The Falcons made cleaning up the red zone woes their primary emphasis this offseason and during the preseason, but both Jones and Freeman sat out all four preseason games to preserve their bodies for the regular season, which might have affected timing. Quinn previously expressed no regret about holding Jones and Freeman out of the preseason.

The first drive also featured the “heavy package” with three tight ends and a fullback at one point. Quinn said going with such personnel was the reason why Jones was not on the field for three plays from the 1-yard line. In fact, no receivers were on the field.

Ryan missed a throw to Jones in the game’s final seconds that could have led to victory. It was a fade from an inside alignment, with Jones inside Mohamed Sanu. The goal was to free one of them up versus man-to-man coverage. Jones ran behind Sanu and got the single coverage, but Ryan’s throw forced Jones too wide and out of bounds.

“Probably just us executing that play at the end, we’ve got to nail that,” Quinn said. “We had the right [play] on. If there was a double that goes to Julio, it goes to a certain player. If there’s a double that goes to Mohamed or stays where it was, it goes somewhere else. The read was correct in terms of where we wanted to go. We just didn’t execute it. That’s [why] we’ve got work to do.”

Quinn said an open Sanu was missed on the second-down play during the final drive, when Ryan tried to hit a covered Jones in the end zone, with Jones working out of the slot. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Ryan is 1-of-20 over the past two seasons, including the playoffs, when targeting Jones in the end zone. Ryan also has overthrown 12 of those 20 attempts.

Quinn reiterated how the red zone failures in the opener don’t have to define what occurs for the duration of the season. The Falcons return to action in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers, a team they averaged 19.5 points against in two meetings last season.

Freeman, who banged a knee in Thursday’s loss, said after the game that he was fine, and nothing changed following evaluations Friday. He is good to go for Week 2.

The party in Philadelphia has been ongoing ever since. Fans were lined up outside the parking area well before the gates opened at 1 p.m. ET in anticipation of the Eagles’ first game as Super Bowl champs.

“The decision was not made at the time,” Pederson said. “I still wanted to hear from our medical team, I wanted to see exactly where Carson was at, and so if I came off a little abrasive, that was part of the reason.”

After the Falcons game, the Eagles play at the Tampa Bay Bucs on Sept. 16 before returning home to face the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 23.

Wentz has been pushing hard to return from a multi-ligament knee injury suffered against the Los Angeles Rams in December. He had no setbacks during his rehab, Pederson confirmed, and seemingly hit every benchmark that was in his control. But he has not been cleared for contact.

“Obviously more rest and more time off heals the wounds, heals the [surgery],” Pederson said of the medical benefit of holding Wentz back. “But listen, you’ve got to understand, too, Carson’s been out there, he’s been in 11-on-11 drills in training camp and this week, and so we’re just waiting to get the clearance.”

Pederson did not offer a timeline to say how close Wentz is to getting back on the field, but he noted, “He’s had some great workouts here over the last few days.”

The fact that Wentz heard the news through the media instead of the organization, assuming Pederson’s account is accurate, couldn’t have sat well with the franchise quarterback, but Pederson said Wentz remains in a “great spot.”

“Nobody wants to hear it from [the media]. They want to hear it from me,” Pederson said. “And that’s why, again, [I had] the reaction because I want to make sure I’m doing the right thing for both guys, number one, and obviously the Philadelphia Eagles. That’s why my communication with them is very critical, and it’s been open, it’s been honest all the way back since the beginning of April.”