Falcons 16, Jets 3 Halftime: Atlanta Shows Strength, But Misses Opportunities

The Falcons head into the half on top.

It's always a good thing when your defense pitches a shutout going into the locker room at halftime, but the Atlanta Falcons and head coach Arthur Smith probably wish they had a larger lead.

The Falcons kicked off the opening drive with a bang as Marcus Mariota threw a laser to a wide open Kyle Pitts for a 52-yard gain. However, the Falcons struggled in the red zone and managed just three points on the drive.

After stopping the Jets on their first drive, the Falcons got the ball back and found more success. 

Led by a 39-yard completion from Mariota to tight end Anthony Firkser on a miscommunication by the Jets secondary, the Falcons marched down the field for a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

Rookie running back Tyler Allgeier saw a pair of physical carries for five well-earned yards and free agent wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge pulled in a 13-yard reception to move the chains earlier in the drive.

The series was capped off by a 13-yard touchdown from Mariota to Olamide Zaccheaus on 3rd and 9, beating cornerback Bryce Hall.

Mariota led one more drive, which led to a three-and-out. His final stat line? 6-of-10 for 132 yards and a touchdown.

Desmond Ridder entered the game and appeared to pick up where Mariota left off. He led a 13-play, 75-yard drive that saw the Falcons drive all the way to the 1-yard line, but a Jalen Mayfield false start on 4th-and-goal forced Younghoe Koo to kick another field goal, extending the lead to 13-0.

Ridder's final drive of the first half saw the Falcons rack up five big penalties, but a pair of big catches from Week 1 preseason hero Jared Bernhardt put the team in field goal range as Koo knocked in another field goal.

As a team, the Falcons had eight penalties worth 68 yards in the first half. If you're playing most teams in the regular season, that can knock you out of the game. However, tonight the opponent is the second-string Jets in the preseason, so the team has a 16-3 lead heading into the second half.