ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A fourth-quarter comeback and a 13-10 preseason win for the Falcons was, in some ways, overshadowed by a late-game injury to quarterback D.J. Shockley.
Shockley injured a knee on a 10-yard scramble that set the Falcons up for the go-ahead score with under three minutes remaining. The second-year player out of Georgia was taken off the field on a cart as his teammates huddled around him.
Head Coach Bobby Petrino said after the game that Shockley, who started his time in the game 4-of-4 passing, has a sprained knee. Test are scheduled to see the extent of the damage but the coach and other Falcons said, at first glance, the injury didn't look good.
Chris Redman, who played most of the game, stepped back in after Shockley's injury and found tight end George Cooper, a rookie out of Georgia Tech, in the back corner of the end zone for the winning touchdown.
The Falcons first-team picked up where it left off last week against the Jets, taking the opening kickoff and driving 75 yards in 11 plays down to the Bills 1-yard line. But the home team stood strong and turned the Falcons away with a fourth-down stand that kept Atlanta off the scoreboard.
"On the first series, we moved the ball down the field and should have kicked the field goal," Petrino said when asked about the drive and the decision to go for it on fourth down. "If you go for it and miss it then you should have kicked it."
Bright spots included the play of rookie running back Jason Snelling, who got the start due to injuries to Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood.
Snelling finished with 12 carries for 50 yards, including runs of 22 and 12 yards on the game's opening drive. He missed time after a hard hit by Bills linebacker Coy Wire in the second quarter. The hit forced a fumble, but didn't force Snelling out of the game for good. He returned to spell Ovie Mughelli in an undermanned backfield.
Other offensive stars included rookie Laurent Robinson, who again led the team in catches, this time with four grabs for 54 yards. The team totaled 284 yards of total offense.
Atlanta's first-team defense kept the Bills off the scoreboard and got more action than last week.
"The defense did a good job of holding the Bills out of the end zone and only to a field goal when we had those two turnovers," Petrino said. "It was good experience for our No. 2 defense playing against their No. 1 offense. We need to continue to play hard in the second half."
The run defense undoubtedly benefited from the return of 345-pound defensive tackle Grady Jackson. Jackson worked with the first-team defense which saw only 10 plays against the Jets, all runs. The attack from the Bills was more balanced Friday night.
For the game the Bills totaled just 69 yards of offense.
"It felt good to play a little bit and get the feel of it," Jackson said. "I really liked how the defense worked. It's only the preseason, but I feel like we are starting very well."
"It was alright," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "The first quarter was good and the first defense had a chance to go out there and battle. We were put into some game-like situations and we responded well. We are really pumped-up about the potential of our defense."
First-team quarterback Joey Harrington finished 4-of-7 for 31 yards and one interception -- a deep ball that got caught up in the wind and picked off by Bills cornerback Terrence McGee. Harrington remained in the game into the second quarter before giving up control to Redman who, with help from kicker Billy Cundiff, led the team to a 6-3 halftime lead.
"I felt really good," Harrington said. "We moved the ball down the field right out of the gate. We need to work a little bit on finishing drives. We've had a couple come up short these first two preseason games. Tonight went well, though."
MORE FROM FRIDAY'S PRESEASON GAME:
- GAMEDAY: Click here for complete game coverage
- QUOTABLE: Quotes from Falcons players after the Bills game
- GAME NOTES: News and Notes from the Falcons preseason win
- VIDEO AND AUDIO: Bobby Petrino post game and much more
- PHOTOS: Check out photos from the Falcons preseason game at Buffalo
