DE John Abraham posted a pair of sacks in a season-opening loss to the Bears
- The Birds drove 50 yards in 10 plays on their first offensive possession to set up a 48-yard field goal by K Matt Bryant to tie the game at 3-3 in the first quarter. In 2010, Atlanta ranked tied for third in the League with 45 points on its first offensive possessions.
- Bryant would also add a 25-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half. Dating back to 2010, Bryant has hit 18 consecutive field goals. Last season, he connected on 28 of his 31 field goal attempts and ranked fourth in the League with 128 points.
- DE John Abraham recorded a pair of sacks in Sunday's season opener. He now has 51.0 sacks since joining the Falcons in 2006, and sits just seven quarterback takedowns away from tying Patrick Kerney (58.0) for fourth place in franchise history.
- The veteran defensive end now has 104.5 career sacks, which tie him with Kevin Carter and Neil Smith for 19th on the NFL's all-time sack leaders list. Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, Abraham is just the 25th player to record 100-or-more sacks.
- Abraham posted the 25th multi-sack game of his career against the Bears. Atlanta owns an 11-2 record in games that he notches two-or-more sacks, including a 9-1 mark since 2008.
- Since 2008, Abraham has posted 12 sacks in the month of September, a mark that leads the NFL. Atlanta totaled 31 sacks in 2010, with Abraham posting a team-high 13.0.
- RB Michael Turner rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries, including a 53-yard run. Over the last four seasons, Turner ranks third in the NFL in runs of 15-yards-or-more. Entering his fourth season with the Falcons, Turner also ranks third in the League in total rushing yards and rushing yards per game since 2008. He also added three catches for 40 yards in the season opener at Chicago.
- DE Kroy Biermann intercepted a tipped ball and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The pick was the second of his career and the second time he has returned an interception for a touchdown. In a Week 5 win over the Cleveland Browns in 2010, Biermann intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a score.
- Atlanta's defense was paced by second-year linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who led the team with 10 tackles (nine solo) and veteran middle linebacker Curtis Lofton who posted eight tackles (eight solo). Additionally, CB Brent Grimes notched three passes defensed. Last season, Grimes set a club record with 23 pass breakups.
- QB Matt Ryan completed 31 of 47 pass attempts for 319 yards, marking the fifth time in his career that he has eclipsed the 300-yard mark through the air. The fourth-year signal caller had a streak of 15 consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass snapped in the loss. Last season, the only game Ryan did not find the endzone was the team's season opening loss to eventual AFC Champion Pittsburgh.
- WR Roddy White led the team with eight receptions for 61 yards, while TE Tony Gonzalez posted five catches for a team-high 72 yards. Rookie WR Julio Jones had a productive NFL debut pulling in five catches for 71 yards, including a 32-yard reception in the third quarter.
- Both Gonzalez and White added to their consecutive games with a reception streaks. Gonzalez has caught at least one pass in 164 straight games, while White has pulled in at least one ball in 69 consecutive games.
- Gonzalez also increased his career receptions total to 1,074. He is the first tight end in NFL history to record 1,000-plus receptions and no active player has more catches than Gonzalez. He is four catches shy of tying WR Terrell Owens (1,078) for fifth on the NFL's all-time receptions list.
