Atlanta Falcons: Studs and duds in Week 2 vs. Cowboys

Stud: Calvin Ridley

Although Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones gets a lot of attention and praise within Atlanta’s offense, another key player in the passing game over the past few years has been Calvin Ridley and his ability to be a nice compliment to Jones to further open up the passing game.

On Sunday in Week 2, he had a dominant performance while leading the high-scoring affair with over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

By the end of the game, Ridley finished with seven catches on 10 targets, totaling 109 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

When Ridley is playing well and is heavily involved in the offense, this unit take another step in the right direction and becomes even more dangerous. So far, so good for Ridley and the Falcons offense this year.

Dud: Late-game execution

Although Atlanta was able to get out to a quick start in the game on Sunday and held a sizable lead against Dallas on the road, the Falcons’ late-game execution was disastrous and led to the surprising loss on the road.

Even though Atlanta held a 29-10 advantage at halftime, it allowed Dallas to get rolling late in the game while offering way too many extra possessions and opportunities.

In the third quarter, Atlanta was held scoreless while managing to record 10 points in the final frame against Dallas. The Cowboys, on the other hand, finished the final two quarters of the game with 30 points to narrow Atlanta’s lead late and take the game as time expired.

Highlighted by the onside kick Dallas recovered to set up the game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter, there were a lot of glaring concerns with the Falcons play late in the loss. And Atlanta needs to work on some late-game execution and not letting up on the gas moving forward.