DETROIT -- The Detroit Lions let their preseason opener against the Atlanta Falcons slip away in the final minutes, losing 27-23 in front of 40,000-plus announced fans at Ford Field.
Backup quarterback David Blough mishandled the handoff, and the Falcons recovered the fumble to take over after the two-minute warning. Atlanta’s offense started deep in enemy territory, trailing 23-20. Detroit’s defense forced the Falcons into a fourth-and-9 with 1:37 left, though. But that’s when rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder and former Ferris St. standout Jared Bernhardt created desperation magic after head coach Arthur Smith passed on the potential game-tying field goal.
Ridded evaded heavy pressure off the bat but managed to get outside the pocket to toss one up for the undrafted rookie wide receiver. Bernhardt turned at the last second and made an impressive catch in the end zone to give the Falcons the lead for good.
It’s important to remember this was an exhibition. And there were positives to take away from the Lions. Their first-team offense clicked, opening the game with a 10-play, 79-yard scoring drive. Jared Goff was clean behind his starting offensive line. The starting quarterback got it clicking with receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown during his only series under center. Prized rookie defender Aidan Hutchinson also popped in his limited reps. Hutchinson had a tackle, then notched a tackle for loss on the game’s first drive.
On the flip side, though? The backup quarterbacks combined for two turnovers in the second half. And the defense had a heck of a time containing Falcons quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Ridder. Mariota ran three times for 23 yards and one touchdown, with the rookie adding six scrambles for a game-high 59 yards.
“We got a lot of good looks at our guys. Man, we got a lot of situational football in there, which was good,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “Certainly wish we would have finished that off the right way. But, you know, we didn’t do that. But it was good to get a good look at our guys.
“I told (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson), ‘just call it. Just let it roll. Let’s go.’ I don’t care if he called 10 passes. I just wanted us to flow and move it a little bit. We game planned them for like half a day. It was a very basic game plan, and so were they to us. This was about just getting a look at our guys.”
See below for a rundown of headlines from around the country after Detroit’s loss in the preseason opener:
Mariota, Ridder shine in Falcons’ win over Lions in first exhibition game -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What We Learned from Friday’s preseason games -- NFL.com
Can’t-Miss Play: Ridder rewards Falcons’ fourth-down gamble with scrambling go-ahead TD pass -- Yahoo! Sports
Desmond Ridder wins it for the Falcons with a late TD pass -- ESPN
Report: Drake London Knee Injury Is Not Serious -- Pro Football Talk
Falcons - Lions: 9 takeaways from Atlanta’s preseason opener -- The Falconholic
Aidan Hutchinson swims by lineman for speedy TFL in backfield -- NFL.com
Video: Falcons’ Marcus Mariota on the win -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Falcons’ Marcus Mariota has fine showing in exhibition opener -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From MLive:
Instant observations: Top offense, Aidan Hutchinson bright spots in Lions’ preseason loss to Falcons
Late fumble dooms Detroit Lions in 27-23 loss to Falcons in preseason opener: Live updates recap
Postgame Facebook live:
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