What are the Atlanta Falcons talking about ahead of Sunday's Week 3 matchup against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field? Let's find out:
1. The 2-0 Falcons have outscored opponents 27-0 over the first two weeks of the season in the fourth quarter.
"It speaks to the conditioning and the way our guys want to operate and the way we want to finish games and adjust and be that team in the fourth quarter," Falcons head coach Arthur Smith told the Atlanta media this week via atlantafalcons.com.
2. Smith talked about being able to handle the environment on the road at Ford Field this week. He took note of the atmosphere and noise level at Ford Field against the Seahawks last week and said his team being able to handle it is important.
View photos of the starters for the Atlanta Falcons.
Head Coach Arthur Smith
Offensive Coordinator: Dave Ragone
Defensive Coordinator: Ryan Nielsen
Special Teams Coordinator: Marquice Williams
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
WR Drake London
Backed up by Scotty Miller and Josh Ali
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
TE Kyle Pitts
Backed up by MyCole Pruitt and John FitzPatrick
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
T Jake Matthews
Backed up by Isaiah Prince
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
OL Matthew Bergeron
Backed up by Jovaughn Gwyn
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
C Drew Dalman
Backed up by Ryan Neuzil
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
G Chris Lindstrom
Backed up by Kyle Hinton
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
T Kaleb McGary
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
TE Jonnu Smith
Backed up by Keith Smith
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
WR Mack Hollins
Backed up by KhaDarel Hodge
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
RB Bijan Robinson
Backed up by Tyler Allgeier
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
J Cordarrelle Patterson
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
QB Desmond Ridder
Backed up by Taylor Heinicke and Logan Woodside
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
OLB Arnold Ebiketie
Backed up by DeAngelo Malone
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
DL Grady Jarrett
Backed up by Albert Huggins
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
DL David Onyemata
Backed up by Ta'Quon Graham
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
DL Calais Campbell
Backed up by Zach Harrison and Joe Gaziano
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
OLB Bud Dupree
Backed up by Lorenzo Carter
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
ILB Troy Andersen
Backed up by Tae Davis
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
ILB Kaden Elliss
Backed up by Nate Landman
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
CB A.J. Terrell
Backed up by Mike Hughes
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
CB Dee Alford
Backed up by Clark Phillips III
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
S Richie Grant
Backed up by DeMarcco Hellams
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
S Jessie Bates III
Backed up by Jaylinn Hawkins
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
CB Jeff Okudah
Backed up by Tre Flowers
(AP Photo/Alex Slitz)
K Younghoe Koo
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
P/H Bradley Pinion
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
LS Liam McCullough
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
PR Dee Alford
Backed up by Mike Hughes
(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
KR Cordarrelle Patterson
Backed up by Mike Hughes
(AP Photo/Danny Karnik)
3. Smith on Lions quarterback Jared Goff:
"He's a good player. A guy I think is very underrated. I mean he was the No. 1 pick. Clearly has an elite skillset. The guy has won a lot of games in this league as a starter. Took a team to a Super Bowl. Won a lot of football games.
"So, he's a good player. I'm not sure why he doesn't get the credit he deserves. It'll be a challenge (for our defense). They have a good football team. They have a good (offensive) line. Tough receivers. We're looking forward to it. It'll be a good challenge."
4. Former Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah will return to Ford Field for the first time since being traded from Detroit to Atlanta in the offseason. Okudah is familiar with some of Detroit's weapons at wide receiver, and Smith said coaches always try to glean as much as they can from a player's knowledge of an opponent but oftentimes it doesn't matter much.
"You try to get as much information from a lot of different places but at the end of the day teams evolve so much whether you were there a month ago in training camp or not," he said. "Week to week what their game plan will be to try and stop us and vice versa. Any information I'm sure Detroit will do the same thing. Ultimately, most teams adapt and there's no state secrets he's going to reveal."
Okudah has missed the Falcons' first two games with an ankle injury but there's optimism he'll make his Falcons debut in Detroit after returning to practice in limited capacity last week.
View photos from Detroit Lions practice on Wednesday, September 20, 2023.
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Charles Harris (53) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (0) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs (96) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Brock Wright (89) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman (57) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez (44) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky (79) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton (1) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton (1) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker (21) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Brandon Joseph (40) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Brandon Joseph (40) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Dylan Drummond (83) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (6) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu (6) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions center Frank Ragnow (77) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Brodric Martin (98) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell (46) during practice at the Lions training facility in Allen Park, MI on September 20, 2023. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
5. Smith acknowledged that Falcons running back Bijan Robinson and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs will be linked throughout their NFL careers because of their draft status this year being the first two backs taken. But Smith said the two are completely different players with completely different styles and skillsets. The thing that sticks out to Smith about Gibbs is his speed.
"Gibbs is a terrific player," he said. "Good player at Tech. Good player at Alabama. Speed guy."
6. Smith on Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown: "He's a problem."
Smith likes the way the Lions use St. Brown all over the formation to try and get him open.
