Falcons Fight Back, Trail Bengals at Halftime in High-Scoring Game
The Atlanta Falcons were riding high after a dominant 28-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers last week but were met with an instant reality check in the first half of Sunday's road contest against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Already down cornerback Casey Hayward (shoulder) and Dee Alford (hamstring), the Falcons lost All-Pro corner A.J. Terrell on the second defensive drive of the game, leaving the Falcons with Darren Hall (making his second career start) and Cornell Armstrong (elevated from the practice squad Saturday) to defend the Bengals' explosive passing attack.
Quarterback Joe Burrow and company capitalized on the Falcons' injury woes, tearing the defense to shreds early and often.
Through just three drives and 21 plays, the Bengals had 244 yards of total offense en route to a commanding a 21-0 lead. Atlanta's defense allowed a 60-yard touchdown from Joe Burrow to Tyler Boyd, the first 50-plus yard play allowed by defensive coordinator Dean Pees' unit during his tenure.
With momentum firmly in Cincinnati's hands, the Falcons managed to find a rhythm, marching down the field on a 16-play, 75-yard scoring drive that took over 10 plays off the clock, ending with rookie running back Tyler Allgeier's first career touchdown run.
The Falcons defense, well-rested and given plenty of time to adjust, had a chance to firmly grab momentum and nearly did just that, as defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter both sacked Burrow for significant losses. However, the Bengals managed to immediately get back all or most of the yards and continued moving the sticks.
On 2nd and 17, Burrow hit receiver Tee Higgins for a back-breaking 25-yard gain. The next play, Burrow hit his college teammate, Ja'Marr Chase, for a 41-yard catch-and-run touchdown, beating Hall on a back-shoulder pass before running through Atlanta's secondary.
Momentum firmly back in the Bengals' possession.
With just 49 seconds on the clock, the Falcons were staring at a 21-point halftime deficit. Then, quarterback Marcus Mariota connected with receiver Damiere Byrd for the longest pass of his season, a 75-yard touchdown.
The Bengals got the ball back with 39 seconds and all three timeouts, and immediately went back to Chase for a 13-yard pick. However, the Falcons responded, forcing a pair of incompletions after six-yard dump-down to running back Semaje Perine.
However, the half wasn't done. With 20 seconds to go, the Bengals punted to Avery Williams - and he ripped off the biggest return of his career, a 57-yarder to set up a 43-yard field goal by Younghoe Koo.
There were 17 points scored in the final minute, the final 10 of which by the Falcons, giving them a significant lift entering the half.
Atlanta's defense will have to find a way to slow down Cincinnati's offense, as Burrow ended the first half 21 of 25 for 345 yards and three touchdowns, and Boyd and Chase had five receptions each, with the former going for 118 yards and the latter posting 112.
The Falcons will get the ball to start the second half.
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