Falcons stampede Colts, 34-6, in dominant preseason victory

INDIANAPOLIS — The Falcons enjoyed a clean and efficient Saturday afternoon, surging to a 34-6 preseason win over the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in a game where the visitors never trailed. The victory pushed the Falcons to 1-1 in the exhibition slate.

With most of the starters sitting out, Cooper Rush started at quarterback for the Falcons. He delivered a much cleaner, more efficient effort than his first outing, when he tossed two interceptions in a 7-for-19 passing performance last week against the Broncos.

Rush went 10-for-11 passing for 86 yards and led three scoring drives in four possessions.

The Falcons initially planned to split halves between Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand, but the latter took over with five minutes remaining in the second quarter — and he shined. Strand led a touchdown drive in his lone first-half possession, which lifted the Falcons to a 24-6 halftime lead.

Strand carried his momentum into the second half, finishing 12-of-17 for 212 yards and a touchdown.

And after a strong week running the ball during joint practices, the Falcons translated their success to Saturday. They rumbled for 164 yards on the ground across 40 carries, highlighted by a 49-yard touchdown run by Tyler Goodson, who spent the past three seasons with the Colts. Nearly a dozen teammates raced from the sideline to the celebration, which drew a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Defensively, the Falcons stifled the Colts, led by quarterback Riley Leonard, in the first half. The Colts mustered only 91 total yards, including just 29 on the ground, and Leonard went 7-for-14 passing for 62 yards.