Falcons Notebook: 5 Takeaways From Atlanta's Tie vs. Bengals
After a Week 1 preseason game that featured no starters, the Atlanta Falcons stars came out to play on Friday night, and some of their new players flashed their talents, but ultimately it wasn't enough to secure the win in a competitive tie with the Cincinnati Bengals at home.
Here's a look at five observations from the tie ...
The Offense Ran Through Bijan Robinson:
He may have only been featured in one series, but make no mistake about it, Robinson looked every bit like the focal point of Atlanta’s offense that fans were hoping he’d be.
Offensive starters had 15 plays against the Bengals’ defense, and five of them went to Robinson. His very first carry as a pro went for 13 yards, and his explosiveness was evident as he’d regularly make the first defender miss. He also displayed his pass-catching ability making a one-handed catch look routine and finishing with 26 of the Falcons’ 78 yards in the first quarter, with Tyler Allgeier getting one carry for negative yardage.
Falcons Have A Penalty Problem:
After a relatively clean first preseason game, Atlanta was penalized 13 times in game two and not from who you would expect. Seven penalties came in the first quarter, perhaps the most shocking being that Chris Lindstrom had two penalties in this game, tying his total for last season. It was a sloppy outing from the entire depth chart.
Desmond Ridder Looks Poised in Year Two:
After a full season to get acclimated in Arthur Smith’s offense, Ridder looked surgical operating Atlanta’s first drive, dominating the time of possession for nearly 10 minutes and throwing nothing but catchable passes while displaying some of his athleticism and rushing the ball once in the red zone. Ultimately Ridder would finish the night going 7/9 with one interception coming from a tipped pass and a near-pass touchdown getting negated as the Bengals barely got off a challenge flag in time, preventing Bijan from taking it to the house. Overall, he looks ready to surprise many doubters in year two.
DeMarcco Hellams Has Hands:
For the second straight week, rookie DeMarcco Hellams got an interception. Late in the fourth quarter, the former Alabama safety flashed his hands, intercepting a pass from third-string Cincinnati quarterback Jake Browning. Nicknamed ‘Hitman’ in college for how hard he’d tackle opponents, the seventh-rounder is making a name for himself as a pass catcher this preseason and could earn a bigger role in the future if he keeps performing at this level.
Koo(l) Calm and Collected:
After a rocky start to the preseason last week where kicker Younghoe Koo would miss multiple kicks, he bounced back in this game, tying it up in the final seconds with everything on the line and looking more like the confident player he’s been in previous seasons.
Seeing how the Falcons bounce back from this penalty-ridden tie next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be interesting as this young roster learns to play with one another.
You can follow Isaiah DeAnda Delgado on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads @IsaiahDDelgado.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.
Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.
Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
