3 quick, hot takes from a narrow Falcons loss to the Dolphins

Just like last week, we’re setting and folding our reasonable pants and churning out three critically important hot takes about the game we just watched. If my recap an hour ago seemed entirely too reasonable, this scorching set of three takeaways from the game written immediately after the game will certainly sate you.

Here’s what we learned that will certainly not be irrelevant in a week, no sir.

1) Matt Schaub is back, baby

Forget the last few years of his career. Forget that Schaub’s last good NFL season came in 2012, when he was still with the Houston Texans, which was three games ago. Forget his awful effort a week ago in an exhibition game against the Broncos.

Matt Schaub is back in action and gunslinging like the days of yore. Schaub went a breezy 12/17 for 172 yards and showed an equal mix of veteran savvy and a surprisingly live arm, finding particular success hitting Russell Gage. With Kurt Benkert out of the picture and the criticism last week nettling him, Schaub is here to prove that he can carry this Falcons team on his back if he needs to, and there is absolutely no way we’re going to reverse course again in exactly one week because Schaub has another bad game.

2) Brian Hill who? Qadree Ollison is THE REAL DEAL

Sure, Hill scored a touchdown and had 30 yards on 9 touches, a perfectly respectable effort that featured a couple of impressive hard-charging runs. Qadree Ollison came in behind an offensive line that looked abysmal on paper and just about that good in game action and spun out 41 yards on eight carries, including a 15 yard touchdown scamper that showcased some real speed. Hill’s been on a hot streak but Ollison’s performance, even considering competition, was enough to put him neck-and-neck with the veteran. This one is too close to call, but Ollison’s got all the momentum, which is a real thing as we’ve often suggested here at The Falcoholic.

3) The Falcons have to be trying to lose these games

Look, no one really thinks the Falcons like, set out to lose these games. But they also can’t be trying awfully hard to win them, and one might be tempted to think Dan Quinn likes to see how young players and reserves handle a never-ending series of demoralizing losses.

They certainly seemed keen to avoid going to overtime, essentially peeing away their chances to score late in the game, allowing a quick score to Miami, and then failing to convert their chances as time wound down in the game. A killer instinct is a potent thing in the regular season but is probably tougher to maintain in preseason when the stakes are lower and getting tape and avoiding injury is the #1 priority, but I prefer to think Dan Quinn has some weird reason to lose these games and thus will be sticking to that theory going forward.