Atlanta Falcons: Debut in Mercedes-Benz Stadium spoiled by Cardinals
By Randy Gurzi
The Atlanta Falcons were beat 24-14 in their first game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium by the Atlanta Falcons, but the venue itself is still amazing
The venue stole the show as the Atlanta Falcons debuted their new home — the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was a sold out preseason game, which isn’t always an easy thing to do, but Falcons fans were ready to see the new place and check it out.
And check it out they did. Despite it being a packed house, the seats looked bare quite often during the telecast, but the different parts of the stadium highlighted by Falcons coverage man D.J. Shockley were not. Fans were soaking in the 100-yard club and checking out all the behind the scenes areas MBS had to offer.
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That was probably more fun than the game itself. The Falcons starters came out flat and were less-than-impressive. The Arizona Cardinals scored the first 17-points in the stadium and went to the half with a 17-3 lead. The second half was rather uneventful as the Falcons managed just one field goal and then a late 57-yard touchdown pass and 2-point conversion to make it a 10-point game.
Falcons Stat Leaders
Matt Simms, QB: 8-of-13, 117 yards, 1 TD
Terron Ward, RB: 10 rushes, 28 yards 4 receptions, 24 yards
Josh Magee, WR: 1 reception, 57 yards, TD
Jermaine Grace, LB: 8 tackles
Jack Crawford, DE: 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble
Cardinals stat leaders
Drew Stanton, QB: 4-of-6, 53 yards, 1 TD
Chris Johnson, RB: 6 carries, 31 yards
John Brown, WR: 2 receptions, 49 yards, 2 TDs
Cap Capi, LB: 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 3 QB hits
Next: Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Dominant Home Field for the Atlanta Falcons
There wasn’t much to be excited about, but that’s nothing to cause concern. The Falcons were working in some players like wide receiver Julio Jones who had been out in each previous game. They may have been trying too hard to force things, an issue that won’t carry over into the regular season.