A brisk first half between the Falcons and Commanders came to an end with the two teams tied at 10.
Commanders running back James Robinson caught a touchdown pass from Taylor Heinicke and Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota hit tight end MyCole Pruitt for the lone Atlanta touchdown of the first half. They also traded field goals, but a couple of late opportunities for the Falcons to grab a lead went nowhere.
Running back Cordarrelle Patterson was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-one near midfield, but the team got the ball back one play later when linebacker Mykal Walker picked off Heinicke. The Falcons got in position to try a 58-yard field goal as time ran out on the half, but Younghoe Koo missed the kick.
Mariota is 11-of-16 for 104 yards and he’s run four times for 37 yards. Heinicke has matched him with 104 yards while going 9-of-14 through the air, but he has not made any plays with his feet yet on Sunday.