WATCH: Falcons Score First Opening Drive TD of 2021
The Atlanta Falcons did something Sunday that they haven't done all season long: score an opening drive touchdown.
Running back Mike Davis was the one to punch it in to tie the game 7-7 against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Davis ran the ball in from 17 yards out to cap off a 6-play, 75-yard drive.
Once again, Swiss army knife standout Cordarrelle Patterson was a big part of the drive, gaining yards on three of the six plays.
He ran the ball on the first play for seven yards, caught a pass from Matt Ryan for six yards, and then had the play of the drive with a 44-yard gain to get the Falcons into the red zone.
The last time the Falcons started the game with an opening-drive touchdown came last season during Week 15. Ironically enough, the score came at home against the Buccaneers.
On the Buccaneers' first two drives in the first quarter, they have made it a mission to score early and often in their game plan against the Falcons because they want to make it as difficult as possible for the Falcons to keep up with them.
The Buccaneers will win this game if they can stop Patterson, and on the first drive, they were unsuccessful. The Falcons need to continue to feed Patterson and feature him as a major focal point in the offense if they want to win today.
The Buccaneers lead 14-7 over the Falcons midway through the first quarter.
