Falcons keep winning even though the way keeps changing
Matt Ryan and the Falcons have been ascending for weeks.
All they do is win. Sometimes it’s Michael Turner running. Sometimes it’s Roddy White flying. Sometimes they just stretch it out and let their balding 35-year-old kicker end the suspense on the last play because, well, it’s good for ratings and keeps us all guessing.
“We’re just tying to give people their money’s worth,” linebacker Mike Peterson said.
They’re building a fat bank account. The NFL season is moving into December and the Falcons already are sitting on nine wins. They’re 9-2, a record that only the New England Patriots and New York Jets can match.
Winning has become so commonplace that they just clinched their third straight winning season and it was barely mentioned.
“It’s an afterthought,” general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “Last season at this time we weren’t having a positive season and the conversation was we still hadn’t put together back-to-back winning seasons. It’s a nice feeling to have that behind us.”
They played Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South. They won. They played Baltimore amid doubts that they belonged among the league’s elite. They won.
On Sunday they played Green Bay, which had won its last three games by a composite score of 85-10 and was the most recent leader in the oh-they’re-going-to-the-Super-Bowl derby. While it came down to a Matt Bryant field goal with nine seconds left to secure a 20-17 win – the fact remains that it was the Packers who were scrambling to find ways to beat this team.
The Falcons are good enough to win a Super Bowl. Here are a few reasons why:
♦ On a day when the Packers often doubled White and made sure he was a non-factor, quarterback Matt Ryan still completed 24 of 28 passes to nine different receivers against one of the league’s top defenses and engineered two14-play, 80-yard and seven-and-a-half-minute touchdown drives, the kind that can demoralize an opponent.
♦ They don’t beat themselves. They did not have a turnover for the fourth straight game and won the turnover battle for the eighth time in 11 games (all wins).
♦ The defense. Yes, the defense.
Aaron Rodgers lies on the turf after getting drilled by the Falcons' Brian Williams. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
There have been times you’ve wondered about it and maybe covered your eyes. But did you watch the Packers on Sunday? One of the NFL’s premier teams, led by Aaron Rodgers, struggled at times to deal with the Falcons’ speed on defense. How rare is that in recent history?
Green Bay totaled more than 400 yards in offense. But it often was able to extend drives only because Rodgers managed to scramble away from the pass rush. (He led the Packers in rushing with 51 yards, including three first downs.)
Rodgers was sacked once and smacked a few other times, most notably by Brian Williams in the fourth quarter. He also was clocked by Curtis Lofton and fumbled at the Falcons’ one-yard-line in the second quarter (Peterson recovering).
In the third quarter, having been held to a field goal, the Packers resorted to trying a flea-flicker. (It worked, with Rodgers taking a pitch and completing a 34-yard pass to Greg Jennings). In the fourth, with the Falcons leading 17-10, Rodgers bought time on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons’ 21 and threw a desperation shovel pass to James Jones for 18 yards. Later, on fourth and goal from the 10, he bought time and eventually found Jordy Nelson for a tying touchdown with 56 seconds remaining.
Quoth Peterson: “We left our offense just enough time to win it.” Again.
Eric Weems returned a kickoff 40 yards and survived despite a facemask penalty on Matt Wilhelm that looked like a cartoon from Hell. Ryan, starting from the Packers’ 49, completed four straight passes to move the ball to the 29. Bryant took it from there, just as he did against New Orleans and San Francisco.
The Falcons celebrated afterward but it wasn’t at nearly at the champagne-spraying level. They’ve come to expect this.
“We’re ascending right now,” linebacker Curtis Lofton said.
“We think we’re developing something special,” cornerback Thomas DeCoud said.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Peterson. “We win, but when we come back to work next week it’s like everybody forgot all about Sunday.”
Another winning season becomes an afterthought. Welcome to the Falcons’ alternate universe.
♦
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291 comments Add your comment
The Nature Boy
November 28th, 2010
8:03 pm
calm down 5150…..The Falcons are a solid team and I love em…but I can still see Vick beating us in Jan. at the Ga Dome……I know I’m not alone…..
AllTheWay
November 28th, 2010
8:04 pm
Vick’s 333 yards were in a prevent defense and a soft middle. Eagles lost, Falcons won, nuff said
Phil Dean
November 28th, 2010
8:05 pm
Packer fan here. Congrats to the Falcons. Good all around effort by your team today. I was impressed with your quarterback. Pretty cool customer. You exposed the weaknesses in GB this year….no real running game and inconsistent if not weak special teams play. I didn’t care for McCarthy trying to ice your kicker at the end of the game either. I think it’s gamesmanship, and was dissappointed my own team tried it. Hope to see you in the playoffs, but if things stay as they are….it will be tough to beat you in the dome.
Yay!
November 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
why are some of yall here on ajc.com if u ain’t talking about the falcons? Go to philly news blogs they got plenty of trashy vick fans and eagle fans like you guys.
The Nature Boy
November 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
I am not a Vick lover or hater…but today was a trap game for Philly…come on..at Chicago the weather was windy…..if Vick played Atlanta at the Ga Dome he could possibly “shine”…..Vick has that “it” factor…JMHO
Don Gato
November 28th, 2010
8:07 pm
Why waste time with the Mick Vick debate? As a season ticket holder I enjoyed watching him play when he was here. HATED the damage he did to the Team but it was HIS FU and he paid a very very high price. Glad to see him have success ELSEWHERE cause he is The PAST. Matt Ryan is The PRESENT and The FUTURE. Once saw him almost singlehandedly beat GT in Atlanta; he was cerebral then and even more so…. NOW. The game today (with MANY Packer fans in the house) had a Special Feel… This MAY be a Special TEAM…. GO FALCONS
Yay!
November 28th, 2010
8:08 pm
@ Phil- you my friend are a man of logic and u have tons of class i love seeing classy fans on this blog talking about quality football. Packers have a great squad much like the falcons and they can easily crush philly and beat the saints.
chipperdawg
November 28th, 2010
8:09 pm
Great team win today!
This win could be HUGE towards home field in the playoffs!
There were times I was frustrated with the defensive play calling, like when we only rushed three during their last drive.
I felt like we were giving Rodgers WAY to much time.
We rattled him some earlier with 4 and 5 man rush.
I’m sure proud of this team, though… been a LONG time coming!!
Three consecutive winning seasons and better things to come!!
GO FALCONS!!!!
2012 FEAR THE END
November 28th, 2010
8:09 pm
Yay!,
That comment was towards Joe, I hate it when Vick has to come up, i cant understand why people cant just be happy with Matt or the Falcons
The Nature Boy
November 28th, 2010
8:11 pm
Vick is the elephant in the room….and he can’t be ignored….face it…deal with it..accept it
BobDog
November 28th, 2010
8:11 pm
Mike, Joe Tess is clear as a bell to me. What is your problem. And I wonder too where Peria Jerry was. I think he is still working to overcome his knee injury from last year.
MightyQuinn
November 28th, 2010
8:11 pm
Matt Ryan: 19 wins 1 loss at home. That’s a .950 winning percentage no matter how you slice it!
Yay!
November 28th, 2010
8:11 pm
we are but some fans think vick is like the messiah or something of football. He’s not great lets all accept it.
Rock Preston
November 28th, 2010
8:11 pm
Great win. Can we please wear the black jersey black helmet on white pants ala Baltimore down the stretch please??? Red is for pansies!!
The Nature Boy
November 28th, 2010
8:13 pm
@ Yay! did you watch the Eagles vs Skins game..?? Vick can take over a game…I’m not trying to pick a fight…(I’m a fat white guy) but I’m not blind
Sports Review
November 28th, 2010
8:15 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
St. Clarkston
November 28th, 2010
8:16 pm
Mike Smith should have had the defense let up and allow the Packers to score, leaving more time
For a game winning drive. Apparently that kind of coaching decision passes as genius to some writers at the AJC.
NoodleArm Ryan
November 28th, 2010
8:17 pm
Rodgers rushed 12 times for 51 yds, & you fools think that Atlanta defense will stop Vick & McCoy if they play in Jan WTF ? Career 19-1 home record with no playoff win to show for it,nuff said.
Nighttrain # 99
November 28th, 2010
8:17 pm
These Falcons caught the “we’re here to win and we’ll find a way to do it” virus. It’s a special thing to watch each weekend.
2012 FEAR THE END
November 28th, 2010
8:18 pm
St. Clarkston;
That made me laugh!!
Third winning season in a row
November 28th, 2010
8:19 pm
Why this talk of someone else’s QB? Get over it. He SCREWED it up here, and he’ll never be welcome here.
NoodleDic Vick
November 28th, 2010
8:20 pm
If i only had a brain…..
PMC
November 28th, 2010
8:22 pm
And your hands go UP…… and they stay there!!!
We’ve got 2… and that means if there’s time on the clock we’ve got a shot.
This team doesn’t give a crap about anything that doesn’t effect their winning a ball game. It’s what all consistent winning teams do.
This team is much greater than the sum of it’s parts. The rumors of Michael Turners demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Nice job offensive line. Beautifully called game Mike Mularkey
big o
November 28th, 2010
8:22 pm
Was that Fabio playing linebacker for the Packers. Oh my bad that was Matthews, Great win for the Birds. Go Falcons !!!! But that idiot on the NFL Network Tom Waddle had the nerve to say the Packers were a better team even after we beat them.
A27
November 28th, 2010
8:23 pm
Vick……Vick last I checked dosen’t play for the Falcons. I could give two S&$TS what Vick does. Last I checked THE FALCONS WERE THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM THAT CANT BE IGNORED!!! I sure love TEAM FOOTBALL. GO FALCONS!!!!!!!
26belly
November 28th, 2010
8:24 pm
“Third winning season in a row”, your name is my point! Only true Falcon fans can appreciate the fact that goal #1 has been achieved for a third consecutive year, a winning season! Now on to goal #2, secure a playoff birth and win one game at time from then on!
“Just win baby!”
PMC
November 28th, 2010
8:24 pm
If Green Bay is healthy they have many more playmakers than we do. Green Bay has a hell of a team. We are lucky Ryan Grant and Jermichael Finley weren’t playing.
Todd
November 28th, 2010
8:25 pm
St clarkson
You obviously don’t have a clue about football. It was a smart decision. Even your coach said he was outcoached on that decision. It’s a no brainer. Something you obviously don’t have.
PMC
November 28th, 2010
8:26 pm
It’s pretty awesome when you have the mission statement “build me a consistent playoff contender that can win the superbowl” and the GM and Coach and Team goes out and carries out the mission with a vengance.
PMC
November 28th, 2010
8:28 pm
Guys anyone being negative today isn’t a fan of the Atlanta Falcons. From a fans perspective, 9-2 and in the drivers seat…. there is absolutely nothing to be negative about. nothing. Just ignore the negativity and enjoy the ride. This is FUN!!!!
Frank Wilson
November 28th, 2010
8:29 pm
I noticed that someone has brought up again the Michael Vick “flippin off” the Atlanta crowd story again.
I have been a Falcons fan for 44 years. I was at the game when the “incident” occurred. Michael Vick was leaving the field by one of the tunnels and a group of fans were at the top of the tunnel screaming every filthy insult you could imagine at Vick. He DID NOT “flip off” the entire Falcons crowd. He flipped off the specific obnoxious fans and they deserved it. I was probably 35 feet away.
I loved Michael Vick when he was here. He did some stupid things and paid for them just as we all have. I wish him the best where he is now. He has turned his life around and I for one am very proud of him. Philly and Donovan McNabb showed me a ton of class giving him a chance.
We now have what I think is the best team in the entire league and the best quarterback.
Let’s show a little grace where Michael is concerned……. this is football……. not life and death!
NoodleArm Ryan
November 28th, 2010
8:30 pm
Flacco & Dennis Dickson have more playoff victories than your folk hero 19-1 Matt Ryan. LoL
PMC
November 28th, 2010
8:30 pm
speaking of awesome, did anyone notice how well the defense tackled today???
WOW. The open field tackles were ridiculous!
NoodleArm Ryan
November 28th, 2010
8:31 pm
Dennis Dixon that is.
Phil Dean
November 28th, 2010
8:34 pm
Yay! – thanks for the words………I like to give props where they are due, because I to appreciate quality football and hard fought games like the one today. Life’s too short to spend time insulting each other, especially on blog sites. As much as I love football at all levels, it is after all a game. Good luck the rest of the way.
JC
November 28th, 2010
8:34 pm
Everybody has to deal with injuries, Green Bay didn’t PMC
MWC
November 28th, 2010
8:34 pm
Noodle, If you can’t deal with it, just go away…9 and 2 slick…wooooo!
26belly
November 28th, 2010
8:35 pm
@ Frank Wilson…
Nuff said!
Third winning season in a row
November 28th, 2010
8:35 pm
NoodleArm Ryan: are you saying the falcons should’ve drafted Flacco instead of Ryan? Are you out of your mind?
Oh, sorry. You obviously are.
Yay!
November 28th, 2010
8:37 pm
NoodleArm Ryan- Go preach about vick while we win a superbowl this year.
By the way your name is a fail. Ryan has a WAY stronger arm then vick. Ur an idiot.
Ricky Muse
November 28th, 2010
8:39 pm
I am a Huge Atlanta Falcons Fan and I am very proud of the way this team has been playing!! Nice win Falcons, keep it up!!!
Ed
November 28th, 2010
8:39 pm
Great win for the Falcons Matt Ryan is Peyton-esque with the way he moves the offense down the field. This tema is very capable of winning a Super Bowl with the way they are balanced on offense and they play so well as a team. The combo of Smitty, Mularkey and Van Gorder are perfect and will keep this team grounded the next few weeks. Goooo!! Falcons
Chop Buster
November 28th, 2010
8:41 pm
The Falcons are winning so there isn’t too much to complain about. I’d just like to see our front four get after guys and not put as much pressure on our DBs. We’re winning with an average defense at best. Go Falcons! Let’s get some Bucs in their house next week!!!
NoodleArm Ryan
November 28th, 2010
8:42 pm
No I’m saying the obvious your QB is overrated, I really don’t care who they would have drafted ahead of that bubblegum arm. He may be 9-2 & 19-1 at home, what has he won, nothing. He couldn’t even get you into the playoffs last year with that Pop Warner arm, HA HA, oh yeah don’t blame it on Turner,cause Snelling play well.
A27
November 28th, 2010
8:43 pm
Hey NoodleArmRyan you got one thing right. Ryan is our HERO!!! 9-2 READ IT AND WEEP LOSERS!!!! HAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blake
November 28th, 2010
8:44 pm
Where’s all those smack talkin’ Packer fans?
Ivan
November 28th, 2010
8:44 pm
Great win Falcons! Keep’em comin!
9-2, baby!
GTPhenom
November 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
Just throwing it out there, I’m a Falcons fan, but I’m a Steelers fan first. I love my Falcons and Steelers, but a lot of you people are the same people who were absolutely running this team into the ground after that first game. And, don’t get your hopes up. Even if you make it to Dallas, Pittsburgh will be sure to send Atlanta home empty handed once again. Go Steelers, and to a slightly lesser level, Go Falcons!
Sam
November 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
I’m a huge Mike Vick fan, always have been….always will be. But seriously, why are we still talking about him? Matt Ryan is a franchise QB that says, and always does the right thing. The Mike Vick thing may have turned out to be a blessing……We’d still be running the same offense, with a crappy coach and a over the hill GM. Now, we have a young GM that is very intelligent in the draft- we have a smart coach that will be around for a long time to come, and all the young pieces to be in contention every year. Think about it.
Judy
November 28th, 2010
8:45 pm
So proud of the Falcons!