Falcons Tied with Bengals at Halftime as Starters Impress & Bijan Robinson Debuts
The Atlanta Falcons received a live in-game look at their starters for the first time this preseason during the opening quarter in Friday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The result was largely positive, with the Falcons heading into the locker room tied at 3-3 after an encouraging but low-scoring first half marked by Younghoe Koo's 36-yard field goal for Atlanta and Evan McPherson's 50-yard field goal for Cincinnati.
Atlanta's first-team offense started off in impressive fashion, driving 78 yards on 15 plays across nearly 10 minutes with a pair of third-down conversions. Quarterback Desmond Ridder completed seven of nine passes for 80 yards on the drive but was intercepted by Bengals outside linebacker Joseph Ossai on a tipped ball to receiver Scotty Miller deep inside the redzone.
The star attraction was running back Bijan Robinson, who cut his way to a 12-yard gain on his first carry and finished the half with 20 rushing yards on four attempts while adding a one-handed reception for six yards on a screen.
The Falcons' other two former first-round offensive weapons, receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts, both made eye-catching plays as well, with the former hauling in a 21-yard grab on 3rd and 12 right along the sideline and the latter snagging a one-handed catch for a nine-yard pickup that led t a first down.
It wasn't all clean operationally, as Falcons All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom was called for two holding penalties while right tackle Kaleb McGary picked up another on a false start. Atlanta was one of the least-penalized teams in the league a season ago and will certainly be hoping to clean up some of the yellow flags moving forward.
Defensively, Atlanta's starters allowed a ten-play, 57-yard drive to the Bengals' reserves during which backup quarterback Trevor Siemian completed four of his five pass attempts for 31 yards but saw the drive end as cornerback Dee Alford had good coverage downfield on a 4th and 2 try.
There were plenty of flashes from new additions, including two tackles and a pressure from defensive lineman Calais Campbell, a key third down tackle from safety Jessie Bates, and four tackles from linebacker Kaden Elliss.
Elsewhere, Atlanta received quality contributions from outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone, cornerback Breon Borders, running back Godwin Igwebuike and receivers Mack Hollins and Josh Ali.
Malone, entering his second season after being drafted in the third round out of Western Kentucky, used his speed to work around the left side of Cincinnati's offensive line and force Siemian into a checkdown that ultimately fell incomplete and led to a punt.
After a strong showing in last week's preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins, Borders has continued his positive momentum, forcing an incompletion on the sideline by squeezing the receiver out of bounds and often maintaining good position on the perimeter.
Igwebuike was Atlanta's leading rusher with 70 yards on 13 carries in Miami and picked up where he left off against the Bengals, holding the same honor at halftime with eight runs for 42 yards. He was also the Falcons' kick returner to start the game and made a big block in pass protection, proving his versatility and only furthering his odds of winning the No. 4 running back battle.
Hollins' rapport with Ridder has been clear throughout camp and showed up in live action, as the two connected for a pair of completions for 20 yards. Ali, the favorite to be Atlanta's No. 5 receiver, had two receptions for 26 yards.
Given the entire second quarter to make his Falcons debut, backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke had an up-and-down showing that featured a few impressive throws but also multiple near interceptions. In all, the veteran signal caller completed seven of 14 passes for 66 yards and took two sacks.
Of note, Atlanta was called for 10 penalties that accumulated to 62 yards, both of which are sure to give coach Arthur Smith plenty to talk about in the locker room.
The Falcons will receive the ball to start the second half, looking to re-gain their lead - and play a much cleaner 30 minutes while continuing to get quality evaluations of the lower half of the 90-man roster.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @ByDanielFlick
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.
Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.
Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the Si.com team page here
