Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan won his first start in the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons crushed the Detroit Lions 34-21. Ryan was 9 of 13 passing for 161 yards and a touchdown, but the real story was Michael Turner, who rushed for a whopping 220 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Turner set the Falcons’ franchise record for rushing in a single game.
Ryan connected with Michael Jenkins on a 62-yard touchdown pass on just the third play of the game and then the Falcons turned the game over to Turner. Atlanta finished with 318 total rushing yards as they completely manhandled Detroit’s front seven, which might be the worst in the league.
Many pundits still liked the Lions coming into the season because they returned a lot of the same personnel that made them an explosive offense in 2007. But Detroit is void of overall talent on defense and might struggle all year.
