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
Neshoba
November 28th, 2010
10:21 pm
Maybe…another SB loss
Nighttrain # 99
November 28th, 2010
10:21 pm
Not many of folks reference the Falcons offensive line but the core group is very good and has been together for multiple seasons. The D line is rock solid. Games are mostly won in the trenches and I like our down-n-dirty guys.
Supes
November 28th, 2010
10:22 pm
Najeh, good stuff as usual. I don’t always agree with you but I appreciate the football comments you have to post.
As far as Nick Fairley…the 2 things he’s really good at in college (cheap shots and driving QB’s into the ground) are both 15 yard penalties followed by calls from the Commish’s office…it’s not gonna fly in the NFL like it does in college where there is little consequence for being a thug on the field. So no…i don’t think the Falcons should or could draft him, he wouldn’t fit well here!
CHEF MONTUER
November 28th, 2010
10:22 pm
gO sAiNtS!!!!!?
Red-N-Black
November 28th, 2010
10:27 pm
“DK
November 28th, 2010
9:46 pm
@Fish House – Time and place. Sure. Just go to 770 Hi-Hope Road, Lawrenceville. Tell me up front that you want to speak to Officer Kelly because you’ve got something you want to straiten out.”
I just spit out my coffee laughing at that! LOLOL – notice Fish Douche hasn’t posted.
Ueeediot
November 28th, 2010
10:42 pm
National media storyline broke down today….
Falcons, 9-2, Vick lost….NYG look pedestrian….Cowboys didnt play…cant talk about GB without talking about the Falcons….
um…did you hear about Cutler?
You guys are digging deep now.
Next up…TB
Ted Striker
November 28th, 2010
10:54 pm
Excellent game. Good column. No complaints, save one. I’ll buy you a dozen cases of beer if you get this done for your readership. The AJC online site needs an “ignore” button like some other news websites have. Even the Athens Banner Herald has one.
If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s when a reader comes to the site and is logged it, the reader has the option of permanently placing another blogger on ignore. It effectively knocks a 10 to 200 line rant or diatribe or ramble down to ““this user is being ignored.” Sweet.
A dozen cases of beer. Put that in your accounting ledger on a Friday night and crunch the blissful benefits.
GaCracker
November 28th, 2010
10:56 pm
They don’t beat themselves and seem to play clutch on everything but 3rd and long on defense. I’m not sure how good they really are, but without turnovers and a lot of penalties, they remain competitive.
Falconfanatic
November 28th, 2010
11:15 pm
TheFalcons are the most exciting team we have ever had and I am loveing every minute of it . I don`t think there is any limit to where they can go.
extremus
November 28th, 2010
11:46 pm
It’s great to get the win and still be at the top of the NFC, but those wins aren’t coming easily; this has been a very rough stretch of games and the Falcons have thus far weathered the storm. As good as things are right now though, the way this season has gone for other “Superbowl-bound favorites” I’d honestly rather the Birds continue to fly under the radar rather than have a target on their backs.
Obviously that won’t happen now; everyone around the NFL knows that this Atlanta team is going for it all this year. Can they do it? Yes, possibly. But they still have some glaring issues on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary is still prone to giving up the big play at very inopportune times, and at times the team seems to forget fundamentals (like repeatedly trying to arm-tackle the Packers today along with plain stupid penalties like Dahl’s that turned a potential TD drive into a field goal). Their pass rush can be great but other times (like today) it can be nonexistent; a force at defensive end opposite John Abraham would be nightmarish for opposing offenses. All these things mean the Falcons are still vulnerable…but they haven’t broken yet, fortunately.
Those are obviously concerns that should (and probably will) be addressed during the coming offseason. Scary thing is, when it happens the Atlanta Falcons will potentially be even better and stronger than they are now.
But now is THIS year, and our Atlanta Falcons are going for it right now, because they (and we) know this opportunity may never come around again (just ask the Braves; just “getting there” isn’t enough, not even close). Here’s hoping the wins keep coming and that the last one comes in February at Dallas.
GO FALCONS!!!!
RTW
November 28th, 2010
11:48 pm
9 and F’ing 2! Haters, shut your mouths!
Von
November 29th, 2010
12:19 am
Hey, I’m all Saints Black n Gold but I know a very good team when I see one. The Falcons are good. Real good. Matt Ryan is awesome and all they do is win. To me, it doesn’t matter how. A win is a win. C’mon my Saints fans, give them the credit they deserve. Competition is good. The Superbowl goes through Atlanta. Let’s get ready for the playoffs baby. It’s on!
drmondo
November 29th, 2010
12:20 am
head on over to http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot and vote for our team guys!!
Kane337
November 29th, 2010
12:29 am
Clabo owned the long haired blonde boy. Matthews was a non factor.
C from Marietta
November 29th, 2010
1:44 am
Falcons are an all around team. They don’t have any flashy ‘me’ players. They play like a team. CVG is not done building this defense. They are doing things the right way. They have little to no turnovers or penalties every game. Roddy White is now the best receiver in pro football. He is like Hines Ward. He hustles on every play. Even, if the ball is not coming to him. The defense is a work in progress, but is solid. Best team in the league at red zone stops. The Atlanta Falcons have heart and character. They may or may not win the Super Bowl this year. However, they ARE a contender. So, enjoy the ride and hope for a 3 game sweep on the road. Oh yeah, all those folks talking about the Eagles. Watch out for the Saints. They are good and will be a tough test for our home team.
JASon
November 29th, 2010
2:07 am
Jeff, how could you not say anything about home field advantage? That is the reason this falcons team could make the super bowl. Lets be honest, put them on the road against a good team and they will get outcoached. But the beauty of it is: we won’t have to worry about that! With our remaining record, go ahead and pencil this team in for home field advantage.
Eric C.
November 29th, 2010
3:22 am
Magic # – win against the Saints on MNF and homefield is locked up
Falcons are virtually guaranteed 11 wins with 2 games left against Carolina…just win against the Saints on MNF and the division and #1 seed would be all but wrapped up as the Saints could win no more than 12 games assuming a loss to the Falcons.
Samuel
November 29th, 2010
5:15 am
C,mon guys let’s be happy the Falcons are winning, we don’t have to be mean spirited and talk about Vick. He’s not part of the equation. The only thing we need to do is shore up our secondary. Dunta Robinson and Decoud don’t make enough plays. Has Robinson had one interception all year. The money that was given to this guy and looking at his work production makes my stomach churn.
Larry
November 29th, 2010
5:19 am
Game on the line, 4th and goal at the 10, and you rush only 3 men against an all pro QB giving him 8-10 seconds to find a receiver…utter, unabashed stupidity!
The two Matt’s have been “Money” at pulling out games on the last drive but this cannot always be expected to work. Somewhere down the line we’ll need our defense to prevent the opponent from scoring on their last drive and in these situations BVG has been as dumb as a box of rocks!
WingMan
November 29th, 2010
5:44 am
When Mike Smith and TD took over the team, many on this blog were saying that the Falcons wouldn’t do anything for 3 to 5 years. Obviously they were wrong. Those of you who are finding faults with the defense, A. Must remember where we came from and B. that we are still in the developmental process. Our D is very young but is learning quickly and they have a great attitude. I expect that as they continue to learn and gain experience that they will continue to develop into a formidable defense. By the way, Go Saints, BACK TO NO!
FalconsGO
November 29th, 2010
7:01 am
The “Big” thing to look at with the Atlanta Falcons defense is where they rank in the league in “points” against them. See below that they rank 7th in the league. They rank 6th in defending the rush. Yes the pass defense is poor to say the least, BUT you take away the run, you take away time of possession and allow minimal points, you have what it takes to get you deep into the playoffs.
PTS
19.0
(7th)
Also, is there a better unheralded QB in the league than Matt Ryan. All the talk of Rogers, the Mannings, Vick and there stands Matt Ryan with the 19-1 home record, a 29-12 record in 2 3/4 years (he didn’t play in two losses last year) and the cool nature that QB’s like Elway and Montana had in consistent play and come back ability. No, he doesn’t put up Rivers and Brees type passing numbers because he doesn’t need to. The Falcons are balanced with the run. That is what makes this team contenders for the Super Bowl. See Ryans stats below. Also only 5 int, and a 65% completion rate. Not too shabby.
2010 STATS
RAT 94.4
YDS 2,715
TD 19
Ross
November 29th, 2010
7:04 am
Larry, you’re wrong. On that play Abe had a clear shot at Rodgers earlier in the play but pulled up lame – looked like the groin thing – and could not get up. That’s why Rodgers had all day. In fact the pressure was good all day – Rodgers is just a real play maker. Without him GB is a slightly better than average team.
Ross
November 29th, 2010
7:08 am
Eric C, the Panthers get better each week and will be no pushover, particularly at home in Charlotte where the Falcons tend to sink into a funk every year. This was just one of those years for the Ps, no QB and lots of injuries. Steve Smith on Grimes makes me wince.
Ross
November 29th, 2010
7:12 am
This road trip will tell the Falcons’ 2010 story. I’ll be more than happy with 2 of 3 as long as one is next week. I don’t have a good feeling about either Carolina or Seattle. Hard not to look past the Panthers. Traditionally the Falcons are not great anywhere on the west coast. Let’s hope to see them back in the GDome with Ryan going for the rookie home record (tied now with Danny White at 19-1).
Getaway
November 29th, 2010
7:31 am
“Clabo owned the long haired blonde boy. Matthews was a non factor.”
Kane, this is the key thing that the media continues to miss. 2 great defenses in GB and Baltimore, and the Falcons moved the ball at will and not in gimmicky ways, even with them knowing what the ‘birds were going to do, they couldn’t stop it.
Getaway
November 29th, 2010
7:32 am
Enter your comments here
Old Falcon Fan
November 29th, 2010
7:53 am
Is anyone as frustrated with the Fox announcers as I am, they did everything they could to get the Packers to throw the challenge flag on the Gonzalez catch. I am also sick of Billick comparing every game to a heavyweight fight.
FalconsGO
November 29th, 2010
7:55 am
Ross, Since 2008 the Falcons are 3-0 on the West Coast. Beating Oakland and San Diego in 2008 and San Fran in 2009. I feel OK with the Seattle game. Week to week I say “this week will tell if the Falcons are for real.” With that being said they beat New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Baltimore and Green Bay. I really believe this team is head over heels better now than 6 weeks ago with the game in Philly. After 5 straight wins, now I am saying, OK they really need to beat Tampa Bay this week.
I feel I am turning into a “they should win this week”, instead of hoping they win. The next 5 games will tell the tale. They SHOULD win at least 4 of them and set up for an exciting finish against the Aints.
FalconsGO
November 29th, 2010
7:59 am
Billick is so overplaying every play. It seems he doesn’t want to believe the Falcons are a very GOOD team. The whole thing with Gonzalez catch was ridiculous. Then on top of everything else his trying to explain why GB wasn’t given a penalty for delay of game saying the referee wouldn’t be able to see the snap and the clock expiring in time to pull the flag. Maybe challenges should be put in place for that as well. Even if Atlanta was offside the penalties would have offset and GB wouldn’t have made the miraculous first down.
Gripe
November 29th, 2010
8:09 am
I am sorry, but is anyone as sick as I am of hearing MVP candidate Michael Vick? Give me a break. Great story for a comeback player of the year, but MVP? Really? ESPN and NFL Network kept saying Michael Vick’s first interception in 4 years? Did the two years count he was in prison? Did last year count when he attempted all of 13 passes?
This is just a gripe, I forgive Vick for screwing the Falcons, but really did he screw us? Looking at what we got in return with Coach Smith (I wonder if Petrino would have stayed if Vick had been here) and Matt Ryan, I think we got the better of the deal.
Needless to say, the Washington game for Vick was huge, but he has come back down to Earth the past two weeks and Philly should have lost the game against the Giants as well.
Who should be considered for NFC MVP, you need to include Ryan in the mix. No one runs a team as well.
E
November 29th, 2010
8:29 am
Championships aren’t won in November… You’ve never had a title and you never will, Falcons’ fans.
Sid
November 29th, 2010
8:30 am
Great team win. Kudos Matt Bryant, still kickin’ like a madman………!!
Hey, Jinx, don’t you ever drop the friggin first pass of the first play of a game ever again, that’s a tempo setter and you dropped a ball my great great great Aunt Ethel could have caught.
Sid
November 29th, 2010
8:33 am
E
November 29th, 2010
8:29 am
Championships aren’t won in November… .
*****************************************************
another troll yet this one readily admits he’s a moron
L.R. Glass, Sr.
November 29th, 2010
8:38 am
TOP 5 QUARTERBACKS FOR THE WEEK(IMHO)
1. Matty Ice- As always, forever unflappable. (Who would’ve thought, way back in 2008, when the then rookie play caller snatched improbable victory out of certain jaws of defeat that a legend was being created?)
2. Tom Brady – 9-2. What else needs be said?
3. Mark Sanchez – Ditto.
4.Aaron Rodgers – Valiant even in defeat.
5. Michael Vick- I’m Sorry, I just like the way he plays. (By the way, that was one hell of a touchdown pass to Celek). If he continues on the path that he has decided to travel, both on and off the field, he will be OK regardless of what the haters say.
Sid
November 29th, 2010
8:41 am
Conference seedings
1. Falcons 9-2
2. Bears 8-3
3. Eagles 7-4
4. Rams 5-6
5. Saints 8-3
6. Giants 7-4
7. Bucs 7-4
8. Packers 7-4
Tweets that mention Falcons keep winning even though the way keeps changing | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
November 29th, 2010
8:44 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Fantasy Tackles, Fantasy Tackles. Fantasy Tackles said: #IDP Falcons keep winning even though the way keeps changing http://bit.ly/hTj6Nl #FantasyFootball [...]
Sid
November 29th, 2010
8:57 am
Remaining schedules
FALCONS
At Bucs (7-4)
At Panthers (1-10)
At Seahawks (5-6)
Saints (8-3)
Panthers (1-10)
Opponents’ record: 22-33
SAINTS
At Bengals (2-9)
Rams (5-6)
At Ravens (8-3)
At Falcons (9-2)
Bucs (7-4)
Opponents’ record: 31-24
juice sourcer
November 29th, 2010
9:05 am
The Falcons can’t possibly keep pulling victory from the jaws of defeat. The %’s will catch up with them. Always do. Mark it down.
Soctt
November 29th, 2010
9:28 am
Another hard fought win for the Birds . But i am still concern with the pass defense that looked very vulnerable to anything Green Bay wanted to do. Green bay dosen’t have a real running game they are one dimensional the falcons should have faired better against them .But all in all it was a great game .
Ms. Grammar
November 29th, 2010
9:31 am
Why use proper grammar and capitalization?
With proper capitalization- “He helped his Uncle Jack off a horse”.
Without proper capitalization-”He helped his uncle jack off a horse”.
FrontRow
November 29th, 2010
10:06 am
Your uncle is 2 letters away from being a pervert.
PMC
November 29th, 2010
10:12 am
Guys…this odds crap… it doesn’t fly. It’s like the board at a roulette game showing you the past. This…they can’t keep doing this…Yes they can. The past has no effect on the future. This team is built to win close games. Their style of play is created in order to win games EXACTLY like this. “Money” Matt Bryant is killing it this year. Certainly, it would be nice to have a better pass rush and win by two touchdowns… sure… but it doesn’t matter HOW you win the game just that you win. This defense has only allowed 1 rushing TD in the red zone all year. That’s INCREDIBLE. It’s really hard to run on the Falcons defense.
This is a remarkably efficient football team. They don’t have a ton of playmakers, but they do have enough, and the young players are really ramping their games up. They are greater than the sum of their parts.
falconfan 24-7
November 29th, 2010
10:24 am
Great team win. The Pack played their hearts out but were overmatched.On to the next one. The Bucs will be ready for revenge. But, we win by a field goal. Just win baby!
Count Bertram - Not to be Confused with THE COUNT
November 29th, 2010
10:25 am
Falcons keep winning even though the way keeps changing. That’s another way of saying that the Falcons can beat you in multiple ways. And that is a good thing.
falconfan 24-7
November 29th, 2010
10:27 am
@ haters
The only thing that matters in the NFL is wins and lossess. For those of you that over analyze everything, get a life. Go Falcons.
Sid
November 29th, 2010
10:28 am
juice sourcer
November 29th, 2010
9:05 am
******************************
LOL, and you just stay on that juice there good buddy…………..ROFLMAO
mac
November 29th, 2010
10:29 am
Yeahhh..Falcons win..BUT..barely!!
Seem’s like they just want to do enough to get by!
“Matty Ice” still Can’t find the open receiver..down field!
On The tying touchdown..Rogers had ALL DAY to find open receiver in corner of the end zone..WHY????
JeanE
November 29th, 2010
10:35 am
Yes, exciting win but it was ugly. What the heck was Mularkey’s offensive game plan, ’cause I sure couldn’t figure it out. It was TERRIBLE! Harry Douglas is a rotten blocking WR, why didn’t they use Finn more this week? He is a much better blocker and honestly, he has better hands than Harry, too! It ticked me off, what did Finn do to get in Mularkey’s doghouse? Back to being totally predictible and stagnant on offense. We need to throw more on 1st down. Yes, I know we won but it was another very tight game that could’ve gone the other way. Defense has gotten much much better although I still think Dunta is way overpaid. Kicking and Punting continue to be a source of strength and no spec teams coverage breakdowns this week. Could we please go back to using Finn and dump Harry back on the sideline where he belongs? Another tough game against Tampa on the road, gotta keep plugging along. Also, Matt Ryan is just a beast!! Go Birds!!
Fan in Missouri
November 29th, 2010
10:37 am
The Falcons and Packers are two different teams. The Falcons have a poor defense which they cover up with a good running game and efficient passing. The Packers have a very good defense and no running game. Their defense allows them to take more chances in their passing game.
Submariner683
November 29th, 2010
10:37 am
Is NoodleArm Ryan the new tag for the good old MattChokeRyan? Seems to be the same theme and same diction in his posts.
So Matt Ryan is overrated since he hasn’t won the one playoff game he played in? That is the only indicator of playoff success? Really? One game in his rookie year where he played well, go thank Keith Brooking for that loss. By your pre-school aged logic, Flacco is twice as bad because he’s 1-2. Peyton Manning is overrated too since he lost his first three playoff games. And Trent Dilfer and Matt Hostetler are the best QBs ever because they won a Superbowl. Do I have it right?