5 takeaways from Falcons' preseason loss to Detroit Lions
While there were still over 14 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and Lions head coach Dan Campbell agreed to end the game early. It was clearly the right move, as Norris' health is significantly more important than anything that was going to happen on the field in the fourth quarter.
Nonetheless, there was a lot to learn from the three quarters of football that were played. Here are five takeaways from the Falcons' preseason loss to the Lions.
Falcons defense shines early
Josh Woods, Arnold Ebiketie, DeMarcco Hellams, Khalid Kareem, Brandon Dorlus and several others on defense played well. The Lions had no answer for Atlanta's front seven early in the game. The defense forced two fumbles in the first half. Ebiketie had a sack-fumble that was recovered by defensive lineman Ta'Quon Graham. Woods forced the first fumble, which was scooped up by Dee Alford.
Encouraging night for Falcons rookies
We didn't see a ton of rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., but it was without a doubt a good start for the edge duo. Walker recorded one tackle, while Pearce he had no trouble getting around the Lions offensive line, even when they focused on slowing him. Billy Bowman had a couple of tackles and undrafted free agent Nick Nash finished with three catches for 35 receiving yards on three targets.
Falcons run game has abysmal showing
While the Falcons defense had a nice game, the offense was pretty mediocre. The ground game was non-existent, as Atlanta rushed for 22 yards on 11 carries (2.0 yards per attempt). Quarterback Emory Jones accounted for nine of those yards, meaning Atlanta's running backs finished with just 13 total yards. Undrafted free agent Nathan Carter led the team with 12 yards on three carries. Overall, the running game has to be much, much better.
Chris Blair, Dylan Drummond, Easton Stick lead offense
On a day when the ground game went nowhere, the offense had to come from somewhere. There weren't many highlights, but a few players stood out. Dylan Drummond led the team with eight catches for 63 receiving yards. Chris Blair caught three consecutive catches, including a touchdown reception that temporarily gave the Falcons the lead before halftime. Easton Stick took the bulk of snaps at quarterback and completed 15 of 18 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Emory Jones' night was cut short but he completed four of five passes for 49 yards.
Morris, Campbell agreed stopping game was 'right thing to do'
In terms of head coaches, Dan Campbell and Raheem Morris tend to be more players' coaches than old-school disciplinarians. Neither coach felt it was right to continue the game after Norris was taken away in an ambulance. Morris called the decision "the right thing to do for our football team and the Lions football team."
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Recapping preseason loss to Lions
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