Falcon Report

WATCH: Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson Scores Atlanta's First TD of Season

One of the Falcons' top offensive weapons capped off a dominating drive in style.

Daniel Flick

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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The Atlanta Falcons have put up their first touchdown of the season, and in fitting fashion.

Running back Cordarrelle Patterson has picked up where he left off last year and turned in a dominant third drive for Atlanta's offense. Patterson received eight carries for 58 yards on the Falcons' nine-play, 66-yard scoring drive, and capped it off with a five-yard run up the middle and into the endzone to five Atlanta a 10-7 lead over the New Orleans Saints.

Patterson's run finished with a big hit on Saints linebacker Pete Werner, who had to receive medical attention on the sideline after the play for a cut suffered from the collision.

For the game, Patterson has nine carries for 59 yards and has been targeted twice by Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota through the air. Prior to fellow running back Damien Williams' injury, Patterson had been moved around Atlanta's offense, but now appears poised to geta heavy workload in the backfield.

Patterson, 31, had a breakout season last year, becoming the first player in Falcons history to record both 500 rushing and receiving yards, posting career highs in rushing (618) and receiving (548) yards.

Most of his success came in the first half of the season, before an ankle injury hindered him down the stretch; Patterson posted fewer than 30 rushing yards and two receptions in each of his final four appearances. As a result, he entered the season looking to show the first half - rather than the second - was the more indicative performance.

With drives like the one he put together on Atlanta's first touchdown-scoring possession of the year, he's well on his way to proving exactly that.

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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy's Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.

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