Who stood out in Falcons preseason game vs. Lions

DETROIT – Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said that his healthy players would play in the preseason, even those locked into the starting lineup.

The Falcons names you know were all featured early in Friday night’s 27-23 preseason victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, though most of them didn’t stick around for long.

Desmond Ridder was around for a long, long time, and found a way to win it late, on fourth-down, with a scrambling touchdown strike to Jared Bernhardt.

He played most of the game, with the starters seeing relatively limited action as expected

The first-unit defense played one series. Top offensive players played the same amount, with Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts making cameos on the drive

The defenders got pushed around a bit on the game’s opening drive, giving up 79 yards on a 10-play touchdown drive that featured just one third down.

The offense did the pushing on their series, rushing for 61 yards on a drive that went 82, capped by Marcus Mariota’s 6-yard sprint to the pylon. It ate up most of the first quarter, with several moments encouraging to the visiting team.

That did it for the starting units, who technically played a first quarter that essentially included two drives.

Let’s take a look at Falcons who stood out in the early going and as the game progressed:

The second-year pro was heavily involved in the first two Falcons touchdowns. He escorted Mariota into the end zone with a solid, sustained block that created a path to the end zone for his quarterback.

He registered a score of his own two series later, securing a 1-yard touchdown catch from Desmond Ridder that was executed flawlessly. He started the play as a blocked, then leaked out into the pattern and into open space. Ridder dropped a touch pass over his shoulder and Hesse caught it for six.

Mariota had a solid opening drive, showing how much his mobility can impact an offense. He had three carries for 23 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run to the pylon. He also extended…