-year pro completed four of his five pass attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown. He led the team to a pair of touchdowns on its initial two drives, marching the Falcons 85 yards on six plays for their first score.

The Falcons got a 59-yard punt return from Devin Hester to set up their second touchdown, a two-yard toss from Ryan to wideout Leonard Hankerson. Ryan was done for the night, and you could only be impressed.

Atlanta Falcons: Defense Aggressive and Swarming

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Last week vs. the Tennessee Titans, the Falcons defense looked like a different unit from the one we have witnessed in recent seasons.

It’s easy to see the immediate impression that new head coach Dan Quinn has made on this club. The Jets had the ball three times in the first quarter, and those possessions added up to 16 plays and 44 total yards. This appears to be a much more physical unit. One of the more active players was defensive end Adrian Clayborn, a former member of the Buccaneers whom the team obtained in free agency.

Atlanta’s defense made life miserable for New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and Co. early in the game. For what it is worth, the Falcons have not allowed a point in the first quarter of either of their first two preseason contests.

New York Jets: Chan Gailey’s Attack Overcomes Slow Start

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As we know, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick is the New York Jets' starting quarterback for now as Geno Smith recovers from his broken jaw.

New head coach Todd Bowles and new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey saw the well-traveled signal-caller play the entire first half and finish the night by completing 13 of 19 passes for 118 yards. But it didn’t start well as the Jets offense gained a mere 44 yards in the game’s first 15 minutes.

In the second quarter, this attack looked much better, running 26 plays and gaining 163 total yards. The best play of the evening was a Fitzgerald sideline pass to Brandon Marshall, who turned the short throw into a 30-yard gain.

That would eventually lead to a 33-yard touchdown run by running back Chris Ivory and New York’s first touchdown of the evening. Marshall, who caught four passes for 62 yards, also hauled in a two-point conversion pass from Fitzpatrick.

It’s safe to say that those first-quarter issues are at the top of Bowles’ and Gailey’s must-do lists. It is also worth noting that the Jets totaled 10 accepted penalties for 70 yards in the first half.

New York Jets: DE Leonard Williams Makes Strong Impression

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On Friday night vs. the Falcons, Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson was not in the lineup.

After watching the sixth overall pick in this year’s NFL draft spend the evening in their backfield, the Falcons may have wished they had seen Wilkerson instead.

Jets rookie defensive end Leonard Williams was imposing, totaling five tackles while one of his 1.5 sacks came in the end zone on Falcons quarterback T.J. Yates, resulting in a safety. He consistently pounded Atlanta’s signal-caller and energized a New York defensive unit that looked out of sorts in the first quarter.

One good quarter does not make a career, but you had to have a large smile on your face if you were a fan of the Green and White this night.

Seattle Seahawks: Offensive Line Still a Work in Progress

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Kansas City Chiefs 14, Seattle Seahawks 13

Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Yes, the Seattle Seahawks orchestrated arguably the biggest trade of the 2015 offseason when they obtained three-time Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham from the New Orleans Saints.

But the cost in part was the loss of former Pro Bowl center Max Unger. And in free agency, the Seahawks lost guard James Carpenter to the New York Jets.

Last week, we saw the offensive line have its issues against the Denver Broncos defense. It was more of the same Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The Seahawks struggled to run the football, quarterback Russell Wilson appeared to be on the move constantly and the team gained a mere 34 yards of offense in the first quarter.

Seattle’s starting offensive front consisted of left tackle Russell Okung, left guard Justin Britt, center Drew Nowak, right guard J.R. Sweezy and right tackle Garry Gilliam. Will that be the lineup when they open the regular season in St. Louis on September 13?

Seattle Seahawks: WR/KR Tyler Lockett Opening Eyes Again

Ed Zurga/Associated Press

It was a night in which the Seahawks offensive unit failed to score a touchdown. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t someone from Seattle worth watching every time he had the football.

Rookie wideout Tyler Lockett, a third-round draft choice this spring by way of Kansas State, had another night in which you felt something good would happen once he had the ball. He finished with three catches for 42 yards, one of those a 25-yard reception. He returned two punts for 20 yards and had a 19-yard kickoff return.

Last week vs. the Denver Broncos, he took back four kickoffs for 15, 46, 22 and 103 yards (for a touchdown), respectively. He also had one punt return for 18 yards.

If he remains healthy, Lockett could make life really easy for the Seattle offense this season in terms of field position.

Kansas City Chiefs: QB Alex Smith Gets Extended Playing Time

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By all accounts, it appeared to be business as usual for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who is beginning his 10th season in the NFL in 2015.

Playing the entire first half against the Seahawks on Friday, he finished the evening by hitting on 11 of his 18 throws for 81 yards. Seattle picked him off once (returned 25 yards for a score by linebacker Bobby Wagner), but not before he did something he failed to do during the regular season a year ago.

He threw a touchdown to a wide receiver.

Smith’s three-yard touchdown toss to Jeremy Maclin gave his team a 7-0 second-quarter lead and put the cap on a 14-play, 83-yard march. Smith was sacked twice but also ran three times for 22 yards.

He was happy to find the former Philadelphia Eagles standout in the end zone.

“Just kind of a taste of some of the things he can do, and we can do,” Smith said to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. “Nice to see (Maclin) get matched up on a linebacker.”

Yes, it was Smith being Smith. But for what it is worth, you sensed that finding the end zone courtesy of the team’s high-priced free-agent pickup has to feel good.

Kansas City Chiefs: Run Defense Looking Much-Improved

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Once again, we won’t overstate the meaning of the preseason. But if you are Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, Friday was another step in the right direction.

Forget the fact that the Seattle Seahawks offense failed to score a touchdown. For the second time in seven days, the Chiefs held an opponent to fewer than 80 yards on the ground.

Basically one week after limiting the Arizona Cardinals to 75 yards on the ground on 27 carries, Sutton’s defenders limited the Seahawks to 78 yards rushing on 25 attempts.

Yes, there were backups aplenty when it came to both teams and both games. And the Chiefs still haven’t seen nose tackle Dontari Poe this preseason due to back surgery. But when you give up the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL, as did Kansas City in 2014, there’s nothing like a few baby steps when it comes to making you feel much better about yourselves.

All free-agent information and player signings/transactions are courtesy of Spotrac. Depth-chart information comes via Ourlads. Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro Football Reference and ESPN.com.