Football returned to Atlanta on Thursday night as the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins battled in the opening game of preseason. The Falcons will be hoping to work toward improving on an 8-8 record from last year while the Redskins are aiming to defend their NFC East title.
Washington First on the Board
The opening drives of the game amounted to nothing as the Redskins picked up some nice yardage before eventually punting. Atlanta on the other hand, were pinned down on their own 1-yard line and failed to get out of the shadow of their own endzone.
Matt Ryan failed to complete a pass in his two drives at QB while Kirk Cousins enjoyed some success before he was replaced by Colt McCoy for the second series. It would be McCoy that led Washington down the field before the visitors settled for a 41-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to record the first points of the game.
Atlanta Responds
Matt Schaub replaced Ryan after two series and instantly formed a connection with wide-receiver Aldrick Robinson, a four-year pro. Schaub and Robinson hooked up for a 47-yard pass that eventually resulted in a 25-yard field goal for Matt Bryant. The Falcons three points came after an easy drop in the end zone for Devonta Freeman, who exploded onto the scene last season.
Schaub and Robinson were back at it again in the very next drive, connecting on a 68-yard pass before rookie running back Brandon Wilds punched it in for the first touchdown of the game.
The Falcons were rolling in the second quarter and an impressive two-minute drill for Schaub and company resulted in a 42-yard field goal from Bryant to make it 13-3 at half time.
Second Half Starts with a Bang
After a strong ending to the first half, the Falcons started the third quarter with a bang. A deep kickoff into the endzone was fielded by JD McKissic and the undrafted free agent used his wheels to leave everyone in his wake for the 101-yard touchdown.
Atlanta extended their lead to 23-3 with 3:20 left in the third quarter. A solid drive from third-string QB Sean Renfree gave rookie kicker Nick Rose a chance for his second bite of the action and the man out of Texas made no mistake from 36 yards after hitting an extra point earlier in the quarter.
Washington managed to grab a touchdown towards the end of the third quarter. A one-yard touchdown run from Robert Kelley brought the score to 23-10 as the final fifteen minutes of the game approached.
Brandon Wilds, who scored earlier in the game, had the lone turnover of the game at the start of the fourth quarter. A fumble in his own half gave Washington great starting position, which they turned into six points. A six-yard pass from Nate Sudfeld to Marcel Jensen brought it to 23-17 after an extra point from Hopkins.
Nick Rose hooked a kick wide right in the final two minutes, preventing the Falcons from extending their lead.
There were plenty of positives for both teams but it was the home team who kicked off preseason with the win. A solid performance from Dan Quinn's team and they face the Cleveland Browns in week 2.
Stats:
Matt Schaub - 15/19, 179 yards.
Nate Sudfeld - 7/12, 77 yards, TD.
Brandon Wilds - 8 carries, 21 yards, TD.
Aldrick Robinson - 3 receptions, 118 yards.
Rashad Ross - 4 receptions, 49 yards.