Falcons WATCH: RB Cordarrelle Patterson Scores TD in Return vs. Chargers
It didn't take long for the Atlanta Falcons to get running back Cordarrelle Patterson back involved in the absence.
Fresh off a four-week absence due to "minor" knee surgery, Patterson received the ball on the first two plays of Atlanta's opening drive during Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The first, a nine-yard catch and run from quarterback Marcus Mariota, and second, a seven-yard carry, established that Patterson was ready to go, showing no signs of the injury that knocked him out of action.
The following play, he was spelled by rookie Tyler Allgeier, who broke Atlanta's longest run of the season, a 44-yarder down the right sideline.
A short run by Mariota followed by a completion to tight end MyCole Pruitt gave the Falcons the ball inside the Chargers five-yard line, and a pair of rushes by Patterson put Atlanta into the endzone to cap off a dominant opening drive.
In all, the seven-play, 75-yard drive took 4:20 off the clock and provided insight into Atlanta's gameplan. Los Angeles holds one of the NFL's worst run defenses and the Falcons exploited it early, as 60 of the 75 yards came on the ground, headlined by Allgeier's big gain.
But above all else, the drive proved one very important thing: Patterson is back - and appears to be himself.
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