ATLANTA — All eyes will be on the Falcons Friday night as they flock to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions in each team's first preseason contest.
Despite the Falcons already naming Marcus Mariota as the starting quarterback, there will undoubtedly be heavy focus on the team's third-round selection, quarterback Desmond Ridder.
According to the Falcons official team site, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said earlier in the week that he and Arthur Smith decided they will play their starters throughout the first quarter.
This will likely give Falcons fans their first chance to see Ridder command the offense in his first NFL game. Although it's unclear how much Ridder will play in the opener, fans should expect to see Ridder immediately following Mariota.
Other Falcons notables that are expected to be in action tonight are rookie first-round wide receiver Drake London and Pro-Bowl tight end Kyle Pitts, who is now in his second season with Atlanta.
For the Lions, lining up opposite of Mariota tonight will be highly-touted rookie Aidan Hutchinson, who was taken second overall in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Michigan.
The Falcons have had abysmal success in the preseason dating back to 2017, going 1-15 in that span. In that same time, the Falcons have had three dates with the Lions in the regular season, going 2-1 with their most recent win coming the day after Christmas last season.
Game details:
RECORDS: Atlanta Falcons (0-0) vs. Detroit Lions (0-0)
GAME TIME: Friday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. EST
LOCATION: Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
TV/RADIO: NFL Network | 92.9 The Game Atlanta
ODDS: Atlanta is 2.5 point underdogs, according to Bovada
