By Stephen Ur
The Atlanta Falcons hosted the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA on Sunday afternoon. Former Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder was starting his first opening day for the Falcons, as was rookie running back Bijan Robinson.
After a scoreless first quarter, Ridder and Robinson would hook for the game’s first score as Ridder passed it to the rookie, who took it in from 11 yards out. Carolina would tie the game as #1 overall pick Bryce Young threw his first NFL touchdown to Hayden Hurst on a four-yard pass.
With the scored tied at 10 to start the fourth quarter, Tyler Allgeier gave Atlanta the lead once more on a three-yard score 42 seconds into the final frame. Allgeier scored his second three-yard touchdown with 4:52 left, extending the Falcons lead to 24-10.
That would prove to be the final score as Atlanta starts the 2023 season with a win. The Falcons will host the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET.
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