Rewind: Ryan’s precision passing pays off
Falcons defensive end Ray Edwards is all smiles walking on to the field after defeating his former team, the Vikings, 24-14 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com
The game that was
The Falcons, for the second outing in a row, did not show the requisite killer-instinct of a championship level team. They built a big lead against the Vikings and then let them hang around before pulling out a harder-than-necessary 24-14 victory.
What we learned
1. The short passing game works. To combat Minnesota’s strong front seven, the Falcons worked their short passing attack and Matt Ryan was lethal. He completed 27 of 34 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons sprinkled in a little of their no-huddle attack to set tempo. Ryan spread the ball around to seven different receivers and would have had his third straight 300-yard game if Julio Jones would have hauled down a long pass and not have interfered with a defender.
2. The goal-line defense is stout. The defense responded when pressed against the wall after Percy Harvin’s record-breaking 104 yard return. It was the longest non-scoring play in league history. Owens had enough energy left after chasing down Harvin to sack Christian Ponder on first down. Safety Thomas DeCoud and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton were credited with stops on second and third down before Sean Weatherspoon shot a gap and dropped Minnesota running back Toby Gerhart short of the goal line.
3. Roddy White rounding into Pro Bowl form. For the second game a row, the Falcons moved White around and ran mostly out of three wide receiver sets with one back and a tight end. He was targeted 13 times and caught 10 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown. On one play that the Falcons ran a lot last season, White went in motion and came storming out of the backfield and into the flat. Ryan passed to White while he was on the move. White turned the play up field for a big gain.
Injury report
Cornerback Kelvin Hayden (dislocated toe) did not play because of injury. Cornerback Brent Grimes (knee) started the game, but left in the second quarter, while cornerback Dunta Robinson left the game, but returned to the action. Linebacker Stephen Nicholas (thigh) left the game in the third quarter and did not return. Wide receiver Roddy White (shoulder) left the game, but returned. No other injuries were reported by the Falcons.
The numbers game
4
The defense came up with four sacks, one short of their season-high of five in the opener against Chicago. Weatherspoon, Owens and defensive end Lawrence Sidbury (two) provided the sack attack.
10
Weatherspoon led the defense with a team-high 10 tackles, including a potential game-saver on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the fourth quarter.
50.4
Punter Matt Bosher’s averaged on five punts.
174
Tight end Tony Gonzalez caught nine passes for 69 yards. He has caught at least one pass in 174 straight games.
79
White has caught a pass in 79 straight games.
Sound bite
“When you get up, you definitely want to keep your foot on their throats.”
–Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon on the Falcons lack of a killer’s instinct.
Loose ends
Harry Douglas’ 27-yard touchdown catch was the Falcons longest play from scrimmage. . . Running back Michael Turner was held to 60 yards on 19 carries. . . The Falcons did not create a turnover for the second time in their last three games. . . Atlanta’s defense held the Vikings to 64 yards rushing on 24 carries. The Falcons are allowing 83.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks second in the league behind San Francisco (75.5).
What’s next
The Falcons (7-4) will face the Houston Texans (8-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Reliant Stadium. This will be just the third meeting between the two teams. The series is tied at 1-1.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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185 comments Add your comment
DR. FALCON
November 29th, 2011
1:13 am
MATT RYAN HAS PROVEN TO BE AN ELITE QB! REAL FALCON FANS SUPPORT HIM! ENOUGH SAID!!!
SINCE66
November 29th, 2011
5:49 am
Hey, they won. Is that not better than a loss. So they play poorly at times. Have you seen
them over the past 45 years? A great improvement.
SeenThisB4
November 29th, 2011
6:44 am
Another beautiful morning in the Big Easy, and as I survey the NFL landscape, I see that my team is STILL in their rightful place atop of the NFC South, in complete domination of their divisional rivals!
old man
November 29th, 2011
6:58 am
@Ronald Millsaps
Not appropriate content for this blog. Stow it, jack.
painter
November 29th, 2011
7:15 am
Looking at statistics at nfl.com, I want to say something. I was surprised to see that Ryan has passed for a little more than 30 passes MORE than Aaron Rodgers, while Mr. Packer has passed for just under 600 more yards than Ryan !!!!! 600 more yards than Ryan with 30 fewer attempts. OMG!! I don’t want to be negative, but let’s open up our explosive offense before the playoffs start cause we’re gonna need it.
painter
November 29th, 2011
7:18 am
Btw, SeenThisB4, get your pathetic self back in your FEMA trailer. Your Saints are great and don’t deserve such pathetic fans as they got. Oh my how this city of New Orleans is blessed with the Saints. If only their fans could show dignity. But maybe that word is too hard for them to understand. Another: humility. (they might think that one means muggy though, humidity. Sorry souls.)
Michael M.
November 29th, 2011
7:32 am
Wow..Superman saved the day again last night and all the Aint lovers are bragging silly about how great their team is. Here’s all of you a stat on New Orleans………..last time they scored that many points the following week they got their tails whipped. I just thought I would slip that in this morning and make it a more joyful one !
Milt Olsen
November 29th, 2011
8:31 am
Everything is clear now as teams with winning records like the Giants, Lions, and Bills are starting to unwind. The Falcons have one hurdle and one hurdle only, and that is to beat the Packers, when they do that the Super Bowl is theirs. This is their year and the time is now, even the Saints can not beat the Packers.
whodat70816
November 29th, 2011
9:53 am
LOL @both Michael M and Milt Olsen
MM — That’s a great stat….sort of like that Falcons are +2 and Saints are -7 in turnovers you falcon fans were touting was going to ensure a Falcons win in the circus tent. Be sure to Tune in Sunday night and enjoy that humble pie after that game.
MO….Really? LOL…Houston may not have a QB at the moment but they certainly have a defense that can get to Ryan…I wouldn’t be expecting the same performance Ryan had against a 2-8 Vikings if I were you. Last time I checked Ryan doesn’t play against a QB. That’s also a mighty big hurdle for the Packers to jump….Green Bay has manhandled the Falcons 2 times in less than a year….Not sure why you want to see them embarrassed for a 3rd time. But hey some people are glutens for punishment.
WHO DAT!
C'mon Man
November 29th, 2011
10:23 am
Say What?
“Ryan spread the ball around to seven different receivers and would have had his third straight 300-yard game if Julio Jones would have hauled down a long pass and not have interfered with a defender.”
Please, Julio was out in front of that defender and the ball was under thrown again…C’mon Man look at the tape… he had to reach back for the ball…noodle arm could not get ball out in front.
Julio is returning from a hamstring injury and really should have not been on the field. Julio was not targeted on any other play during the game, which leads me to believe they used him as a decoy after that pass.
He also over threw Roddy White on a go route, but they want to blame Roddy for another dropped ball….Ryan is not accurate on the deep ball…short routes yes….deep routes no.
He overthrew Gonzalez in the endzone on a jump ball pass, when he should have thrown the ball at his numbers as he had the defender on his back…required a direct line of sight pass, not a jump ball…C’mon Man
P B Orr
November 29th, 2011
10:23 am
I love New Orleans, but the yammering of the Yats on this blog is second only to the mindless ululation of caninophiles in sheer annoyance level.
CGD..
November 29th, 2011
11:01 am
Ryan would have folded like a 2 dollar bill against that Giants front 4 last night…Im just saying….
CGD..
November 29th, 2011
11:06 am
Drew= Accuracy, Accuracy, Accuracy..His velocity is on the money also…
There’s no argument…. This Guy reminded us last night why they won a SB two years ago cause he is “Elite”…
The other Guy? NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dean
November 29th, 2011
12:15 pm
This one’s for JSS.
I trump your 1976 NO 30-0 win with this ATL beatdown of the aints. I remember it well!
http://www.fanbase.com/7027-1973-09-16
SeenThisB4
November 29th, 2011
12:29 pm
Dean: you must be an old man to remember that. How old? 40? LOL!
Boo Brees
November 29th, 2011
12:41 pm
I throw the ball all over the place and rack up fantasy stats… YEAH!!!!
I lose to 7-9 teams in the playoffs… BOOO!!!
I’m gonna break Dan Marino’s record for most passing yards… YEAH!!!
I lose to winless teams on the road…. BOOO!!!
I play great at home… YEAH!!!
Last time I played Matt Ryan at home I lost… BOOO!!!
whodat70816
November 29th, 2011
12:48 pm
Last 12 times Brees played the Falcons he won 10 of them…..YEAH!
whodat70816
November 29th, 2011
12:50 pm
Last 3 times Brees played in the playoffs he’s advanced to the NFC Championship game and won a SB…..YEAH
Last time Matty Melt won a playoff game….oh wait…he’s never won one…YEAH!!!!
Boo Brees
November 29th, 2011
1:03 pm
Last time I played in the playoffs I lost to a team with a losing record believe it or not… BOOO!!!
hiramsaint
November 29th, 2011
2:31 pm
last time failclowns won a superbowl…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………crickets
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
3:15 pm
Texan will whip so atl asses next week. Whooo its gonna be long day atl babies.
Go Texans !
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
3:17 pm
I bet M.Turner won’t cross 30 yards in Houston. We can beat atl even with our third string QB. Get ready atl…stop dreaming about SB.
DR. FALCON
November 29th, 2011
4:06 pm
SEENTHISB4, AND HIRAMSAINT: IMPRESSIVE WIN LAST NIGHT! BUT HERE COME THE FALCONS! DON’T GET TO COMFORTABLE ON TOP OF THE DIVISION! YOUR TEAM HAS A HISTORY OF CRASHING AND BURNING AFTER BIG WINS! WITNESS: THAT HORRIFIC LOSS TO THE RAMS, AFTER CRUSHIN THE COLTS 62-7! WE WILL MEET AGAIN IN WEEK 16, AT THE SUPERDOME! WATCH OUT!
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
4:21 pm
Did you people talking about Atlanta being one of the Texans toughest opponents left, actually see them play the vikings yesterday ? your team barely hung on AT HOME against a horrible vikings team that’s mailed it in for the season and was without adrian peterson. Heck, peterson’s backup ran for 50 yards and a TD. Oh by the way, the vikings start a rookie QB with a horrible O-line, average receiving corps, back up RB and still threw for 200 and a TD. So can you imagine what we gonna do your matty ryan and RBs.
hiramsaint
November 29th, 2011
4:40 pm
dr. failclown- you mention history then come up with one game? if thats your argument , i feel pretty good about the #1 nfc south saints being able to dispose of the failclowns again this year but this time in a more distinctive beatdown. after watching your team against the vikes-worry is way down on the bottom of the list. we have more impressive teams yet to beat this year. lucky for you , you get to watch us AGAIN on primetime sunday night .
hiramsaint
November 29th, 2011
4:41 pm
almost forgot—GEAUX TEXANS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
4:46 pm
Only team worth mentioning in NFC south are Saints.Rest all of teams are either garbage or too inconsistent.
Go Texans ! Falcons will be 7-5 this weekend.
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
4:46 pm
Only team worth mentioning in NFC south are Saints.Rest all of teams are either garbage or too inconsistent.
Go Texans ! Falcons will be 7-5 this weekend.
Juggernaut
November 29th, 2011
4:47 pm
Texans 27 falcons 17
CGD..
November 29th, 2011
5:05 pm
Saints 56 Falcons 24 Dec 26th
Its going to be nasty….
whodat70816
November 29th, 2011
6:00 pm
Matty Ice should just throw on a pair of pumps and join the cast of Real Housewives of Atlanta….I hear Kroy’s wife needs a new pal to hag around with.
There is absolutely nothing impressive about Matty Melt.
terrell
November 29th, 2011
6:23 pm
Yep, nothing except his record.
Boo Brees
November 29th, 2011
6:44 pm
Are you a winless team this season sick and tired of losing and not being able to give out game balls? Then I got GREAT news for you!! Just invite me and my Aints to your stadium where we can make dreams happen. After 60 minutes of football you and your team will be giving out game balls in no time!
hiramsaint
November 29th, 2011
6:47 pm
terrell- would that be the 0-2 playoff record?
Ronald Millsaps
November 29th, 2011
11:54 pm
“old man”– Don’t you talk to me that way. I’ve got freedom of speech, and unlike those I’ve addressed, use it as opposed to abusing it. Back off.
Keep “God awful” out of your mouths, too.
“CGD”— I’m not familiar with that individual, but as for being “long-winded”, I’m actually quite concise, and if you’ll read carefully, my “wind” is a breath of fresh air.
Drew Brees is the greatest passer of all time, which I noticed back in 2004. This Brees-Aaron Rodgers rivalry is the latest Bird-Magic/Brady-Manning.