That Drew Stanton hard count. Those of us who were at training camp practice every day saw it … well, just about every day. There it was, with the Cardinals 21 yards from the end zone, and he barked and the Falcons jumped. He had done it earlier, but guard John Wetzel flinched too. (Bruce Arians let him know: "I already got Wetzel — he don't have much ass left.")

But this time, just the Falcons moved and it gave Stanton a free play, and he lobbed a 21-yarder to Smokey Brown that Brown somehow came down with over-the-shoulder.

"We went back to (the hard count) and they kept jumping," Stanton said.

Those two TD passes to Brown, along with a defense that made Matt Ryan look miserable (preseason, yes, but an 8.1 passer rating is not what the Falcons wanted to see in the third game of the preseason) made Saturday pretty good for the Cardinals. Not great. But good. Much better than this time last year. The starters and main guys are done now. They won't play Thursday in Denver. Anyone playing this coming game is either not going to be on the team or is likely fighting (a few locks will play — they have to — but the last preseason game is what it is, especially with 90-man rosters).

That opening trip to Detroit, when things count for real, is only two weeks away.

-- The running backs situation is interesting. Arians would not say Chris Johnson has locked up a roster spot, notable after Johnson fumbled twice. Elijhaa Penny also lost a fumble. Kerwynn Williams is making this team as a return man, but beyond he and David Johnson, it feels like Penny, Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington are battling for two spots.

-- DT Olsen Pierre is in concussion protocol. Hopefully he's OK. If he's down for any time, depending on what happens with Robert Nkemdiche's calf strain, things could get dicey on the defensive line.

-- Stanton quietly had a nice night, completing 4-of-6 passes for 53 yards and his score.

-- Linebacker Cap Capi probably isn't making this team (although Jarvis Jones' lingering back issue might create a need for a fourth OLB; that guy could still come from final cuts or a trade too). But Capi was impressive Saturday, enough to earn props from Arians. He had seven tackles, 1½ sacks and a tackle for loss.

-- The playmakers on defense made plays. Markus Golden gets a strip sack. Tyrann Mathieu a pick on a tipped pass by Karlos Dansby. Patrick Peterson should've had a pick, but he lost it as he was going to the ground. "He's getting fined for his drop," Arians deadpanned.

-- Matt Wile seemed to have a much better night than Richie Leone punting, although the numbers weren't all that different. Right now, I'd guess Wile has the lead for a roster spot.

-- Huge comeback night for Brown. He spiked the ball on the pylon after his first score. "It was an emotional release to show people that I'm back and feeling good." Brown said. Brown has to stay healthy. That's a given. But the Cardinals need him out there and productive. His impact is obvious. We saw it Saturday.

-- Arians acknowledged he considered not playing running back David Johnson Saturday until changing his mind, in large part because Johnson was part of the early script. Johnson made his lone catch of the preseason on the game's second play, resulting in a first down. He came out after that.