Falcons 27, Lions 23: Does Desmond Ridder Have 'It'?

Despite the first-team players only seeing action for one quarter, there were plenty of lessons to be learned from Atlanta's preseason opener.

Author:
Daniel Flick
Publish date:
Aug 12, 2022 10:19 PM EDT

For the first time in seven months, the Atlanta Falcons played in a competitive football game.

Fortunately for the Falcons, Friday night's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions ended differently than last season's finale, as Atlanta walked out of Ford Field with a hard-fought 27-23 win.

Here's some offensive observations from Atlanta's Week 1 preseason victory ...

PLAYS OF THE GAME

It would be incorrect to start this list with anything other than the literal game-winning play. Facing a 4th and 9 with under 2 minutes to go, rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder escaped a pressure-filled pocket, rolled right and threw up a prayer to receiver Jared Bernhardt, another rookie. The prayer was answered, and Atlanta hung on for the final 90 seconds.

Two of Atlanta's biggest highlight plays came on the offense's first drive and were made by quarterback Marcus Mariota. Leading the way was Mariota's on-the-move dart to rookie receiver Drake London for a 24-yard pickup, London's first career catch.

Capping off the drive was Mariota running in a touchdown after being forced to scramble. He made an acrobatic dive for the left pylon and barely extended the ball beyond the goal line, getting the Falcons on the board.

Perhaps the player with the most to prove in the preseason is rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder, and he put together a solid showing in his debut. The highlight of his day was a touchdown pass to Parker Hesse, a well-thrown touch pass dropped right in the bucket.

OFFENSE LOOKS STRONG

The Falcons' first-team offense only played in the first quarter and saw just one series, but they took advantage of it. Mariota's legs were on full display, as he was used on bootlegs and took off outside of structure for big gains.

There's a clear difference in the way Arthur Smith is calling plays with Mariota and Ridder under center than he did with Matt Ryan. Smith is moving the pocket much more, getting his quarterbacks out in space and letting them make decisions with the open field in front of them. It forces the defense to account for another element.

Ridder had an up-and-down day that concluded with the highest of highs and resulted in an overall positive first impression as a professional. KhaDarel Hodge started at receiver opposite London; he seems like a solid bet to make the roster with his special teams prowess.

The Falcons' running backs had a solid day efficiency-wise, with several players ripping off runs for first downs. Cordarrelle Patterson didn't play, and Atlanta opted to give Qadree Ollison the first carry. Between Damien Williams, Caleb Huntley, Avery Williams, Tyler Allgeier and Ollison, the Falcons finished with 20 carries for 86 yards, an average of 4.3 yards per carry.

Atlanta's offensive line got off to a bizarre start. Steady left tackle Jake Matthews was beaten badly by Lions rookie Aidan Hutchinson on a running play and star right guard Chris Lindstrom was penalized for holding. Further, left guard Elijah Wilkinson was called for a false start. Rust is very much a thing, but center Matt Hennessy and right tackle Kaleb McGary had the cleanest runs.

INJURY WATCH

The Falcons had six players miss Friday night's game: receiver Bryan Edwards, defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, rookie linebacker Troy Andersen, veteran linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, and defensive backs Jaylinn Hawkins and Isaiah Oliver. None of the players are expected to miss regular season action with their current ailments.

During the game, London exited with a right leg injury after recording his big reception from Mariota, but was later seen walking around and smiling on the sideline, a good indication that his issue isn't serious.