Falcons Defense Clutches Up in Win vs. Lions

The offense sealed the deal, but the Falcons don't win this game without the defense.

The Atlanta Falcons are walking away from Friday night's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions with a hard-fought 27-23 win.

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

PLAYS OF THE GAME

The most impressive defensive highlight of the day came from cornerback Dee Alford, who made a diving interception after undercutting a Tim Boyle pass. Strictly on the roster bubble, plays like that will only help Alford extend his stay in Atlanta.

But perhaps the most important defensive play came from undrafted free agent defensive tackle Timothy Horne, who recovered a fumble that gave the Falcons the ball after the two-minute warning.

The Falcons positioned themselves to win the game thanks to Horne's turnover.

DEFENSIVE OBSERVATIONS

Much like the offense, Atlanta's starting defense only saw one drive. However, that's about where the similarities end, as the Falcons' defense was on the receiving end of a dominant 10-play drive by the Lions offense.

Atlanta's defensive line, which started with Grady Jarrett, Anthony Rush, Adetokunbo Ogundeji and Lorenzo Carter, struggled setting the edge against the run and couldn't get pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff. The Falcons' secondary had a difficult time covering Detroit's wideouts, though Goff having all day certainly didn't make their lives any easier.

The lone standout among the starters was linebacker Rashaan Evans, who was active, physical and productive, posting four solo tackles. The two players who filled his shoes - Nate Landman and Dorian Etheridge - also had solid showings, posting five and seven tackles, respectively.

Rookie outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie had a rough opening drive holding up against the run but rebounded to have a strong day pressuring the quarterback. Apart from Alford, Darren Hall might have had the best day of any of Atlanta's corners, as he had an outstanding pass breakup on one play and proved sticky in coverage, though he did allow a big play after a Falcons defensive linemen jumped offsides.

After starting all 12 games he appeared in a year ago, veteran safety Erik Harris worked largely with the backups and played deep into Friday's contest. He had solid coverage on a ball thrown his way and ultimately proved why he's viewed as a safe bet to make the roster.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Falcons will get the weekend off before returning to practice Monday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Atlanta's next preseason game is the following Monday, August 22, against the New York Jets.