Falcons RB Nathan Carter has a good night a week after collision with Lions S Morice Norris

Falcons rookie running back Nathan Carter's attempt to leap over Lions safety Morice Norris in Atlanta's first preseason game went awry when his knee collided with Norris's helmet on a run early in the fourth quarter.

Norris remained down and left the field in an ambulance, which led to the two teams calling off the remainder of the game. The Falcons were back on the field against the Titans Friday night and Carter was in the spotlight for better reasons.

Carter said he spoke to Norris during the week and said it "gives me a lot of encouragement" that Norris has recovered well enough to be back at the Lions' facility. He turned that encouragement into a 43-yard touchdown run that bolstered his bid to be the third running back on the Falcons behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.

"It's huge," Carter said, via Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. "Not just for me, but really for the entire running back room for us to be able to put stuff like that on tape. . . . When I scored that touchdown, the first people I saw was [Robinson and Allgeier] celebrating for me. And that's huge because I look up to those guys so much."

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said that Carter, who was undrafted out of Michigan State, "plays with a fierce running style" and he'll have another week or so to make his case for a longer run on the roster.