Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski did not get the result he wanted in Friday's preseason-opening loss to the Denver Broncos, but he remains confident that his team is trending in the right direction entering this weekend's matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Stefanski met with the media ahead of Monday's practice and provided some injury updates on Jake Matthews, Jawaan Taylor, Jessie Bates III and Xavier Watts. Matthews won't practice due to an undisclosed injury he suffered against the Broncos, but Stefanski said he wasn't overly concerned and that the veteran left tackle should be good to go for joint practices with the Colts later this week. Meanwhile, Watts, Bates and Taylor are all back at practice after sitting out of Friday's preseason opener, per team reporter Tori McElhaney.
Jawaan Taylor will practice today, and the Falcons will evaluate how much they put on his plate in joint practices depending on how things go today. Jessie Bates III, Xavier Watts will be "out there" today in practice, too, per Stefanski. — Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) August 17, 2026 Stefanski was also asked about the team's poor offensive performance in Friday's loss, including that of his quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. "He wants to be better," Stefanski said of Tagovailoa's mindset after his underwhelming debut. "Our offense wants to be better. Our coaches want to be better." In terms of where the offense must improve, Stefanski didn't hold back. "Didn't score enough points, didn't move the ball well enough. Not enough first downs." We'll see if the offense can fare any better in this week's joint practices against the Colts. Stefanski also said the Falcons would not be playing starters in their second exhibition, though, so expect to see more of Jack Strand and Cooper Rush in Saturday's game.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Kevin Stefanski provides injury updates ahead of Falcons practice