Atlanta 24, Cleveland 13
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, August 18, 2016
Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
Temperature:
79°
Head Official:
John Parry
Attendance:
58327
By The Sports Xchange
Atlanta backup players scored 17 unanswered points Friday night to carry the visiting Falcons to a 24-13 preseason victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Both starting quarterbacks played well after brief appearances on the opening weekend of the preseason.
Matt Ryan, 0 for 4 for the Falcons (2-0) against the Washington Redskins last week, played three series against the Browns (0-2) before giving way to Matt Schaub in the second quarter.
Ryan completed 6 of 11 passes for 78 yards and engineered a touchdown drive on Atlanta's first possession, ending with a 19-yard run off right tackle by running back Devonta Freeman.
Browns starting quarterback Robert Griffin III played five possessions in the first half and threw two touchdown passes -- one to wide receiver Terrelle Pryor for 50 yards to tie the game 7-7 and a 29-yarder to tight end Gary Barnidge.
Griffin scrambled 14 yards prior to the touchdown pass to Pryor and gained 22 yards to set up the scoring pass to Barnidge for a 13-7 lead. Travis Coons, trying to retain his job as Cleveland's kicker, missed the extra point.
Griffin finished 6 of 8 for 96 yards.
The Falcons cut the lead to 13-10 before halftime on a 30-yard field goal by backup kicker Nick Rose. Matt Bryant, the regular kicker and punter, was sidelined due to leg tightness.
Atlanta rookie running back Brandon Wilds ran 32 yards for a touchdown and a 17-13 Falcons lead in the third quarter.
Falcons third-team quarterback Alex Ross threw a 10-yard, fourth-quarter pass to rookie wide receiver Devin Fuller to expand the lead to 24-10.
Top Game Performances
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Atlanta
|
498 |
224 |
274 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
2.0 |
0 |
Cleveland
|
243 |
102 |
141 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Browns have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
-
Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Miami. The Falcons have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.