Falcons stumble about, beat lowly Raiders 23-20 on Bryant field goal
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and head coach Mike Smith look on in apparent dismay. (Curtis Compton/Ccompton@ajc.com)
The Falcons have a nickname for kicker Matt Bryant.
“He’s ‘Mister Automatic,’” safety William Moore said. “I didn’t have one doubt in my mind. He’s been coming through for us all season.”
With the Falcons’ high-octane offense running on fumes, and Mister Automatic having already misfired on a 43-yard first quarter attempt, Bryant hit from 55 yards with one second left to lift the Falcons to a 23-20 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
It was the Falcons’ third straight dramatic win in the fourth quarter and the 19th time that quarterback Matt Ryan has pulled out a win in the fourth quarter or overtime.
The Falcons needed a late touchdown run from running back Michael Turner with under three minutes to play to beat Washington 24-17 on Oct. 7.
Bryant made a 40-yarder to beat Carolina 30-28 with five seconds left on Sept. 30.
All of this late-game drama is taking its toll on the team.
“We have to cut it out with these nail bitters,” Moore said. “Overall, we’re going to have to finish ball games. I felt like we played down (to the Raiders’ level) a little bit.”
With the victory, the Falcons improved to 6-0 heading into their bye week. The Raiders dropped to 1-4.
Also, Falcons head coach Mike Smith joined Dan Reeves in team annals for most victories with 49. He could set the new mark with the Falcons face the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 28.
“Everybody is happy for Coach Smith,” Ryan said. “He’s done a great job since he’s been here and certainly everything that comes his way is deserved. We all love playing for him.”
With the passing game struggling and the power running game in moth balls somewhere, Ryan pulled things together in the final 40 seconds from the Falcon’s 20.
He started by completing a screen pass to Jacquizz Rodgers for 7 yards. He followed with a 4-yard completion to Harry Douglas, who scooted out of bounds.
After an incompletion, Ryan found tight end Tony Gonzalez for gains of 10 and 13 yards down to Oakland’s 37. With five seconds on the clock Bryant was summoned.
“It’s about handling the moment, whatever that is, managing it,” Bryant said.
The Raiders tried to ice Bryant with a timeout. He used that to get in a practice kick.
“In my opinion there are more good things that can come out of calling a timeout,” Bryant said. “I mean if you make the kick, you just conjure up that feeling of repeating that. If you miss it, then you know how to make the adjustments.”
Ryan had his worst game of the season. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 249 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. His passer rating of 59.4 was his lowest since he posted a 50.6 in a 17-10 loss at Houston on Dec. 4, 2011.
With the offense sputtering, the defense tried to drag the team to victory.
With the score tied 13-13 and the Raiders within field goal range, cornerback Asante Samuel stepped in front of a Carson Palmer pass intended for wide receiver Denarius Moore and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown with 2:40 to play.
“Making that mistake I made is crucial, it’s on me,” Palmer said. “It’s on me. It’s my fault.”
The Raiders didn’t fade. They promptly scored on a touchdown run by Darren McFadden to make it 20-20 with 40 seconds to left setting the stage for the latest dramatic drive.
Ryan, who had thrown three interceptions over the first five games, tossed three in the first half against the Raiders. The Raiders turned those three picks into 10 points en route to a 13-7 halftime lead.
On the fourth play of the game during the Falcons’ opening drive, Ryan tried to connect with Douglas on a crossing route, but Oakland cornerback Joselio Hanson cut underneath to pick off the pass.
The Falcons forced the Raiders to punt, but Ryan tossed his second interception on a deep pass intended for Julio Jones. Mike Huff intercepted the ball at Oakland’s 2-yard line.
The Raiders quickly got from the shadows of their goal posts when Palmer connected with Moore on a 49-yard pass play. The drive stalled and Sebastian Janikowski made a 52-yard field goal.
On the Falcons ensuing possession, Ryan got hot. He completed 7 of 7 passes on a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. He capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Roddy White to make it 7-3.
Former Georgia Tech standout Philip Wheeler forced Ryan’s third interception. Wheeler blitzed untouched up the middle. When he slammed into the Ryan, the pass fluttered out and Oakland safety Tyvon Branch came down with it at Atlanta’s 28. The Raiders would score on a 25 yard pass two plays later.
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255 comments Add your comment
BobDog
October 14th, 2012
5:30 pm
“team”, not time! My bad.
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
5:31 pm
Mr Saint………………………………hahahaha………………6 – 0 hurts huh ?
dean
October 14th, 2012
5:32 pm
Maybe this is the year Lucy lets the ball get kicked. Maybe? I won’t count on it will be dammed happy if she does.
zamboni_racer
October 14th, 2012
5:36 pm
6-0 going into the bye week. Great for the Falcons. Defense gave up a lot of big yardage plays today but made a few key setbacks against Raiders when needed. Some great sacks by Abraham. Team looked tired all around and hope the bye week revives to look like early in the season. Been a fan since 1966 so loving the fact we’re undefeated.
David
October 14th, 2012
5:36 pm
Got to draft us a RB, this 2 YPC just dot get it.
why not us
October 14th, 2012
5:37 pm
my bad …..if atl was 0 and6 opp would be16 and 15
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
5:37 pm
does anyone believe, right now, they could go toe to toe with Giants and win
—————————————————
been here since van brocklin
LoyalFan Pitt
October 14th, 2012
5:39 pm
Ryan and the recievers are the entire offense. If he (Ryan) gets injured, the season is over. Change the blocking schemes or the personnel—the O-line is pathetic and he is taking a beating. Bench rogers and douglas.
Tee– You should just buy lottery tickets and change your name to clueless.
Draggin' Fly
October 14th, 2012
5:41 pm
You can’t spell New Orleans without one “w”.
badKarma
October 14th, 2012
5:41 pm
All the sport writers together can whine and moan about the Falcon win: but how many NFL fans would give a left nutt to be 6-0?
ALL of them.
Mike Franklin
October 14th, 2012
5:42 pm
I’d like to say that ‘Lowly Raiders’ may be a little disrespectful of a team that came as close to beating us this year as any of the six we’ve faced. True, we played a sloppy game and if they had won, we could tack it on as a self inflected wound. But… still and all, the Raiders came into the Dome to play and but for a few plays that saved our butts, they might have walked out with a HUGE upset.
Hat tip to the Silver & Black for coming in with pride and playing a real game.
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
5:45 pm
yes they did…………….they played real tough in the Dome and it surprised the Falcons …………..we just fortunate the Falons got the fieldgoal to end the darn thing…………nice to be 6 – 0
Just Sayin
October 14th, 2012
5:48 pm
DLed, the Raiders are 1-4 and you call them lowly. The Caints are 1-4, but they are more lowly. Can you explain this?
falCANS
October 14th, 2012
5:50 pm
2nd bad game in row. Defense is oppurtunistic yet horrid, well, run D is pathetic at best. If we want a sperbowl something has to shake. John Abraham might make the hall of fame, deservingly so. Imaginne if he stayed healthy
vw
October 14th, 2012
5:50 pm
Its the NFL and any team can win on any Sunday. Falcon’s found a way to win and thats what matters. Way to go Falcons!
Get Back Jojo
October 14th, 2012
5:50 pm
Even a bad win is a big WIN!!! 6-0….I like the way that sounds.
GO FALCONS!!!
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
5:51 pm
by the way………………who r the Caints losing to this week?…………..STB4 ?
Mike Franklin
October 14th, 2012
5:51 pm
Just Sayin – The Aint’s are indeed more lowly because they are suffering from a hangover of arrogance and mischief that crossed the lines of sportsmanship. They deserve what they are getting.
musicgeekmusic
October 14th, 2012
5:53 pm
Run D horrid? We kept McFadden at 70 yards. The problem is, we were so focused on the run, we let a QB like Carson Palmer light us up.
keith
October 14th, 2012
5:54 pm
Let’s not forget, the Raiders was coming off a bye week, so they had a full week to get prepared for the Falcons, and they were the fresher team while the falcons have played 6 straight games. A win is a win, every win is not going to be pretty. Good teams are supposed to win games like this.
Mr. NFL
October 14th, 2012
5:54 pm
I hope the Falcons go 13-3 or better so i can be there in the dome when they get their butts handed to them in the playoffs. If you think this team can beat the 49ers, Giants, or Bears, your dreaming. They haven’t destroyed any team yet besides the Chiefs who arguably look like the worst team in the NFL this yr. They have no running game and the defense has major wholes.
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
5:55 pm
Texans vs Packers in a lil while…………….will Atlanta be the only undefeated Team in the NFL after that game ?
DonofAcworth
October 14th, 2012
5:56 pm
Listening to the five ex=players and coaches and they are saying the team is doing what it takes to win. I agree….they have it when it is needed unlike the Braves who just can’t get it done. Need to work during the week off to improve that “O” line to give Matt some time.
musicgeekmusic
October 14th, 2012
6:00 pm
Gotta believe, though, we have to draft a running back in the offseason.
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:00 pm
my, that D.O.L. is indeed a scathing recap. objectivity at it’s best! time to show so ba$$’s chief.
Falcon Joe
October 14th, 2012
6:01 pm
I don’t know about the Raiders being a “doormat” team, despite their record. I wouldn’t want to face them again this season, they look pretty good. Good on the run, good on passing and reception.
Their D wasn’t exactly shabby either. This was a great back and forth game (mostly back for the Falcons) but we got the win. Next….
Marc
October 14th, 2012
6:01 pm
The Raiders played a really good game. Admit it. Birds were off today. They got a gift today and a W. So savor the moment and pray the offensive line can get really focused for the next game.
Macon Fan
October 14th, 2012
6:01 pm
Ask the Cowboys what a good kicker means to your game. Way to go Matt B!
Am the only one that saw some bad spots by the real officials in this game. On the fumble by return by Edwards, he looked down inside the 1 but they spotted it at 2. And then I thought Turner was clearly in on 2nd down.
And there was the play later where the defense hemmed up the Raider RB and he ran out of bounds 5 yards behind the line. Announcers even said “huge loss”, and the refs gave him forward progress at the original line of scrimmage.
Matt
October 14th, 2012
6:02 pm
OLINE needs work. Matt Ryan was on his back all game long
Coach T
October 14th, 2012
6:08 pm
23 is more than 20.
How many of our opponents have we played coming off their bye?
2-3? Oakland, Carolina?
Great Falconi
October 14th, 2012
6:10 pm
Shouldn’t have even had a chance to win this game, but the Raiders were just bad enough for us to find a way. Glad to see the bye. We looked baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. Nevertheless, Ryan went down the field at the end and we got a ho-hum 55 yd game-winning kick from Bryant. I didn’t really doubt that we would. Strange times indeed, Falcon fans.
Still Gritz Blitz'n
October 14th, 2012
6:12 pm
If the birds were 8 – 0, or could be, 10 – 0, the troll-aints would still be out in force sayin’ the birds are the worst, the more, the hate’n on ‘em the better they keep doin’, so keep hate’n ‘em “troll-aints”, the more dung in you’re face!
ses
October 14th, 2012
6:13 pm
looks like the Falcons may be up 2 games on everyone in the NFC if current scores hold.
btwarren
October 14th, 2012
6:14 pm
A win is a win. I’ll take it. Defense saved this game. Most of those 20 points were on the offense and the turnovers. Need work on run defense and pass blocking
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:18 pm
To the believers, I respect your faith. Let’s see what happens post bye week.
—-
been here since van brocklin
theight
October 14th, 2012
6:18 pm
This really don’t have any running plays. I think they focused a littl too much on pass plays and pass blocking during the offseason the lineman has forgotten how to run block. M Turner is actually running harder this year. Thy obviously dont have many run plays. They run the same plays for J Rodgers as they do Turner. This team is a Roddy White injury to being a horrible team. Honestly without Roddy or Tony G, this team will not win many games. Its all good right now while beating the 2nd weakest division in all of football but when we run into a team like San Francisco, everybody better be healthy. There is no running of the 49er so being a one dimesional offense will make it easier for them. This is just real talk. I love my falcons but I can’t praise them all the time when there is clearly something wrong. is
Still Gritz Blitz'n
October 14th, 2012
6:23 pm
Well, I wonder who truely destroyed who yet this year, nobody has been real dominant yet. to where it’s been a secured total win. Sure, the niners have awesome “D”, but what made them lose to the hapless minnesota vikes, Giants, Bears, good teams, but they don’t totally dominate, man, they don’t scare the Birds, we owe them a little retribution, this is a different flavor of Birds this year, there’s still alot of work to be done, & they aint taken this success lightly Mr. NFL disguised name.
warfalcon
October 14th, 2012
6:25 pm
FALCONS,YES
5150 UOAD
October 14th, 2012
6:25 pm
A drink for the FALCONS
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=513030992058049&set=o.371532086228985&type=1&theater
Mike
October 14th, 2012
6:26 pm
Bill Parcels once said “you are what your record is.” We are 6-0. This is the NFL t ice skating. Who cares about style points. This is like the old glass and liquid analogy: Some see the glass as half empty. I see it as half full. GO FALCONS!
Falco-Mania
October 14th, 2012
6:26 pm
Wow can’t believe we are 6-0. But good teams win the ugly games. Just wish we could find someone to take DeCoud’s place at safety. His 2 missed tackles at the end almost cost us the game. The 1st missed tackle was on the long running play. If he doesn’t miss the tackle its only an 8yd. gain and then what a terrible whiff at trying to tackle the receiver after Asante went for the pick on the tying drive for Oak. He was bad last year and even worse this year. If we are to be serious superbowl contenders we must fill some holes on defense and let Snelling carry the rock instead of Turner. Our running game stinks, and needs some revamping. Don’t get me wrong I love the Falcons and love the way they fight to the last whistle. They have a very good team but need some tweeking if they are to make a run in the playoffs.
Mike
October 14th, 2012
6:27 pm
NFL not ice skating. Sorry.
warfalcon
October 14th, 2012
6:29 pm
JUST WIN BABY!LETS GO FALCONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.ONE GAME AT A TIME,REST AND NEXT UP PHIL/VICK.WE CANRUN THE TABLE.YES
btwarren
October 14th, 2012
6:32 pm
playing 500 the rest of the way will still get ATL to 11-5 record. not a bad position to be in.
Da Mick
October 14th, 2012
6:35 pm
Would it be too much to ask to get a running back that can gain a yard or two when you’ve got to have it? It seems obvious that The Falcons have no confidence in Turner’s ability to get a yard when it has to happen. For years now, I’ve been sick of watching Turner run into a pile for no gain, when there was a gaping hole in the line nearby.
The man seems to have no ability to think on his feet during a run, and for reason the Falcons can’t seem to stretch the line, and the defense, out on running plays, as is so frequently done to us, by just about every team we play. I may not know everything there is to know about football, but I know what I see, and I just don’t understand it.
Turner is constantly give accolades as a running back, and yet he seems so slow and one-dimensional compared to the running backs of just about every other team we play. Yes he’s difficult to tackle if he gets into open ground, but that doesn’t happend very often. What we really need is some speed in our ground game, and this team would really take off.
Stevereeno
October 14th, 2012
6:36 pm
I hope they, don’t slap themselves on the back too much!
It’s a W yes but man they REALLY backed into this win.
I think they need pads off drills on the BASICS
Undefeated
October 14th, 2012
6:38 pm
Dled when you are 1 of 2 undefeated teams left there are no lowly teams left on the schedule. Everyone wants to be the first to knock you off. Every team will bring their best game.
Whadda Ya Know?
October 14th, 2012
6:41 pm
Mr Saints go eat a tranny on Bourbon St ya hater!
Dave
October 14th, 2012
6:42 pm
Quizz is simply terrible. After R Edwards got that ball to the 2 yard lins on the fumble recovery it is a NO BRAINER to pound turner 3 times. 1st down a throw? SERIOUSLY??? And 3rd down to that bum Snelling?? This O coordinater is getting a lot of undeserving respect, he is g.d awful.
Mr. NFL
October 14th, 2012
6:46 pm
I love the fans that are all whoo rahh during the season, then they call in crying on the radio at the end of the season. Falcons look decent now, but if they don’t get a running game soon, there is no way they win a playoff game. Past 3 week this team has not looked elite. Bottom line.