NFL

Atlanta Falcons at Detroit Lions

· National Football League
1-0, 1-0 Away
Final
27 - 23
0-1, 0-1 Home

Ridder leads Falcons to late victory over Lions 27-23

The Lions took a 23-20 lead on Riley Patterson's 28-yard field goal with 5:57 to play, then forced Atlanta into a three-and-out. Detroit quarterback David Blough, though, fumbled at his 33 with 2:00 left.

Facing fourth-and-9 from the 21 with 1:37 left, Atlanta coach Arthur Smith decided to avoid a tie and give Ridder a chance to win the game.

“There was no way we were going to kick — no one wants a tie," he said. “We were going to try to make a play and try to win. I don't think Joe Gibbs and Tony Dungy went to the Hall of Fame on their preseason records.”

Ridder dodged two pass rushers and Bernhardt fought off Cedric Boswell's coverage attempt to make the catch just inside the end zone.

“(Boswell) apologized after the play for not running a great route,” Smith said. “I told him not to worry about it — he won us the game.”

Ridder replaced Marcus Mariota after one drive and finished 10-for-22 for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 59 yards, as Atlanta put up 168 yards rushing and just 139 passing.

Lions quarterbacks Tim Boyle and Blough, competing for the No. 2 job behind Jared Goff, both struggled. Boyle was 9-for-16 for 111 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Blough was 18-for-28 for 141 yards, but had a pass deflected and nearly intercepted in his own end zone with 3:42 left before his late fumble.

“We certainly wish we could have finished that off, but we did get a good look at our guys in different situations,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “I was pleased with the way our offense started the game.”

The Lions have lost their past nine preseason games. Their previous win came on Aug. 24, 2018, in Tampa Bay.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Falcons: WR Drake London, the eighth overall pick in this spring's draft, sustained a knee injury on the game's first series and did not return. Smith said they won't have an update on London until this weekend.

Lions: S Will Harris left the game on the first series with a hand injury and didn't return.

WELCOME HOME

Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was a familiar sight for Detroit football fans even before the Lions picked him with the No. 2 pick in April's draft. Hutchinson was a star for Michigan last season in their first run to the College Football Playoff, and he made a quick impact in his NFL debut.

On his first two plays, he knocked Marcus Mariota out of bounds after a 7-yard gain, then stopped running back Qadree Ollison for a 2-yard loss on second down. Two plays later, he drew a holding penalty on Chris Lindstrom.

GETTING WORK IN

Both first-team offenses started the game with touchdown drives, taking up all but 31 seconds of the first quarter. D'Andre Swift scored after a 10-play Detroit drive and Mariota scrambled in from 6 yards to conclude a 12-play Falcons possession.

“It was good to see us answer their touchdown on our first possession, but we didn't really need to see Marcus running that much (three carries for 23 yards),” Smith said. “But I'd rather have guys like him — the ones you have to hold back in the preseason — than the others you have to push forward.”

Boyle replaced Jared Goff for Detroit's second possession.

FINALLY TOGETHER

Last season, the Lions' first-choice offensive line — LT Taylor Decker, LG Jonah Jackson, C Frank Ragnow, RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai and RT Penei Sewell — never made it onto the field for a regular-season snap. They started on Friday, which led Goff to give up his planned week off.

“I heard those guys were finally going to be out there, and I didn't want them out there without me,” said Goff, who requested to play after learning he wasn't scheduled to be active. “We got out there, scored a touchdown and did it swiftly. It always feels good to do that against another team.”

UP NEXT

Falcons: Visit the New York Jets on Monday, Aug. 22.

Lions: Visit the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, Aug. 20.

How can I watch Falcons vs. Lions?

  • TV Channel: Falcons at Lions 2021-22 NFL, week 2 is broadcasted nationally on NFL NET.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
    In Canada, viewers can watch Falcons vs. Lions on DAZN.

Scoring Summary

DET TD 1st Period 9:58 D'Andre Swift 9 Yd Run (Austin Seibert Kick)
ATL TD 1st Period 0:31 Marcus Mariota 6 Yd Run (Younghoe Koo Kick)
DET FG 2nd Period 12:41 Austin Seibert 46 Yd Field Goal
ATL TD 2nd Period 4:31 Parker Hesse 1 Yd pass from Desmond Ridder (Younghoe Koo Kick)
DET TD 2nd Period 0:47 Devin Funchess 1 Yd pass from Tim Boyle (Riley Patterson Kick)
ATL FG 2nd Period 0:00 Younghoe Koo 47 Yd Field Goal
ATL FG 3rd Period 7:02 Younghoe Koo 33 Yd Field Goal
DET FG 3rd Period 0:44 Riley Patterson 27 Yd Field Goal
DET FG 4th Period 5:57 Riley Patterson 28 Yd Field Goal
ATL TD 4th Period 1:30 Jared Bernhardt 21 Yd pass from Desmond Ridder (Younghoe Koo Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/atl.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originATL https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nfl/500/det.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originDET
18 1st Downs 26
8 Passing 1st downs 21
9 Rushing 1st downs 3
1 1st downs from penalties 2
3-10 3rd down efficiency 8-15
1-1 4th down efficiency 2-2
53 Total Plays 77
307 Total Yards 393
5.8 Yards per Play 5.1
9 Total Drives 9
139 Passing 292
12-24 Comp-Att 30-48
5.8 Yards per pass 6.0
0 Interceptions thrown 1
0-0 Sacks-Yards Lost 1-7
168 Rushing 101
29 Rushing Attempts 28
5.8 Yards per rush 3.6
2-3 Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-4
5-34 Penalties 4-35
0 Turnovers 2
0 Fumbles lost 1
0 Interceptions thrown 1
0 Defensive / Special Teams TDs 0
26:10 Possession 33:50

Game Information

Ford Field

Location: Detroit, MI
Attendance: 40,521 · Capacity:

2023 NFC South Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Tampa Bay 9 8 .529 0 348 325
New Orleans 9 8 .529 0 402 327
Atlanta 7 10 .412 0 321 373
Carolina 2 15 .118 0 236 416

2023 NFC North Standings

TEAM W L PCT T PF PA
Detroit 12 5 .706 0 461 395
Green Bay 9 8 .529 0 383 350
Minnesota 7 10 .412 0 344 362
Chicago 7 10 .412 0 360 379
Full Standings

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