UPDATE: Matt Cassel hits Kevin Boss on a 22-yard touchdown pass, capping off a nine play, 76-yard scoring drive.
The Atlanta Falcons are off to a hot start in their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Much has been made of the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones connection this offseason, and that duo was certainly working on the opening drive of the ball game.
Ryan was six-of-eight passing for 68 yards and a score. Three of those passes and 44 yards of offense went to Jones, who caught an eight-yard touchdown pass to put the Falcons up 7-0 early.
On defense, Mike Nolan's group failed to get a good pass rush going. A couple of holes in Falcons the secondary allowed Matt Cassel to hit Dwayne Bowe and Tony Moeaki on a couple of long passes, driving the Chiefs down to the Atlanta 22-yard line.
But a cleverly designed delay blitz allowed Sean Weatherspoon to come in untouched on third down, forcing Cassel to dump it off short of the first down. The Chiefs would settle for a 39-yard Ryan Succop field goal.
On the following possession, Jacquizz Rodgers reeled off a brilliant kickoff return for 77 yards, setting the offense up deep in KC territory. But after a three-and-out, the Falcons were forced to settle for a field goal, a 34-yard attempt by Matt Bryant that held true.
For more updates on the game Falcons fans should stay right here at SB Nation Atlanta. For more analysis, visit The Falcoholic, and Chiefs fans should check out Arrowhead Pride; for more news and notes from around the NFL, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub page.