Said Falcons coach Mike Smith of his team beating up the Lions in the first quarter, “We wanted a fast start, and I thought we did that.”

In his first game as a starter, Falcons RB Michael Turner broke the franchise record for rushing yards in a game, with 220.

Said Lions DT Cory Redding, “We’re good, we just didn’t show up today.”

Lions QB Jon Kitna had heated words with some coaches on the sideline, but everyone downplayed the incident after the game.

Said Lions coach Rod Marinelli of the problems on defense, “It’s tackling — it comes down to that. I think anybody could see that. That’s something we emphasize and emphasize, and we didn’t do it.”

The Lions’ performance is described as “a stinging indictment” of Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan completed 9 of 13 passes for 161 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions.

Falcons fans are hyperventilating over Ryan’s performance.

By notching one win, the Falcons have already met some experts’ preseason expectations.

Said Falcons S Lawyer Milloy, “It was a great win for our team. I know that there are not a lot of people that have high expectations for our team, but we have expectations for ourselves and I thought that we showed that effort.”