Week 2 of the NFL preseason slate closes with an interconference tilt between a pair of teams that struggled in 2021 on the gridiron in the Garden State. The Atlanta Falcons are on the road as they make the trip up the east coast to face the New York Jets on Monday night. Atlanta comes in off a 27-23 road victory over Detroit in their preseason opener on August 12. New York picked up a 24-21 road win over Philadelphia in their preseason opener back on August 12. In the most recent preseason meeting, the Jets took a 22-10 road win on August 15, 2019, marking the first win for then-coach Adam Gase with the franchise.
Atlanta had their ups and downs, as one would expect with a young team, but managed to put it together enough to drop the Lions on the road in their preseason opener. The Falcons were tied at seven after the opening quarter, at 17 at the half and at 20 after three quarters. Atlanta trailed 23-20 late in the fourth quarter but forced a turnover in Detroit territory. That set them up for a five-play, 33-yard drive that ended in a touchdown pass from rookie Desmond Ridder to Jared Bernhardt with 1:30 to play to give the Falcons the victory. In the game, Atlanta was outgained 393-307 in total offense, gave up 26 first downs while picking up 19 and lost the time of possession 33:50 to 26:10 yet prevailed. The Falcons forced a pair of turnovers while not committing any, which proved critical in the contest.
Marcus Mariota got the start at quarterback for the Falcons. He completed both his throws for 36 ya rds while adding three carries for 23 yards plus a score. Desmond Ridder, in his first pro action, acquitted himself fairly well as he completed 10 of 22 passes for 103 yards plus a pair of scores while adding six rushes for a team-high 59 yards. In the run game, Qadree Ollison (five carries, 33 yards), rookie Tyler Allgaier (three carries, 25 yards), Caleb Huntley (eight carries, 18 yards) and Damien Williams (three carries, 10 yards) are trying to create some separation and earn the starting job. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Allgaier ended up winning the role as the preseason wears on. In the passing game, only Frank Darby (two catches, 14 yards) caught more than one pass as the team spread the ball around. This week will be a prime opportunity for guys like first-round pick Drake London (catch, 24 yards), Geronimo Allison (reception, 20 yards) and Damiere Byrd (grab, 20 yards) to perhaps get some run and establish themselves as potential starters as some guys to help take pressure off Kyle Pitts in the passing game.