Desmond Ridder's Falcons Dominated in First Half, Trail Jared Goff's Lions
The Atlanta Falcons (2-0) will enter the locker room with a 13-3 deficit to the Detroit Lions (1-1) in Sunday's game at Ford Field.
Atlanta's defense, which finished strong in last week's victory over the Green Bay Packers, had a difficult opening half in Detroit.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff led a balanced attack that resulted in the Falcons allowing their first points in the first quarter this year and a season-high in total first half points.
Goff completed 15 of 21 passes for 188 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers while guiding Detroit down the field for three scoring drives.
The Falcons' offense, which battled slow starts in each of the first two games, continued to struggle early, collecting only 84 total net yards of offense in the first half to Detroit's 230.
Known for its rushing attack, Atlanta had a difficult time getting the ground game rolling, as Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier saw only eight carries for 20 yards, most of which came on an 11-yard run from Robinson.
Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder was sacked four times by a Lions pass rush that had just one sack in the first two games. Ridder completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards, finding tight end Kyle Pitts twice for 26 yards and receiver Drake London for a 28-yard gain.
Of Atlanta's five offensive possessions, three have ended in three-and-outs. The Falcons' lone score came on a 48-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo, his second-longest of the season.
Atlanta overcame a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit last week to take down Green Bay and will need a similar comeback this week to remain undefeated.
The Lions will receive the second half kickoff.
