Four weeks, four nail-biting finishes for the Falcons, and for the second straight week, a turnover from the Atlanta defense sealed the deal as Dee Alford’s interception secured a 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Without Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and starting DT Taven Bryan on the field for the Browns, the Falcons had to feel confident in their ability to run the ball heading into Sunday’s matchup, but the first half saw Atlanta total just 30 yards on the ground with the score tied at 10-10.
The second half told a different story as the Falcons racked up 172 rushing yards, but it wasn’t Cordarrelle Patterson—the third leading rusher entering week four—leading the way. Instead, after the Browns took a 13-10 lead late in the third quarter, the Falcons found lightning in a bottle with the fresh legs of Caleb Huntley who was elevated off the practice squad for the game with Patterson missing two days of practice due to a knee injury this week.
Needing an answer, the Falcons further cemented their identity as a physical, run-first offense with a 10-play drive without a pass that ended with a 5-yard touchdown plunge from Huntley—the first of his career in just his second game. On the drive that gave Atlanta a 17-13 lead, Huntley accounted for 54 yards with rookie Tyler Allgeier spelling him for a few carries. Continuing to impress, the BYU product lead the team with 84 yards thanks to a 42-yard carry on a drive that saw Atlanta tie the game once again at 20-20 with a Younghoe Koo field goal after Cleveland had moved back in front with a long touchdown run from Nick Chubb.
As for the Falcons' plan in the second half, Arthur Smith told Dave Archer on 92.9 The Game postgame that sometimes it’s best to go back to the basics.
“There were a couple of things we were trying to do, a little misdirection stuff, but at some point, you just say screw it, we’re going to go win this thing old school, and run it until we can’t and that’s what we did,” Smith said.
It wasn’t a banner day for Marcus Mariota going just 7-19 with 139 yards and an INT, but his biggest throw of the day came when the Falcons had to have it. A busted coverage left Olamide Zaccheaus wide open for a 42-yard gain to put Atlanta on the move late in the 4th quarter with a facemask tacked onto the end of the play. The drive would end with a Koo field goal to give the Falcons a 23-20 lead that they wouldn’t surrender.
The Falcons' defense stepped back onto the field looking for one more stop, and after a Grady Jarrett sack—the Falcons’ first of the day—the Alford pick sent the Falcons to the locker room at 2-2. Dean Pees’ unit kept Atlanta in the ballgame early as the offense struggled. Whether it was a goal-line stand on the Browns' opening drive, Jaylinn Hawkins forcing a fumble that led to a Falcons touchdown—Patterson taking it from 18-yards out—or forcing field goals, this win doesn’t happen without a strong effort from the defense.
For all of the preseason conversation surrounding this Falcons team, Atlanta is 2-2 and looking to make some noise in an NFC South that, with slow starts in New Orleans and Carolina, may be more wide open than some may have believed. Another litmus test awaits Atlanta next week as they travel to Tampa to face the division favorite in the Bucs, although injuries and a hectic offseason may be contributing to a slow start for Tom Brady and his supporting cast.