DETROIT - Rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jared Bernhardt with 1:30 left to give the Atlanta Falcons a 27-23 win over the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener for both teams Friday night.
The Lions took a 23-20 lead on Riley Patterson's 28-yard field goal with 5:57 to play, then forced Atlanta into a three-and-out series. Detroit quarterback David Blough, though, fumbled at his 33-yard line with two minutes left.
Facing fourth-and-9 from the 21 with 1:37 left, second-year Atlanta coach Arthur Smith decided to avoid a field-goal attempt for a stalemate and instead gave Ridder a chance to win the game.
"There was no way we were going to kick - no one wants a tie," he said. "We were going to try to make a play and try to win. I don't think Joe Gibbs and Tony Dungy went to the Hall of Fame on their preseason records."
Ridder dodged two pass rushers, and Bernhardt fought off Cedric Boswell's coverage attempt to make the catch just inside the end zone.
"(Boswell) apologized after the play for not running a great route," Smith said. "I told him not to worry about it - he won us the game."
Ridder replaced Marcus Mariota - an NFL veteran signed in the offseason after the Falcons traded longtime starter Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts - after one drive and finished 10-for-22 passing for 103 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed six times for 59 yards as Atlanta put up 168 yards rushing and just 139 passing.
Lions quarterbacks Tim Boyle and Blough, competing for the No. 2 job behind Jared Goff, both struggled. Boyle was 9-for-16 for 111 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Blough was 18-for-28 for 141 yards, but he had a pass deflected and nearly intercepted in his own end zone with 3:42 left before his late fumble.
"We certainly wish we could have finished that off, but we did get a good look at our guys in different situations," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "I was pleased with the way our offense started the game."
The Lions have lost their past nine preseason games. Their most recent preseason win was on Aug. 24, 2018, at Tampa Bay.
Both first-team offenses started the game with touchdown drives, taking up all but 31 seconds of the first quarter. D'Andre Swift scored after a 10-play Detroit drive, and Mariota scrambled in from 6 yards to conclude a 12-play possession for the Falcons.
"It was good to see us answer their touchdown on our first possession, but we didn't really need to see Marcus running that much," Smith said after Mariota had three carries for 23 yards on the series. "But I'd rather have guys like him - the ones you have to hold back in the preseason - than the others you have to push forward."
Boyle replaced Goff for Detroit's second possession.
Last season, the Lions' first-choice offensive line - left tackle Taylor Decker, left guard Jonah Jackson, center Frank Ragnow, right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai and right tackle Penei Sewell - never made it onto the field for a regular-season snap together. They started Friday, which led Goff to give up his planned week off.
"I heard those guys were finally going to be out there, and I didn't want them out there without me," said Goff, who requested to play after learning he wasn't scheduled to be active. "We got out there, scored a touchdown and did it swiftly. It always feels good to do that against another team."
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was a familiar sight for Detroit football fans even before the Lions selected him with the No. 2 pick in April's NFL draft. Hutchinson was a star for Michigan last season in the Wolverines' first run to the College Football Playoff, and he made a quick impact in his debut at football's highest level.
On his first two plays, he knocked Mariota out of bounds after a 7-yard gain, then stopped running back Qadree Ollison for a 2-yard loss on second down. Two plays later, he drew a holding penalty on Chris Lindstrom.
Falcons wide receiver Drake London, the eighth overall pick in the draft, sustained a knee injury on the game's first series and did not return. Smith said the Falcons wouldn't have an update on London until this weekend.
Lions safety Will Harris left the game on the first series with a hand injury and didn't return.
The Falcons visit the New York Jets on Aug. 22 for their second preseason game, while the Lions will visit the Colts on Aug. 20.