Despite falling to the Ravens 27-23, Falcons head coach Mike Smith says he is happy with the progress of his offense and defense. The starters jumped out to a 23-7 lead over Baltimore before the reserves gave up the lead in the 2nd half.

Steven Jackson ran for 42 yards on eight carries after being limited to eight yards on five carries one week earlier in a 34-10 loss to Cincinnati.

Atlanta’s starting offense welcomed back wide receiver Julio Jones, and Ryan was glad to see him — if only for a few possessions. The tandem connected three times, landing Jones a team-high 55 yards receiving and a score during a first-quarter drive.

“Julio’s a great player, one of the best in the league,” Ryan said. “When he’s on the field, we’re a better football team.”

Jones missed the Cincinnati game while recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during training camp.

“It was good to have Julio back,” coach Mike Smith said. “We held him out that first game for precautionary reasons, and we were able to get him some limited action tonight.” Jones was removed from the game following the touchdown.

Read the full game recap from ESPN.com here.