We’re live from Falcons (and it’s time to kick around Skins)
Dan Snyder is smiling. Why? Because the game hasn't started yet.
Even at a relatively pedestrian-looking 4-3, the Falcons have succeeded in one area this season: They’ve won the games they should win.
Their three losses this season have all come on the road and all against good-to-great teams: New England, Dallas, New Orleans.
Today, they don’t play a good team. They play a punch line. The Washington Redskins have devolved into the Richard Nixon
The Redskins' next offensive coordinator, Richard Nixon. (He once wrote a play for George Allen that resulted in a 13-yard loss.)
of sports jokes in D.C.
Seriously, is there anybody who hasn’t cracked a joked about owner Dan Snyder? One day, it’s easy to envision him selling the team and waving goodbye from the tarmac, just before he disappears into a helicopter. “You won’t have Snyder to kick around any more,” he’ll say.
The Redskins are 2-5. Their only wins have come over St. Louis (1-7) and Tampa Bay (0-7). They’re two losses away from being a 12th game opponent for an SEC team.
The defense is pretty good, particularly when Albert Haynesworth feels like playing, which is not every week. But the offense ranks 24th in yardage and 29th in scoring (13.7 points per game). If the Falcons’ defense was looking for a week to get well, this is it.
Offensively, Matt Ryan needs to shake a slump that in the last three games has seen his completion percentage drop off (57 for 110, 51.8 percent). He also has seven interceptions in those three games.
When I spoke to Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff earlier in the week, he stopped short of guarantees. But he said he still feels good about this team — better even than he felt last season when the Falcons started 4-3 and finished 11-5.
But lose today and things change quickly. At 4-4, the Falcons wouldn’t be dead in the playoff race. But it suddenly would mean they would have to do something improbable in the second half .
But I’ve got a feeling this game won’t be a problem. Let me know what you think and I’ll be back in a bit.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
712 comments Add your comment
AtlantaFan
November 8th, 2009
12:08 pm
Well, yesterday I had the same feeling about Tech and we almost laid an egg. I know we’re going to win today, but I hope the win is a good win, not a close one that goes down to the deciding field goal. Let’s Go Falcons!!
The Dust
November 8th, 2009
12:11 pm
Falcons will win. I hope…
Dragin' Fly
November 8th, 2009
12:16 pm
Falcons 34 – 17.
sane jane
November 8th, 2009
12:21 pm
Falcons should cruise. The Washington Redskin Potatoes are in as much disarray as UGA these days.
brewdawg
November 8th, 2009
12:24 pm
Afternoon Jeff. Must be a bit more excited about this assignment. I hate hate hate the cliche of “must-win game”, but if the Falcons are serious about the playoffs, this kind of is.
Told you so
November 8th, 2009
12:25 pm
Skins 21- 16. Skins haven’t given up 30pts longer than any team in the league and your team is the worst against the pass. Go ahead and overlook them. 21-16 Redskins
Heath
November 8th, 2009
12:26 pm
This should be as easy as, say, an ACC powerhouse playing Weak Forrest. Wait, never mind.
Ripped Again
November 8th, 2009
12:33 pm
This will be the game that kills the Falcons chances of a back to back winning season
brewdawg
November 8th, 2009
12:35 pm
Oh good Heath. Another UGA fan making the rest of us look bad by bashing Tech just because UGA is down this year and Tech is rolling. Well done.
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
12:35 pm
Jeff, can you get us in the pressbox for some wings?
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
12:37 pm
Today’s the day we meet! We are wearing a red shirt. Come on down and say, hey.
Hillbilly Deluxe
November 8th, 2009
12:42 pm
Matt Ryan’s slump has mainly been a product of facing good defenses. He ought to get back to normal today.
Roger
November 8th, 2009
12:44 pm
I know Bob Horner hit 4 home runs in one game. But i still don’t know what a “sweet compact swing is”.
pilgrim
November 8th, 2009
12:45 pm
Everybody thinks the Falcons can and should win. But we are looking for something more in this game – something very positive to bode well for the rest of the season.
Mixxo
November 8th, 2009
12:45 pm
We’ll win two more games this year. Both vs the Bucs.
6-10…..it’s coming.
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
12:46 pm
Clusters was always shy but would turn out to be the life of the party. Today, we are going to take off our shirt and we have a big “falcon” painted on us and we are going to flap some and get on television. We saw that at Grant Field yesterday except they had big letters painted on ‘em instead of a Falcon. Stinky Wintes is here, too but he has been asked to keep his shirt on. If we see Arthur Blank we are going to ask him if he will take off his shirt and let Stinky paint a Falcon on there. Stinky majored in Art.
SirReal
November 8th, 2009
12:46 pm
I expect a good showing from the birds today. We usually do well at home. Its a sold out game so it should be loud and exciting. Let’s climb to 5-3 today!
Mixxo
November 8th, 2009
12:47 pm
Skins will make us squirm today….watch n’ see.
Matt "Choke" Ryan, badnews, VickSupporter2, et al
November 8th, 2009
12:50 pm
Gosh I can’t wait til Ryan does something stupid so I can call him “noodle arm”-I revel in his demise because I am a total loser.
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
12:54 pm
D-Hall just got introduced and was booed. Just like he was still a Falcon.
Tweezy
November 8th, 2009
12:58 pm
NOOOOO!!! Not this douchebag crew again?!? Moose and Goose. I F-in HATE these fools! Gonna be hearing about the Skins all day now. Time to mute and switch to radio.
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
12:58 pm
Don’t know if it’s a must-win game or a can’t lose game.
J.J.M.
November 8th, 2009
12:58 pm
d halllllllllllll
Game isnt on cable in Montgomery AL
November 8th, 2009
1:00 pm
You gotta be kidding me
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:00 pm
Sorry, that last response was for Brewdawg.
In the pressbox, to your left
November 8th, 2009
1:00 pm
I like the Birds today. But with Norwood and Snelling out, we need the O-line, Ryan and the receivers to have a good day.
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:01 pm
Clusters, walk to the top of the stairs and I’ll see what I can do.
D. Orlando Ledbetter
November 8th, 2009
1:01 pm
IT’S KICKOFF TIME!!!!
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
1:03 pm
Jeff, Clusters don’t cause much trouble but that security guard had it coming.
Sent from my Blackberry
Frank Wren
November 8th, 2009
1:04 pm
Another team coming off bye week
Jamie
November 8th, 2009
1:06 pm
See that we have these clowns announcing again!! YIKES!!
uberVU - social comments
November 8th, 2009
1:06 pm
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by JeffSchultzAJC: WE’ http://bit.ly/2TC5iA…
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:07 pm
Tweezy — if you try that again, you’re banned.
Jamie
November 8th, 2009
1:07 pm
Good run
Matt "Choke" Ryan
November 8th, 2009
1:08 pm
AND THE CHOKE CONTINUES………………..
J.J.M.
November 8th, 2009
1:09 pm
wow was guy touching his stuff
J.J.M.
November 8th, 2009
1:10 pm
offsides?
Jamie
November 8th, 2009
1:11 pm
What was is D Hall doin piling on?
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:13 pm
Nice drive… Redskins’ defense clueless on that Ryan bootleg, pass to Gonzalez for TD …And nice drive by Albert Haynesworth, huh?
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
1:13 pm
We was never troublemakers. They could have let us up the stairs. Wintes just went crazy.
Sent from my Blackberry
Jamie
November 8th, 2009
1:13 pm
And who is using my name?
wink
November 8th, 2009
1:13 pm
great 4 and 1 play, executed by Ryan and offensive line!
Mixxo
November 8th, 2009
1:13 pm
If games were over after our first drive, we’d be in good shape!
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:14 pm
Jamie — I’ve got socks on.
Jeff Schultz
November 8th, 2009
1:14 pm
Now go away.
Steve C
November 8th, 2009
1:14 pm
No comment from Choke after the TD pass from Ryan…where are you, Choke??
Sonny Clusters
November 8th, 2009
1:15 pm
Jeff, what’s Arthur Blank wearing today?
Once "Recent" Reader
November 8th, 2009
1:16 pm
We’ll see how this game goes. 1st drive touchdowns are always better than 1st drive punts and field goals. Like the smart move to get Redskins offsides on 4th down. Note: This is not the Saints Offense nor even the Cowboys Offense we are up against this week . . . . . so we’ll see!!! I like good starts . . .now lets get a good middle and end!!
Frank Wren
November 8th, 2009
1:16 pm
Arthur is a snappy dresser no doubt
DJ
November 8th, 2009
1:17 pm
D – get the ball back