For the 2023 NFL season, digital team reporter Terrin Waack will provide select stellar stats, obscure facts and notable quotes from the most recent game to show how the Atlanta Falcons are taking flight into the new week.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Atlanta Falcons lost 28-23 to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday for their Week 8 matchup at Nissan Stadium in front of 68,008 ticketed fans.
STELLAR STATS
-- Defensive lineman Calais Campbell recovered a Titans fumble in the first quarter. That puts him at 13 career fumble recoveries, which ranks fourth most among all active players.
-- Receiver Drake London has recorded at least five receptions in the last four consecutive games. He pulled in five catches for 55 yards against the Titans. The last time he had a streak like this was Weeks 13-18 (Week 14 was the bye) of 2022, when he strung five games together with at least five receptions.
-- Kicker Younghoe Koo made all three of his field-goal attempts. The longest was a 49-yarder in third quarter. Koo has now made 56 of his 65 field-goal attempts of 40-plus yards, giving him an 83.6% success rate that qualifies him as the best in the NFL since 2019.
-- Now a standout stat, but in a negative way. Quarterback Desmond Ridder has been responsible for seven turnovers in the last three games. He lost a fumble to the Titans, giving him four fumbles to go with the most recent three interceptions in the aforementioned span. The Falcons, as a whole, had seven turnovers through their first five games combined.
OBSCURE FACTS
-- Running back Bijan Robinson scored his first rushing touchdown with a 13-yard run in the fourth quarter. The rookie boasts 655 yards from scrimmage, though, making him the second player in franchise history to record at least 650 yards from scrimmage in his first eight games. William Andrews has been the only other to do so in 1979 with 727.
-- Both teams used multiple quarterbacks and one had multiple passers. The Titans used quarterbacks Will Levis and Malik Willis -- though Willis never threw a pass -- while Taylor Heinicke replaced Ridder for the Falcons after halftime. Tight end Jonnu Smith threw a pass for Atlanta, too, but the trick play fell incomplete.
-- That pass attempt by Smith in the first quarter was the first of his career. He was targeting tight end MyCole Pruitt. Both Smith and Pruitt used to play for the Titans, at the same time. Smith was in Tennessee from 2018-20. Pruitt was for one season longer.
-- Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught four passes, and three of them were touchdowns. Those were Hopkins' first touchdowns of 2023. His only other three-touchdown game came in Week 5 of 2017, when he played for the Houston Texans. Hopkins also just so happened to have four receptions then.
QUOTING ARTHUR SMITH
On whether Desmond Ridder is going to remain the starting quarterback…
"You can ask me 100 times. You can ask me 500 more. We just lost a game. We've got a lot we've got to figure out (Monday) and the next day."
QUOTING THE FALCONS
Safety Jessie Bates III
On his feelings toward how the game played out…
"Chances were we were going to win. Obviously we think we're going to win. But we gave up explosives and that's what it was."
QUOTING THE OPPONENT
Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons
On how long it took to get used to Taylor Heinicke as the Falcons quarterback…
"We knew he could run, and that's the thing with guys like him. He was getting the ball out a little quicker than (Desmond) Ridder, of course. But, at the end of the day, we found a way to get the stops when we needed. And it's hard to win in this league, at least we're not making it that hard."
GAME LEADERS
Top 3 rushers
1. Titans: Derrick Henry, 22 carries for 101 yards
2. Falcons: Bijan Robinson, 11 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown
3. Falcons: Tyler Allgeier, eight carries for 31 yards
Top 3 receivers
1. Titans: DeAndre Hopkins, four receptions for 128 yards and three touchdowns
2. Falcons: KhaDarel Hodge, three receptions for 75 yards
3. Falcons: Drake London, five receptions for 55 yards
Top 3 passers
1. Titans: Will Levis, 19-29-0 for 238 yards and four touchdowns (sacked twice)
2. Falcons: Taylor Heinicke, 12-21-0 for 175 yards and a touchdown (sacked once)
3. Falcons: Desmond Ridder, 8-12-0 for 71 yards (sacked five times)
Top 3 defenders
1. Titans: Azeez Al-Shaair, 11 total tackles, six solo (one fumble recovery)
2. Falcons: Kaden Elliss, eight total tackles, six solo
3. Falcons: Richie Grant, eight total tackles, five solo
NEXT UP
The Falcons (4-4) return home to host the Minnesota Vikings (4-4) on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Action is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX.
The Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers, 24-10, last Sunday for their own Week 8 game.
Get an inside look at the matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tennessee Titans during Week 8.