Atlanta, GA
Former BC Lions Quarterback’s First Impression with Atlanta Falcons in 2024 Preseason
Canadian football fans are watching the NFL’s preseason closely as they see their favorite native quarterback Nathan Rourke look to earn a spot on the Atlanta Falcons’ roster in 2024.
Rourke played his first game in the red and black uniforms, playing through the whole fourth quarter. The Falcons were not able to score any points in the final quarter, falling to the Miami Dolphins 20-13 on Friday night.
The BC Lions’ former starter completed three of his 13 passes for 37 yards and rushed twice for 24 yards on two carries. The stats are misconceiving as the wide receivers had at least three drops off of Rourke’s passes in the loss. He looked good in the game, and his athleticism showed on a big run play of 21 yards.
The bright side of his performance was that he outperformed fellow backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who threw for 11 yards on four completions. Atlanta’s first-round pick, Michael Penix Jr., got the start at quarterback with Kirk Cousins not playing in the game.
Rourke signed with the Falcons at the beginning of August after a short offseason with the New York Giants. During the 2023 NFL campaign, he also played for the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Many CFL fans will remember Rourke’s short two-year stint in the league with the BC Lions after the team selected him in the second round of the CFL Draft. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2022 after scoring 32 total touchdowns in 10 games and leading the Lions to the postseason.
Rourke will have another shot at playing for the Falcons on Saturday, August 17, when Atlanta travels to Baltimore to face the Ravens.
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Atlanta, GA
4 injured after Delta Air Lines flight aborted during takeoff in Atlanta
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Atlanta, GA
4 passengers injured as hundreds evacuate Delta flight by emergency slide in Atlanta
Hundreds of passengers were forced to evacuate a Delta airlines flight by emergency slides in snowy conditions Friday after an aborted takeoff in Atlanta — leading to at least four injuries and one hospitalization, authorities said.
Roughly 200 people hurriedly deplaned Minneapolis-bound flight 2668 on the tarmac at Atlanta International Airport at 9:10 a.m. due to an engine problem, airline officials said.
Footage posted on social media shows frazzled travelers, including children, running with their luggage from a Boeing 757-300 plane in several inches of snow, according to atlantanewsfirst.com.
Four passengers reported minor injuries and one was taken to the hospital, while the others were treated at the scene, the airport said.
Details about the engine problems were not immediately clear.
Delta apologized to passengers for the nerve-wracking experience.
“Delta’s flight crew followed established procedures to suspend the takeoff of flight…after an indication of an engine issue,” Delta said in a statement.
“Nothing is more important than the safety of our people and customers, and we apologize to our customers for their experience.”
Atlanta, GA
Houston faces Atlanta on 3-game win streak
Houston Rockets (25-12, second in the Western Conference) vs. Atlanta Hawks (19-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Atlanta; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Houston seeks to continue its three-game win streak with a victory over Atlanta.
The Hawks have gone 10-7 at home. Atlanta ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 17.5 fast break points per game led by Jalen Johnson averaging 3.6.
The Rockets have gone 12-6 away from home. Houston averages 113.1 points and has outscored opponents by 6.0 points per game.
The Hawks’ 13.1 made 3-pointers per game this season are just 0.7 more made shots on average than the 12.4 per game the Rockets give up. The Hawks average 113.1 points per game, 6.7 fewer points than the 119.8 the Hawks give up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Johnson is averaging 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawks.
Alperen Sengun is averaging 19.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hawks: 5-5, averaging 119.2 points, 41.2 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 11.2 steals and 5.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 121.5 points per game.
Rockets: 7-3, averaging 113.7 points, 48.0 rebounds, 19.9 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.9 points.
INJURIES: Hawks: Kobe Bufkin: out for season (shoulder), Larry Nance Jr.: out (hand), Jalen Johnson: day to day (shoulder), Cody Zeller: day to day (personal).
Rockets: Tari Eason: day to day (injury management), Jabari Smith Jr.: out (hand).
——
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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