For the season opener, the Bears were considered an obvious underdog as they faced the Atlanta Falcons, who appeared in Super Bowl LI a year earlier. After 26 total meetings, the Bears led the series 14-12; entering the 2017 game, the Bears had a two-game winning streak against the Falcons, with the most recent game in 2014 being a 27-13 victory. The offense, which ranked 15th in 2016 (17th in rushing and 14th passing), took on a Falcons defense that was ranked 25th (17th in run and 28th in pass). During his tenure with the Buccaneers, Mike Glennon completed 71.6 percent of his passes for 683 yards with six touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 109.2 passer rating against the Falcons. Although Glennon had strong stats against Atlanta, CBS Chicago writer and former Bears director of college scouting Greg Gabriel suggested the Bears should utilize its rushing attack due to a lack of options at receiver. Rookie running backs Tarik Cohen and Taquan Mizzell, both players with high agility, were recommended by Gabriel for use, as "gimmicks" are more effective at the start of the season due to a lack of preparation for them. The Bears' 15th-ranked defense (27th in run and seventh in pass) faced a Falcons offense led by 2016 MVP quarterback Matt Ryan and ranked second in offense (fifth in rushing and third in passing). Gabriel wrote the Bears defensive line and linebackers were among the best in the league, and played against a Falcons offensive line that was considered one of the weakest parts of the team. On the other hand, Gabriel added the Bears secondary was an area of concern, meaning the DL and LB corps were to be relied on to apply pressure to Ryan. The Falcons' Matt Bryant kicked a 48-yard field goal on the opening drive. After the two teams exchanged punts, Connor Barth converted a 54-yard field goal at the start of the second quarter to tie the game. Although Devonta Freeman scored on a five-yard touchdown run, the Bears responded with a 75-yard drive featuring exclusively run plays. On the series, Cohen escaped two Falcons and shifted from the left side of the field to the right to record a 46-yard run. Cohen later took a direct snap from the center in the Wildcat formation and handed the ball to Jordan Howard, who received assistance on a block by Glennon to score a five-yard touchdown. The first three drives of the second half ended with a punt before Bryant kicked a 28-yard field goal. After another Chicago punt, the defense appeared to have forced a fourth down situation on Atlanta until Akiem Hicks was penalized for roughing the passer. Ryan capitalized by throwing to an open Austin Hooper, who stiff-arm fended Quintin Demps to score an 88-yard touchdown. Glennon threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Cohen to decrease the gap to three points until Bryant kicked a 37-yard field goal. Down by six with 3:21 remaining in the game, Glennon drove the Bears downfield and reached the Falcons' five-yard line, but his first three passes to Josh Bellamy, Howard, and Miller fell incomplete. On fourth-and-five, Glennon was sacked by Brooks Reed for a turnover on downs. Ryan kneeled to seal the Bears' 23-17 defeat. The loss marked the fourth straight opening week loss for the Bears.. How many total points were scored by the end of the game?