Texans slow down Falcons’ playoff push, 17-10
Atlanta recovered the ball after a Falcons defensive tackle Vance Walker (99) grabbed the arm of Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates (13), causing a fumble, in first quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011, in Houston. AP
HOUSTON — The Falcons’ march to the NFL playoffs suffered a setback on Sunday.
Enlarge photo Dave Einsel, AP Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is grabbed by Houston Texans defensive end Antonio Smith (94) in the second quarter.
T.J. Yates, who played his high school football at Pope High in Marietta, led the Texans to a 17-10 victory over the Falcons before 71,545 fans at Reliant Stadium.
Yates, who made his first NFL start, received ample help from a stout defense and running back Arian Foster. The Falcons chipped in with some overthrown passes, dropped footballs and untimely penalties that helped erase two touchdowns.
“That was not the kind of performance that we want to have, especially at this point in the season,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
Yates, a 24-year old rookie, out-played Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who was under duress from Houston’s blitzing 3-4 defense. Yates completed 12 of 25 passes for 188 yards and one touchdown. He had a passer rating of 86.8.
Ryan, who overthrew three long passes and was intercepted twice, has had much better days. He completed 20 of 47 passes for 267 yards and one touchdown. He had a passer rating of 50.6 points.
The Texans improved to 9-3. The Falcons dropped to 7-5, and could find themselves two games behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South if the Saints handled the Detroit Lions in the late Sunday night game.
With four games to play, the Falcons will need the Saints to partially collapse in order to defend their NFC South title. Realistically, the Falcons are in a battle for one of the two wildcard slots with Dallas, the New York Giants, Chicago, Detroit and Seattle.
The loss was difficult for the Falcons to accept.
“We feel like this was a game that we should have dominated,” cornerback Dunta Robinson said. “I can honestly say that the only team that beat us this year was the Chicago Bears. The rest of the games, we shot ourselves in the foot, on both sides of the ball.
“If we want to be a dominant football team, we can’t beat ourselves. We are too good of a team to make some of these mistakes.”
With the score tied 10-10, Robinson was one of the culprits.
Linebacker Mike Peterson had intercepted Yates and had an apparent 32-yard touchdown. But, on the other side of the field, Robinson was in a fierce battle for inside position with Houston wide receiver Kevin Walter. Robinson was called for a holding penalty to erase the touchdown.
With a new set of downs, the Texans put together a 19-play drive. Foster capped it with a 1-yard touchdown to put the Texans ahead with just over six minutes to play.
Instead of taking a 17-10 lead on Peterson’s “touchdown” the Falcons were down.
Earlier in the game, on third and 8 from the Falcons 15, Yates was hit by defensive tackle Vance Walker. Safety James Sanders picked up the fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Even though no whistle was blown, players from both teams thought it was an incomplete pass and wandered onto the field, anticipating a Texans’ field goal attempt.
“The ruling on the field was the ball was dislodged from his hand before his hand went forward, so the fumble was ruled,” referee Bill Levy said. None of the players who wandered onto the field interfered with the play. “It was what we call a double foul after a change. What we decided to do is offset those penalties at the spot where the Atlanta player came on the field.”
Defensive end Ray Edwards was announced at the Falcons player who came onto the field, but Levy later announced there were multiple players from each side on the field.
The play was called back and instead of a touchdown, the Falcons were given the ball on their 35. Ryan was intercepted three plays later.
The Falcons started off misfiring.
Ryan missed on deep passes to Roddy White and Julio Jones on their first and third plays from scrimmage. He also was intercepted later on a flea flicker when the Falcons tried to catch the Texans’ safeties creeping up to help in the run game.
Ryan was not pleased with his game. The Texans basically dared him to beat them with some deep passes and he didn’t pull it off.
Smith said the offense played in spurts.
“We had opportunities, specifically early,” Ryan said. “We had some shots designed that were really good. I just missed on them.”
The Texans came up to stop running back Michael Turner and then tried to blitz Ryan into throwing quickly. Turner was held to 44 yards on 14 carries.
White, who had two back-to-back 100-yard games, caught four passes for 51 yards and a touchdowns.
“Our rationale coming into the game was let’s try and hit some of those balls down the field,” Ryan said. “We designed them to get one-on-one matchups with our guys and kind of pushed those safeties off. We just didn’t make enough plays. We didn’t make the plays when we needed to.”
Instead of keeping pace with the Saints and moving to the head of the playoff class, the Falcons find themselves back in the middle of the NFC pack.
–D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Falcons beat blog
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336 comments Add your comment
why me lord
December 5th, 2011
7:47 am
Oh by the way DUMTA YOUR FIRED!!!!!!!!!
hiramsaint
December 5th, 2011
7:58 am
the title says it all- all the real teams are on a playoff RUN except for the failclowns who are on a playoff PUSH. thanks for clearing that up dol
bill
December 5th, 2011
8:15 am
How can a team with Ryan, White, Gonzalez, Jones and Turner only score 10 points. Granted it they were playing the #1 D, but look at the weapons we have. It can only be the O scheme, a change is needed at OC to maximize the talent. Can you believe it, Denver is 7-5 with a QB everyone say’s can’t play the position, Atl is 7-5 with an All Pro at QB. Something is not right here. Sometimes you need a leader that just “wills” you to victory, Denver has such a QB.
Trainwreck
December 5th, 2011
9:03 am
Think Dallas will let us have Laurent Robinson back???
same old falcons
December 5th, 2011
9:05 am
All I want for Christmas is a new head head, OC and DC. With the right coaches we could turn around like the 49′ers. Ryan can not throw more than twenty yards, give Redman a chance, he couldn’t do any worse.Redman can hit receives deep!!!!!!!!!!! Hire John Gruden as head coach and Jack Del Rio as defense coach. Del Rio does not run Smith’s soft zone. Soft zone means slowly let them go to end zone and eat up clock.
hatfieldgeoff
December 5th, 2011
9:10 am
We Falcon fans just have to realize this team is just a little above average. The offensive line is average at best. Anytime they fact a good defensive front Ryan is running for his life and does not have time to complete passes. Yesterday was a prime example. If Blank is serious about getting better he will get out the check book and sign two quality offensive linemen in the off season. We also need a running back that has some power and speed. Turner is fine against teams with average Defensive fronts, then he can break into the secondary several times a game for big plays. But good defenses the kind you face in the playoffs don’t allow this to happen and Turner winds up with 40 yards on 15 carries. The Falcons secondary is bad even when healthy and the group that they put back their Sunday was a joke. Even when they manage to stay with a receiver, which is rare, they can’t make a play on the ball. Again, if Blank wants to win he better get the check book. Defensive line is average. While Abraham got a couple of sacks Sunday, other than a few pressures, he was not a disruption for the quarterback. Edwards was an upgrade to the line but mostly against the run. He is not the pass rusher we needed. Weatherspoon is the only defensive player that stands out. Finally at receiver, how many passes can they drop. White has too much experience to be dropping all the passes he is and Julio killed us Sunday throughout the game and then just dropped the TD pass on final play. No one knocked it away he just dropped it. The bottom line is the Falcons, facing a team down to its 3rd team QB and without its best defensive lineman, could not win. And not to let the coaches off the hook, did they not know the crowd was going to be a factor in the game. Why no anwser to the croud noise. And to finish things off. I have never heard the Georgia Dome as loud as Reliant Stadium was Sunday. Maybe we fans need to look at ourselves as well.
same old falcons
December 5th, 2011
9:13 am
Stop Turner and you win game.Ryan can not beat you with his arm if you press and take short throws away as Wade Phillips did Sunday. All teams will start using this. We will be lucky to win one game the rest of year.Panther -no, Bucs-NO, AND SAINTS H*LL NO.
same old falcons
December 5th, 2011
9:17 am
John Fox was smart enough too change system to fit Tebow. Us falcons fans do not have anyone with that much brains.
Mr Blanks needs to go kiss Dan Reeves and tell him he was wrong for firing him for running dog killer so much. Bring Reeves back and we will get team on right road to a superbowl.
Bobby Butler
December 5th, 2011
9:22 am
Stop blaming Dunta for losing this game, Blame whole team!!!!!!!!!!!!Coaches and players
Ed
December 5th, 2011
9:27 am
the last time the falcons had home field advantage through out the playoffs was 1980, leading the cowboys the entire game with only a few minutes left in the game, and lost, the team and organization were awful for years after. Go back to last season the team goes 13-3, best record in the NFC a week one bye and home field advantage through out the playoffs.then suffer one of the most embrassing defeats in NFL history… it’s 1980 all over again and the team is heading south folks…
j
December 5th, 2011
9:34 am
Pathetic loss. We really don’t deserve playoffs. Special thanks to Dunta “Toast” Robinson and “No Play” Ray Edwards. Matt Ryan was awful and the receivers were even worse.
jay
December 5th, 2011
9:49 am
I am now completely convinced that we have a major coaching problem. We have enough talent on offense to compensate for the short coming of the defense. The offensive of talent doesn’t match with the points being scored.
We have the worst 3rd quarters at all 32 teams in the NFL. it seems if we are up at half time, you can bet by the start of the 4th quarter we are playing catch up. Stupid mental mistakes and the offense tends to stalls. I really think thats coaching. There is no way a good coach will not make the necessary adjustments during half time and not have his team ready to play during the 2nd half. Just plain awful.
lamac66
December 5th, 2011
9:49 am
Finally, a team realized ‘hey, this is not Peyton Manning, lets rush this qb and play man to man with these receivers.’ Took long enough. The league and press fell into this Peyton Manning, Jr hype.
Chris Guidry
December 5th, 2011
10:21 am
“We feel like this was a game that we should have dominated,” cornerback Dunta Robinson said. “I can honestly say that the only team that beat us this year was the Chicago Bears. The rest of the games, we shot ourselves in the foot, on both sides of the ball.
“If we want to be a dominant football team, we can’t beat ourselves. We are too good of a team to make some of these mistakes.”
Well Dunce’, possibly the problem lies in your and Roddy’s perception of reality……if you shoot yourselves in the foot constantly, you’re not as good as you believe. Perception: 11-1 Reality: 7-5
avee
December 5th, 2011
10:37 am
Mike Smith — stop coddling these professionals. You don’t have to bad mouth them in a press conference, but can make a statement without using words.
1. Start Douglas, Weems and Meier at WR for the first series next week. That should wake up the prima donnas.
2. Somewhere in the 4-6th round next year draft the best-available QB with a gun-slinger mentality. Make Matt Ryan re-earn his starting job.
FalconsGirl
December 5th, 2011
10:39 am
We need a new offensive coordinator – because we have one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, someone needs to go in there and coach these guys how to move to the ball effectively!
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
December 5th, 2011
10:44 am
Like many other folks have stated…..THE COACHING STAFF OF THE FALCONS, ESPECIALLY MULARKEY and VANGORDER MUST GO AT THE END OF THE YEAR!!!!! The play calling for both, the offense and the defense, STINK!!!!
Pamela
December 5th, 2011
11:11 am
C’mon! Did you all REALLY expect the FAILcons to beat the Houston Texans? Please….Matt Ryan is way over rated. Roddy White is ghetto….I’m so happy they FAILcons lost! The Saints will rip them apart when they go to New Orleans on Dec. 26th! We are going to beat them again! hahahahahahaha! The FAILcons will not beat the Lions, or any other team for that matter. They are done! Rodriguez is slipping…he dropped so many balls yesterday…It was very funny to me! hahahahahaha!
GEAUX SAINTS!!!
GT97
December 5th, 2011
11:16 am
Lighten Up from Texas. Falcons fan forever, but I have followed the Texans this year, and they are for real. The running game and defense are best in the league. Falcons should have won, but they lost to a good opponent. This is the game they could afford to lose down the stretch. AFC opponent on the road. The falcons take care of 3 of 4 remaining, they are in. Detroit stinks, Chicago will lose out, Giants and Cowboys play each other. Falcons don’t need to worry about NFC South Title.
GT97
December 5th, 2011
11:20 am
Yeah Dallas, Can we have Laurent Robinson back!
FAILcons fans...Fairweather Fans
December 5th, 2011
11:24 am
You know what’s so sad? The FAILcons ….ahem..I mean the Falcons fans are really sad…You know when your team is playing in your dome and your team start losing (no suprise there…) well the next thing you know..the seats are empty! You all need to support your team.. I hate the FAILcons with a passion, but at least I support my team when they lose…you all should do the same. Show some support for your team and then MAYBE they might start playing a tiny bit better….
JD
December 5th, 2011
12:00 pm
This is why Falcons never make ESPN Sports center talk on Monday…come to think of it, they never make news.
Regardless what anyone thinks of Tim Tebow as a QB, he at least shows leadership and inspires his team to try, which is the opposite is the ATL Falcons…gross underachievers who play for the paycheck. Falcons are bunch of losers who beat up on other loser teams. They can’t win one against quality teams.
Mock 1
December 5th, 2011
12:06 pm
I am seriously having doubts about giving up so many draft picks for J.J. especially since Douglass has proven he would have been sufficient at that position. Those draft picks were desperately need on defense,especially D-LINE & SECONDARY !!! The coaching staff has not been on point this year either.
BoomBoomJoe
December 5th, 2011
12:07 pm
The Coaching Staff,Matt “I’m so weak,I can’t bench press an orange” Ryan,Julio “Balls hit my hands but no catch” Jones, Roddy “Oopsies I dropsies” White, Duanta ” I can’t tackle but I shove your ankles” Robinson, Mike “If you need a dumb play” Mularkey, and Mike “I’m what you call a non-coach,coach” Smith all stink, thats was horrible play and coaching.
DC
December 5th, 2011
12:57 pm
I am upset with Julio and frustrated with Matt Ryan on the deep passes but I am glad that you bloggers only represent .00000003 % of the falcons fans out there…with your views we should cut the entire team..
30 yrs Falcons Fan
December 5th, 2011
1:10 pm
The Falcons beat themselves plain and simple from the first play of the game to the last play. There is enough blame to go around from the recievers to the QB and the others. Can we please get a new coaching staff? A coaching staff with some heart and a desire to win. And would someone please tell me why we picked up Ray Edwards? He is turning out to be just as worthless as J. Jones. Why is the only productive player on the team the one player we tried to get rid of (Snelling)? Because in case you all forgot even Mr. Reliable (Gonzalez) dropped a ball.
30 yrs Falcons Fan
December 5th, 2011
1:13 pm
Mock 1 – we have a solid D line except for Edwards. Our secondary could use some work especially that safety spot but the problem with our team is not he defense it is poor coaching. Get off the defense they play with heart every Sunday. Maybe their attitudes can rub off on the rest of the team.
orignaltexanfan2002
December 5th, 2011
1:33 pm
have you Falcon teams forgotten that the Texans are 9-3? We have the #1 defense in the entire NFL? We are a top 5 offense? Why can’t y’all just say you got beaten by a better team, instead of making all kinds of excuses–the coaching staff, J. Jones, D. Robinson, et al? We’re for real, baby! We will be in the playoffs, baby quarterback and all! and maybe without Andre Johnson. love those Texans!
hiramsaint
December 5th, 2011
3:48 pm
as a saints fan , i really enjoy watching smitty make all those 4th &1 mistakes
phantom9277
December 5th, 2011
4:10 pm
Face it Failcan fans, you had your shot last year. The balls all bounced your way, you won 13 and didn’t ride it all the way possible. You have to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes. Do you think the Saint’s were a better team than the Colts? If we play the Colts ten times, they would hve won 8 out 10……but on that day, we were better. Opportunity doesn’t knock that often, ask Marino.
AXETRIP
December 5th, 2011
4:19 pm
I thought a number one draft pic was supposed to help win games not lose them!
PatrickB
December 5th, 2011
4:29 pm
Texan fan here, writing from Houston. Took some guts to make the deal to get Julio. Seems like the defense need more help, though. Texan GM is no genius. Glad Dunta turned down a crazy offer to become a free agent. Took Wade coming here to make two good early picks. I hate the Saints. Good luck the rest of the year.
whodat1
December 5th, 2011
5:26 pm
Falcons fans better hope that Smith doesn’t get complacent with loafing or even worse the thugness attitude the Lions displayed against the Saints last night. The Lions had 45 yards worth of penalties for personal fouls. After each of the three fouls the HC was calmly talking to them on the sidelines and patting them on the back, rather than getting in their face and benching them. Is Smith a lion or a lamb? Yours to decide with future issues with Jones and White.
Bobby Butler
December 5th, 2011
5:49 pm
Mike smith does not have the balls to handle these players as Bucs coach Morris has. Player made a dump play like falcons players do.Morris was sent home, not just to locker room. smith is to soft . same as Richt.
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1:17 pm
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texanthunder
December 8th, 2011
9:00 pm
Good game Atlanta,
Strong defensive effort by both sides
Good luck the rest of this year!
Texans Fan