Ali, Mike, and Beau play a round of Fair or Foul for the halftime portion of the show, and discuss if it’s fair or foul to think that they will know who the Falcons starting quarterback is going to be after tonight's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos.

Mike, Ali, and Beau continue to preview the Atlanta Falcons preseason opener against the Denver Broncos tonight, talk about what players and position groups they’ll be watching closely, and explain why they think how much and in what way the Falcons will feature rookie wide receiver Zachariah Branch is something to watch tonight.

Mike, Ali, and Beau react to the news that targeting penalties assessed in the second half of a game will no longer require the offending player to sit out the first half of his team's next game, offensive pass interference will become a 10-yard penalty, and the little-used fair catch kick will be introduced to college football as a part of the rule changes for the 2026 season, announced by the National Football Foundation in its annual summary of rules changes. Mike, Ali, and Beau also explain why they think the targeting penalty rule changes in college football were long overdue

Mike, Ali, and Beau preview the Atlanta Falcons preseason opener against the Denver Broncos tonight, talk about what players and position groups they’ll be watching closely, and explain why they think the rotation at inside linebacker and right tackle are the top things to watch for in the Falcons preseason opener tonight.

Mike, Ali, and Beau recap and react to some of the preseason games that happened in the NFL last night including the Arizona Cardinals beating the Las Vegas Raiders last night 27-14. The Morning Shift crew also talks about how Raiders rookie quarterback and number one overall pick in April’s draft Fernando Mendoza looked pretty good in his preseason debut, but explain why they think he’s not ready to be the Raiders starting quarterback yet despite playing well in his debut.

The Morning Shift’s full show on Thursday, August 13th, 2026.

HR1 - Braves fans may owe Alex Anthopoulos apology for critiques of his trade deadline moves

In hour one Mike, Ali, and Beau recap and react to the Atlanta Braves beating the New York Mets 6-3 at home last night to win two out of the three games in their three game series with the Mets to win the series, talk about how Braves trade deadline acquisitions Lane Thomas and Tyler Mahle both made a big impact in last night’s win, explain why they think Braves General Manager Alex Anthopolous' trade deadline moves are looking good after the Braves win last night, react to Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Kevin Stefanski announcing yesterday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will start tomorrow night in the team's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, and that the Falcons starters will play in one drive or around 10 plays in their preseason opener against the Denver Broncos tomorrow night. The Morning Shift crew also reacts to Coach Stefanski saying that they have not yet decided on a starting quarterback for Week 1, explain why they think Tua's only preseason reps may be tomorrow if quarterback Michael Penix Jr. gets fully cleared soon, react to Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson saying he wants the Bears to have the highest-scoring offense ever, explain why they think there’s nothing wrong with what he had to say, and then close out hour one by diving into the life of Beau “Squidbilly” Morgan in The Life of Squid!

HR2 - Falcons shouldn’t play Bijan Robinson in any preseason games

In hour two Mike, Ali, and Beau continue to react to Atlanta Falcons Head Coach Kevin Stefanski announcing yesterday that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will start tomorrow night in the team's preseason opener against the Denver Broncos, and that the Falcons starters will play in one drive or around 10 plays in their preseason opener against the Denver Broncos tomorrow night. The Morning Shift crew also reacts to Coach Stefanski saying that they have not yet decided on a starting quarterback for Week 1, discuss if they expect Falcons running back Bijan Robinson or Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews to play, talk about what they expect to see from the Falcons starters tomorrow, and explain why they think Jake must be included and must play if the rest of the Falcons starting offensive line is playing tomorrow night. Then, Ali tests Mike's and Beau’s knowledge with some Throwback Thursday Trivia for the halftime portion of the show! The Morning Shift crew also continues to recap and react to the Atlanta Braves beating the New York Mets 6-3 at home last night to win two out of the three games in their three game series with the Mets to win the series, talk about how Braves trade deadline acquisitions Lane Thomas and Tyler Mahle both made a big impact in last night’s win, talk about how Braves third baseman Austin Riley has gotten comfortable batting in the eighth spot in the lineup, explain why he needs to stay there, and then close out hour two by talking about the biggest news, rumors, and reports in the NFL as they go In The Huddle!

HR3 - Final hurdle for Michael Penix Jr. to be fully cleared seems to be his own mental hurdle

In hour three Mike, Ali and Beau let you hear Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. talk about not being 100 percent mentally recovered from his latest ACL tear when he was on former NFL quarterback Cam Newton’s 4th and 1 podcast, react to what Penix Jr. had to say, explain why they think Penix seemingly is not fully cleared yet because he's not 100% mentally recovered from the injury yet, and talk about how the Braves are going to finish the regular season with a lot of series that may end up being playoff previews. Then, The Morning Shift crew closes out hour three by spending some time with Atlanta Falcons beat writer for The Athletic Josh Kendall! Ali, Mike, Beau, and Josh discuss how much Josh expects Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to throw the ball in the Falcons preseason opener tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, how Josh felt about Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s comments on Cam Newton’s podcast saying that he isn’t 100 percent mentally recovered from his recent ACL tear, what Josh thinks Falcons Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons plan is for the offensive line, especially at right tackle, in their preseason opener tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, what Josh thinks Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons plan is for the linebackers tomorrow night in their preseason opener, what Josh thinks would make a successful preseason opener for the Falcons tomorrow night, how Josh thinks the Falcons coaches are feeling about the defensive line and how some of the position battles are playing out throughout the entire defense, how Josh is feeling about the Falcons running back room behind Bijan Robinson, where Josh thinks Falcons offensive lineman Wanya Morris fits into the Falcons offensive line room, what he’s hearing about a potential James Pearce Jr. suspension, how many games he thinks Pearce Jr. will be suspended, and when he thinks an official announcement from the NFL about how many games Pearce Jr. will be suspended will be made.

Mike Johnson, Ali Mac, and Beau Morgan spend some time with Atlanta Falcons beat writer for The Athletic Josh Kendall! Ali, Mike, Beau, and Josh discuss how much Josh expects Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to throw the ball in the Falcons preseason opener tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, how Josh felt about Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s comments on Cam Newton’s podcast saying that he isn’t 100 percent mentally recovered from his recent ACL tear, what Josh thinks Falcons Head Coach Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons plan is for the offensive line, especially at right tackle, in their preseason opener tomorrow night against the Denver Broncos, what Josh thinks Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons plan is for the linebackers tomorrow night in their preseason opener, what Josh thinks would make a successful preseason opener for the Falcons tomorrow night, how Josh thinks the Falcons coaches are feeling about the defensive line and how some of the position battles are playing out throughout the entire defense, how Josh is feeling about the Falcons running back room behind Bijan Robinson, where Josh thinks Falcons offensive lineman Wanya Morris fits into the Falcons offensive line room, what he’s hearing about a potential James Pearce Jr. suspension, how many games he thinks Pearce Jr. will be suspended, and when he thinks an official announcement from the NFL about how many games Pearce Jr. will be suspended will be made.