With a new offensive and defensive coordinator on staff, it was unclear how the Atlanta Falcons would perform in their season opener, but after a 40-24 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, there are fewer question marks surrounding the team.
Atlanta got a strong performance from all three of its units, and that made head coach Mike Smith happy.
"It’s always nice to get a win on your first game of the season and to have played the way we played. We came out very quickly, strongly, on offense. I think it took us a while to get going on defense. I thought we made some very good adjustments on the defensive side of the ball at halftime. It took us awhile to get gelling. It was a nice job. Special teams were solid throughout, albeit we had one snafu in terms of an extra point. I really liked the way that our guys played. They played with a lot of passion. They played for 60 minutes, and they finished. That’s what you have to do to have the success we want to have."
The Atlanta Falcons tallied 376 yards on offense and forced three turnovers. They also got a 77-yard return from Jacquizz Rodgers.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Atlanta. For more in-depth coverage, check out Falcons blog The Falcoholic. And for more news, notes and analysis from around the league, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.