FLOWERY BRANCH — The battle between the interior of the Falcons’ defense and the Lions’ offensive line will be special.
The Falcons (2-0) are set to fact the Lions (1-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Lions are led by two-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow, who’ll face defensive tackles David Onyemata and Grady Jarrett. Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai started at left guard and right guard against Seattle for the Lions.
“They’ve invested in there,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “They’ve got one of the better centers in the league in Ragnow. Tougher than hell. Got a lot of respect for him. The whole line, they play hard. Hank Fraley does a great job coaching them.”
The Lions have started the season by leaning on running backs David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery sustained a thigh injury against Seattle.
“They certainly have some good schemes,” Smith said. “Gap schemes they run, the zone stuff. They do a nice job. Use their tight ends well.”
Cominsky on defense: The Lions’ defense features a strong linebacker group and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Also, John Cominsky, formerly of the Falcons, starts at defensive tackle for the Lions.
“Defensively, the way they are structured, they are big inside,” Smith said. “They are heavy-handed. On the edge they do a good job with hard-charging Hutchinson, (Charles) Harris. Ole Johnny, he’ll be geeked up. He’ll be in there in the mix. He’ll be geeked up ready to go.”
Cominsky was drafted in the fourth round by the Falcons in 2019. He played in four games in Smith’s first season with the team before he was released.
“Love coaching Johnny, but he’s done a nice job there,” Smith said.
Lions secondary: The Lions will start Tracy Walker, who played at Brunswick High, at safety after placing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle.
Walker has played in 64 NFL games and has made 37 starts.
“I know they are a little bit beat up on the back end,” Smith said. “But they play well. They are smart. Well coached. All those guys. It’s going to be a unique challenge.
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