The Falcons dropped their preseason opener, 34-10, to the Cincinnati Bengals at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta and Cincinnati have met 12 times in the preseason with the series tied at six wins each and the Bengals have won each of the last three meetings.
QB Matt Ryan and the first-team offense got three series of work on Thursday night. Ryan completed 6-of-9 pass attempts for 89 yards with a 98.8 passer rating.
The Falcons opened the game with an eight-play 57-yard scoring drive the ended with a 37-yard field goal by K Matt Bryant. Under head coach Mike Smith, the Falcons own a 42-10 (regular season) record in games where they score first and since 2008, Atlanta leads the League in points scored on its first offensive possession. In 2012, the Falcons scored 51 points on their opening possessions, which led the NFL.
Bryant set a franchise record with 143 points in 2012 after connecting on 33 of 38 field goal attempts and a perfect 44 of 44 on PATs.
QB Dominique Davis took over for Ryan late in the first quarter and completed eight of 19 passes for 78 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He hit RB Jason Snelling for an eight-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Snelling finished the game with 44 yards of total offense, logging 23 yards on five carries (4.6 yards per carry) and 21 yards on three receptions with one touchdown.
Rookie LB Paul Worrilow posted a game-high 11 total tackles (nine solo). He also recorded one tackle for loss and one pass defense. Worrilow broke up a QB Josh Johnson pass on a third-down play that forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal after pushing the ball to the Falcons 10-yard line.
Worrilow was signed by the Falcons as a college free agent out of Delaware following the 2013 NFL Draft. He led the Blue Hens with 107 total tackles (57 solo) in 2012, while adding nine tackles for loss and three sacks.
DE Jonathan Massaquoi posted three total tackles (three solo) with one sack, one tackle for loss and two quarterback hits. Massaquoi played in eight games primarily on special teams and as a reserve defensive lineman during his rookie season in 2012.
P Matt Bosher punted seven times for 335 yards, averaging 47.9 yards per punt. He also had two punts downed inside the Bengals 20-yard line and a long punt of 59 yards.
