Desmond Ridder, Falcons Trail Jordan Love, Packers at Halftime
The Atlanta Falcons will head to the locker room with a 10-9 deficit to the Green Bay Packers inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The first 30 minutes were difficult for Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, who finished 12-of-18 for 105 yards, one touchdown and his first career interception.
Ridder nearly threw another halfway through the second quarterback, as a 4th and 4 pass to receiver Drake London went right into the hands of Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander but fell to the turf.
There was a concerted effort on coach Arthur Smith's behalf to get London and tight end Kyle Pitts involved after receiving only four targets in the season opener, with the two former first-round picks seeing nine passes go their way against Green Bay.
London concluded the half with four receptions for 39 yards, while Pitts added two grabs for 15. Atlanta also received strong contributions from tight end Jonnu Smith, who caught three passes for 34 yards.
Rookie running back Bijan Robinson continued to star, taking nine carries for 72 yards while adding two catches for nineyards. His partner in crime, Tyler Allgeier, took four handoffs for 12 yards.
Atlanta scored its lone touchdown on its final offensive play of the half, as Ridder found London for a four-yard score, but kicker Younghoe Koo missed the extra point, leading to the one-point margin.
Defensively, the Falcons started strong, getting out of short fields with no points allowed. The second quarter saw Green Bay put up 10 points as quarterback Jordan Love and the offense found rhythm.
Love completed seven of 12 passes for 69 yards and a touchdown, coming on a pop pass to rookie receiver Jayden Reed. The Packers ran for 61 yards and 13 carries, with A.J. Dillon leading the way with eight runs for 31 yards.
Atlanta was led by linebacker Kaden Elliss, who had five tackles, one tackle for loss and a sack. Fellow linebacker Nate Landman, filling in for the injured Troy Andersen, has three tackles, one being for loss.
The Falcons will receive the ball to start the second half, looking to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2016.
