ATLANTA — Friday's preseason game for the Falcons will be the first game action for the starters who were held out of last week's preseason-opening win versus the Miami Dolphins.
This week's game is a chance for fans to see the new-look roster at Mercedes-Benz Stadium led by second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder, who is excited to get on the field and take a couple hits to prepare for the 2023 season.
"I'd love to get hit once or twice in that game just to shake some of the rust off," said Ridder. "Hopefully not too many hits, but maybe one or two won't be bad for me. It doesn't matter how many drives I just want to get in there, keep the ball moving forward and continue in a positive way."
Meanwhile, the starters on defense are looking to build on a dominant performance from the reserves against the Dolphins where they forced multiple turnovers and finished with five sacks. The game is showing what culture defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen and the rest of the staff have built.
"That comes from the top. Aggressive. Attacking. Going forward. Forward body lean. Run and hit. Those type of things," said Nielsen.
The Falcons host the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Friday at 7:30 p.m.