ATLANTA -- Mercedes-Benz Stadium came alive for the first time on Saturday evening. Falcons fans buzzed around their new home to come see Atlanta play its first home game of the 2017 preseason, a 24-14 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

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Although the Falcons dropped their third game of the preseason, there are still plenty of reasons for optimism as the regular season draws near. Coach Dan Quinn will have a lot of good film to review with his team before Thursday's preseason finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After the game, Quinn took a moment to acknowledge all of the hard work that went into building Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

"Before we begin tonight, I really want to acknowledge the thousands of men and women that really have poured a lot of their energy and time and heart into this stadium," he said. "It's unbelievable. Our team, we're so damn excited to be here. So for all of the men and women who created this lasting legacy, we wanted to make sure we acknowledged all of you - how much we appreciate all of the work you've put in.

"As I said earlier, we were so damn excited to play. It didn't turn out like we'd like, tonight, in terms of the way the finish happened for us, but I did want to acknowledge it's so special to be here back with our fans and, in this, our home."

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Saturday's game.

Coleman stands out

The Falcons' first-team offense didn't look as sharp as it had thus far in the preseason, but running back Tevin Coleman was at least one starter who stood out.

Atlanta has shown some creative ways to get their speedster the ball in space, and it was effective in doing so against the Cardinals on Saturday. Coleman had three carries for 19 yards and caught one pass for 14 yards.

Starting running back Devonta Freeman missed his second straight preseason game as he continues to progress through the NFL's concussion protocol. Freeman and Coleman form one of the league's best backfield duos, and both players should see plenty of action in 2017.

Defensive newcomers make big plays

Atlanta's depth on the defensive line improved greatly over the offseason, and two new additions made several big plays against the Cardinals.

First-round pick Takkarist McKinley showed nice burst as a pass-rusher and harassed Arizona's quarterbacks when he was in the game. On one play, McKinley forced Drew Stanton to move up into the pocket where defensive tackle Jack Crawford was waiting for the sack.

"For those who have been following team, you've seen the activity (Crawford) has had as a defensive lineman," Quinn said after the game. "It was good to see that come to life for us today. He's an active guy inside. He's taller than a lot of defensive tackles, he's 6-5, but he plays with the quickness of a lighter guy."