Preseason Live Updates: Falcons vs. Lions

The Atlanta Falcons (0-0) take on the Detroit Lions (0-0) in the Motor City Friday evening at Ford Field for the 2022 NFL Preseason opener.

The Falcons will see the debut of their free agent acquisition quarterback Marcus Mariota as well as third-round rookie Desmond Ridder. Both are expected to make their debuts tonight.

While many Falcons will make their team debut tonight, there are a couple of new players who will have to wait at least another week before seeing the field.

The team announced just before kickoff that wide receiver Bryan Edwards, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, rookie linebacker Troy Andersen, veteran linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, and defensive backs Jaylinn Hawkins and Isaiah Oliver will miss Friday night's game.

For the Lions, No. 2 overall pick (and viral singing sensation) Aidan Hutchinson is set to make his NFL debut for the hometown team and Jared Goff is expected to start under center to begin the game.

1st Quarter:

The Falcons will start their preseason on defense. A significant number of first-string players started on the field for both teams.

As this is the defense's first real experience with full-contact play, growing pains were to be expected; early in the drive, the defensive line and secondary remained porous, with the only notable stops involving unforced errors by Detroit (eg a drop by running back Jamaal Williams). 

With the Lions methodically marching the ball down the field with a combination of inside zone, gap runs, and play-action, running back D'Andre Swift was able to hammer the ball past the goal line to open the scoring.

7-0 Lions

Change of Possession

Once again, the Falcons and Lions are starting a majority of their first-string offense and defense respectively. Interestingly, the team used three different running backs on the first three plays (Cordarrelle Patterson, Qadree Ollison, and Damien Williams). 

Williams converted a difficult third-and-five by powering past a defender and hitting his hole with burst. However, as the drive progressed, Ollison emerged as the primary ball carrier.

The offense seemed to start off on a relatively disorganized note, with busted runs plays and bootlegs immediately, though young star defensive end Aiden Hutchinson is certainly a major reason for this.

Rookie receiver and No. 8 overall pick in the draft Drake London was additionally shaken up on one reception.

Bootlegs and rollouts were unsurprisingly a major component of the drive, with quarterback Marcus Mariota seeming especially trigger-happy to break the pocket and scramble, often diving and taking contact in the process.

Fittingly, Mariota opened the team's scoring with a diving scramble to the left pylon after a grueling 12-play 82-yard drive.

Falcons 7, Lions 7

Change of Possession

Quarterback Tim Boyle is in for the Lions in lieu of quarterback Jared Goff; it appears that Detroit's offensive starters will have just one drive of play.

2nd Quarter:

Immediately, it's clear that the second team is on the field. A plethora of offensive line penalties later, the Falcons' secondary allowed a deep completion down the left sideline on a pass that should have been defended by the safety. 

After the bailout completion, the Atlanta defense held its ground, settling for a 46-yard field goal.

Lions 10, Falcons 7

Change of Possession

Mariota is done for the day, being replaced by rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Immediately, Ridder made his pocket-passing skill visible with a 20-yard strike to receiver Damiere Byrd on a deep in route.

One peculiarity from Ridder's first drive is that he seemed to be making adjustments at the line, which is generally a rare thing to see from a rookie so early in preseason.

The drive ended with a dropped catch from receiver Geronimo Allison on a laser throw by Ridder.

Throughout his first drive, Ridder looked surprisingly sharp, even if the offense didn't come away with the points to show for it.

Change of Possession

For the first time in the game, the Lions offense went three-and-out.

Rookie edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie has made his presence felt through the last couple drives and played a central role in forcing the punt through his stout edges and a pressure on third down.

Change of Possession

Second-year running back Caleb Huntley saw the majority of carries through the drive.

After two strong runs, Ridder finally showed a crack in the armor, throwing an ill-advised interception on an intermediate throw down the left sideline. However, the interception was negated by a fortuitous roughing-the-passer call.

Though the drive seemed more focused on the run, Ridder did have a starter-quality throw on a naked bootleg; however, the tight end, Parker Hesse, was unable to come down with the throw, dropping a touchdown in the process.

Two plays later, the Falcons offense ran Spider 2Y Banana on the goal line for a redemptive touchdown pass to Hesse.

Falcons 14, Lions 10

Change of Possession

Third-year corner Darren Hall made a pass breakup after being beat on an intermediate crosser, though the ball was fairly behind the receiver.

Atlanta's third-down defense had a shaky drive, allowing two easy conversions. The second conversion included a facemask penalty that set up the Lions offense inside the 10-yard-line for first-and-goal.

This trend continued into the red zone, where Ta'Quon Graham forced a fumble on third-and-goal, only for Detroit to be given a reprieve on a hands-to-the-face penalty for an automatic first down.

The Lions capped off the drive with a 1-yard fade to receiver Devin Funchess for a touchdown.

Lions 17, Falcons 14

Change of Possession

In his first in-game 2-minute drill, Ridder started off the drive with a 20-yard run.

Despite consistent pass rush pressure and tipped balls at the second level, Ridder's mental processing remained impressive throughout the drive; on a clutch third down, Ridder ran through a wide-open pocket gap for 19 yards to put the team in field goal range at the 36-yard line.

Ridder's situational awareness involved safe throws throughout the drive resulting in either incompletions or completions where the receiver could easily get out of bounds.

Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo finished off the drive with a 47-yard field goal to tie the game at the half.

Halftime: Falcons 17, Lions 17

3rd Quarter:

The Atlanta offense took the field to start the half with Ridder still at the helm.

Rookie running back Tyler Allgeier had his first major carry of the game, breaking a defensive lineman's tackle en route to a 15-yard run that should've likely been a null play instead.

On one particularly interesting play, we saw a quarterback to quarterback play: Ridder threw a fade to third-string quarterback Feleipe Franks, who contorted and nearly made the impressive catch -- however, the play ended with an incomplete pass.

The offense sputtered to a half, leading to a punt from near midfield.

Change of Possession

Though the defensive line struggled through the beginning of the drive, Boyle threw a careless interception directly to defensive back Dee Alford, giving the Falcons the ball back deep inside Detroit's side of the field.

Change of Possession

Despite being gifted a golden opportunity to score a touchdown, the offense suffered from self-inflicted mistakes and had to settle for a 33-yard field goal. The drive gained exactly zero net yards.

Falcons 20, Lions 17

Change of Possession

The Lions' third-string quarterback, David Blough, is finally in for the offense. He immediately made his presence felt with a phenomenal play maneuvering through a muddled pocket and finding receiver Tom Kennedy downfield for a strike.

The Blough-Kennedy connection defined the drive, as the duo connected for three catches for 44 yards.

The Falcons defense tightened up in the red zone, conceding a 27-yard Riley Patterson field goal instead of a touchdown. Tie game.

Falcons 20, Lions 20

Change of Possession

4th Quarter:

The still Ridder-led offense went immediately three-and-out with a 4-yard run and two straight incompletions.

Change of Possession

As sharp as Blough looked in his first drive, his second drive started subpar. However, with a powerful yards-after-catch third-and-eight conversion by Funchess, he began to open up again.

After trucking for the first down, the 28-year-old Funchess also hurdled a defender on a dump-down pass, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

Blough used his legs to convert a fourth-and-one, opting to run on a naked bootleg.

In general, a conservative passing approach and a complementary run game kept the Falcons defense on its heels through the drive. However, the bend-don't-break approach came to fruition, with the Atlanta defense forcing a 28-yard field goal.

Lions 23, Falcons 20

Change of Possession

With Ridder heading another drive, the offense quickly sputtered to a three-and-out, the third of the game.

Change of Possession

The Atlanta defense continues to struggle against the conservative passing game of Blough, giving up multiple completions underneath and allowing the offense to continue moving the chains.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith continues calling timeouts in the meanwhile, with under four minutes remaining in the preseason opener.

On first-and-10 at their own 36-yard line, the Lions fumbled the ball, giving Atlanta's offense possession deep in Detroit's territory at the 33-yard line.

Change of Possession

With the Falcons finally having the chance to go ahead under two minutes left, the drive started with a Ridder scramble for 11 yards.

Despite the positive start, the drive stalled again following an offensive too many men penalty.

Ending up in a fourth-and-nine with just 1:30 left in the 4th quarter, Smith decided to roll the dice and go for the conversion.

Ridder's throw on fourth down was caught by receiver Jarden Bernhardt for a 21-yard touchdown, putting the team up in what's been a thriller thus far.

Falcons 27, Lions 23

Change of Possession

High off the momentum of Ridder's throw, the Atlanta defense seems to have tightened up its coverage as well.

Though Blough continued to slowly march the ball down the field, the pressure began to mount, as defensive lineman Jalen Dalton and linebacker Jordan Brailford combined for a sack on a first-and-10.

However, Blough continued his aerial attack, converting on a 23-yard pass on the very next play. 

On the last three plays, Blough heaved three Hail Mary attempts, failing to connect on each.

Final Score: Falcons 27, Lions 23