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The Detroit Lions' highly anticipated return could not have been better.
In front of the home crowd at Ford Field, captains Jared Goff and Tracy Walker went to midfield, and successfully won the coin toss.
After electing to receive, the starting offense was efficient in all facets, as Goff led the offense on a 10-play, 79-yard drive.
The starting offensive line was counted on early, as Ben Johnson's offense rushed the football on six occasions for 32 yards on the opening drive of the contest.
Goff found tight end Brock Wright wide open for a reception of 18 yards on the drive. After entering the red zone, running back D'Andre Swift nearly walked into the end zone untouched.
After the opening touchdown, Goff and the starting offense did not return to the field, as the Falcons' opening drive ate up the remaining minutes of the first quarter.
The same positivity could not be said for the starting defense, as quarterback Marcus Mariota answered the bell for the Falcons. He led his team down the field on a 12-play, 82-yard drive for the tying touchdown.
One bright spot for Aaron Glenn was Aidan Hutchinson. The No. 2 overall pick quickly made his presence felt, with a tackle and by forcing the Falcons into a holding penalty.
Detroit's defense lost safety Will Harris, who got the start over Jeff Okudah, for the first quarter after just one play. Luckily, the converted safety was able to return early in the second quarter.
Safety Brady Breeze headed to the locker room on the opening kickoff.
Things went quite poorly for Detroit's second-team offense to start. Wideout Kalif Raymond was called for holding, running back Craig Reynolds was hit with a false start call and offensive lineman Matt Nelson was flagged for a hold. However, the penalty was declined.
Boyle did flash his big arm, though, as he launched a beautiful pass to Raymond for a gain of 45 yards. After the drive stalled, Austin Seibert successfully made a field-goal try from 46 yards out to give Detroit the 10-7 lead.
Quarterback Desmond Ridder, making his NFL debut, was able to lead the Falcons offense on a touchdown drive. A bad interception by the rookie was negated when veteran linebacker Jarrad Davis was flagged for a roughing the passer penalty.
Ridder rebounded and found wideout Geronimo Allison after he was left wide open for a gain of 20-yards on the drive.
The rookie then found tight end Parker Hesse for a touchdown from 1-yard out to give the Falcons the 14-10 lead.
Beginning at his own 31-yard line with under five minutes remaining, Boyle led the Lions into the red zone with completions to Garrett Griffin and Trinity Benson.
The offensive drive was aided by a pair of Falcons personal foul penalties. Detroit's backup found tight end Devin Funchess in the back of the end zone to give the Lions the 17-14 halftime lead.
Ridder showcased his athleticism on the next drive, using his feet to rush for first downs. Quickly, the young rookie led the Falcons down the field and tied the game at 17-17.
Notes
- Goff finished his day completing 3-of-4 passes for 47 yards and a quarterback rating of 113.5.
- Kicker Austin Seibert made his field-goal attempt of 46-yards.
- Falcons rookie wideout Drake London left the game in the first half with an injury.
More must-reads:
- J.J. Watt has interesting comments on possibility of playing in 2024
- J.J. Watt reveals his thoughts on a potential NFL comeback
- The 'AP First-Team All-Pro tight ends' quiz
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