Though most of their starters did not play, the New York Jets' 24-16 preseason win against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday was still important for the coaches to assess players on the bubble, whether that be positioning on the depth chart or battling for a roster spot.

The Jets did not play 15 of their projected 22 starters. They kept it vanilla on both sides of the ball and leaned heavily on their second and third stringers.

The result was an ugly first half for the Jets, who trailed 16-0 in the second quarter and were outgained 306-97 in the opening 30 minutes. Falcons quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder shredded the Jets for 275 yards passing in the first half.

The positive was that nearly all the yardage came between the 20-yard lines, as coach Robert Saleh pointed out postgame. New York allowed one touchdown and three field goals. And for the second straight week, fourth-string QB Chris Streveler led a game-winning comeback in the second half.

Here are some key things that stood out for the Jets on Monday.

Jets Takeaways From Preseason Win Against Falcons

Welcome to Bryce Hall’s nightmare

Hall started all 17 games last season and, per Saleh, is competing with top pick Sauce Gardner for a starting cornerback spot this season. If that second part is indeed true, the competition likely ended in the first quarter Monday.

On the second play of the game, Hall allowed Atlanta’s top receiver, tight end Kyle Pitts, to explode past him for a 52-yard reception. His night didn’t get much better. He missed a tackle on KhaDarel Hodge at the line of scrimmage which ended in a 13-yard gain. He was flagged for a holding penalty in the red zone. And he was beaten on a 13-yard TD pass to Olamide Zaccheaus after making a misstep at the start of the play.

“He’ll be fine,” Saleh said. “He’s been having a really good camp. Know this one probably stings a little bit and he knows it’s not good enough. But at the same time, he’s been having a good camp, so you just don’t want this day to define what he’s able to accomplish.”

It wasn’t a great night to be named Hall if you played for the Jets. Rookie running back Breece Hall had a rough go behind the backup offensive line, rushing for one yard on four carries.

Rookies represent

Breece Hall’s quiet night aside, the Jets rookies, by and large, played well Monday.

Sauce Gardner started and played two series. It was a quiet night for the corner since the Falcons were content to pick on Bryce Hall. But the one time Atlanta looked to go his way in the red zone, Gardner had his man blanketed.

Wide receiver Garrett Wilson had three catches early for 15 yards. On one, he went up and displayed “violent hands,” according to Saleh. Not an explosive performance, but more of a solid couple series for Wilson.

Defensive end Micheal Clemons stood out for the second straight preseason game. After being credited with seven QB pressures last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Clemons was strong against the run against the Falcons and drew a holding penalty when he bull-rushed on a pass play in the third quarter.

Max Mitchell once again received a lot of reps on the offensive line. Starting at tackle, Mitchell struggled some against the Falcons starters and then looked better against backups.

It was a quiet night for edge rusher Jermaine Johnson and tight end Jeremy Ruckert.

Undrafted free agent Zonovan Knight impressed again. He had a 38-yard kickoff return in the first half and an 11-yard burst on a rush up the middle in the second half.

Jonathan Marshall lays down the law

Jonathan Marshall is fighting for a spot on the Jets deep defensive line and impressed Monday. The second-year lineman was second on the Jets with five tackles and stood out with an excellent sequence in the third quarter.

Marshall sacked Feleipe Franks after the Falcons quarterback was flushed by blitzing corner Justin Hardee. Then on the next play, Marshall absolutely blew up a screen pass for his second tackle for a loss.

Denzel Mims shows up

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It was surprising that the Jets did not give Denzel Mims more reps early in the game, especially with starting wide receivers Corey Davis and Elijah Moore not playing. But when they finally targeted him late in the second quarter, the enigmatic third-year pro came through.

Mims caught a 27-yard pass from Mike White for the Jets longest play of the first half. He followed that up a few plays later with a short reception to help set up a Greg Zuerlein 44-yard field goal right before halftime.

He finished with three receptions for 43 yards. He also gained more experience on special teams, though it’s still in question what New York’s plan is this season for the former second-round pick.

Bradlee Anae grabs the spotlight

The odds are stacked against Bradlee Anae making the Jets 53-man roster because of the impressive depth on their defensive line. But the 24-year-old, who played some with the Dallas Cowboys the past two seasons, turned in the game’s biggest highlight Monday.

Anae did it all on a fourth quarter pass play. Lined up at right defensive end, Anae held the edge, then chased down the scrambling Franks, tripping him up for a sack and forced fumble. Anae then scooped up the loose ball and returned it 30 yards to the house for a touchdown.

A delirious Saleh danced onto the field towards the end zone himself before being told to get back on the sideline by an official. Coach loves him some big-time defensive plays. And this was that.