Falcons’ embarrassing loss means season was an epic fail
Matt Ryan had two interceptions and was sacked five times in the loss. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
It’s year three of this great franchise awakening, and that means one thing: We don’t grade seasons on the first 16 games.
We can praise the Falcons for a 13-win season. We can marvel at their young quarterback, Matt Ryan, for his progress in three seasons and his ability to pull out victories in pressure situations. We can sit back and praise the owner, the general manager and the coaching staff for seemingly doing everything right and winning 33 regular season games since 2008.
But in January of 2011, the Falcons should not be graded on what happens in the first 16 games. They should be graded on postseasons.
They failed. Epically.
There’s no shame in losing to the Green Bay Packers. But getting bodyslammed 48-21 is a level of humiliation that no playoff team should ever experience, especially this one. Not after a 13-3 season. Not in its first playoff game. Not at home. Not after having a week off while the opponent was in a short week following a road playoff game.
You expected a high point for the franchise. Instead, the Falcons gave us a low — the most lopsided playoff loss in their history.
“We didn’t do anything like ourselves,” Roddy White said. “It felt like were a different football team.”
If the Falcons could have stepped outside themselves and astral-projected into other bodies, it would have been an improvement.
They committed four turnovers. They allowed the Packers 442 yards in offense, 366 coming from quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who threw three touchdowns and completed 31 of 36 passes (and I honestly can’t remember the five incompletes).
If you think it can’t get worse, try this: Green Bay never punted. The totals: Five offensive touchdown, a defensive score, two field goals, a missed field goal and a fumble. It was like the return of Arena Football, except only one team was fully functional.
“Totally our fault,” said defensive end John Abraham, who like many Falcons defenders got close to Rodgers on occasion but seldom could get him to the turf (he was sacked twice). “I’m not saying they didn’t play well, but we could’ve done a lot more to move this in the right direction and we didn’t.
“Personally, I had bigger goals. The regular season is good. But being done in the first game hurts, especially the way we got knocked out.”
Some feared the New Orleans Saints coming back into the Georgia Dome and winning for the second time in a month. More feared Michael Vick coming back and winning again. Was this any better — a lopsided loss, with several thousand “Cheeseheads” chanting, “Go Pack Go”?
We thought the Falcons were past this. Granted, they won a lot of close games during the regular season. Great teams win close games. But when a team has such an epic faceplant in its first playoff game, you have to wonder how close it really is.
In 2008 — the first year of the Ryan-Mike Smith-Thomas Dimitroff era — the Falcons rose from two years of wreckage. They went 11-5. Then they lost at Arizona, a team that went on to the Super Bowl — no embarrassment there. This season they went 13-3 and lost to a Green Bay team that may end up in Dallas. The difference is venue — the Falcons were 20-4 in the Georgia Dome in the last three seasons – and what we perceived to be the Falcons’ evolution to this point.
Nobody thought the defense was great. But it appeared to be young and improving and certainly not set up for a dismembering. The offense added Tony Gonzalez last year to win a Super Bowl, but the team hasn’t even won a playoff game. (Nor has Gonzalez in his career. In fact he made his first catch of the game with 2:03 left in the third quarter and then limped off.)
The Packers fumbled on their opening possession. Then they scored touchdowns the next six times they touched the football – five on offensive possessions and one on a 70-yard interception return by cornerback Tramon Williams, a play that Ryan will be reliving in his nightmares for the next several months.
Oh yes, Ryan: The Falcons thrived this season on not turning over the ball. Ryan was at the forefront of that, throwing a career-low nine interceptions. Both second-quarter interceptions were costly. The first ended a scoring drive, though it may have been more the fault of wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who slipped and fell in the end zone, leaving Tramon Williams to make an easy interception.
But the second one was all on Ryan. With the Falcons trailing 21-14, eight seconds left in the half and the ball on the Packers’ 34, Ryan tried to hit Roddy White with a quick sideline pass to set up a field goal. But he threw way short and behind White and the pass was picked off by Williams, who brought it all the way for a score to make it 28-14 at halftime. The most audible sound in the Georgia Dome was a loud groan.
Brave fans stayed for the second half. But when the Packers scored on their first two possessions in the third quarter, it was like somebody yelled, “Fire.” By the end, it was only Cheeseheads in the stands.
This was exactly the kind of playoff meltdown Ryan wanted to avoid. He was 20 for 29 but had two interceptions and was sacked five times. Two years ago, his first pass attempt at Arizona was intercepted and led to a Cardinals’ scoring drive. Later in the game he had a fumble that Arizona’s Antrel Rolle returned 27 yards for a touchdown. The Falcons lost 30-24. We didn’t consider it a great tragedy.
This is different. Two years later, humiliating defeat should not be what this team is about.
They’re not as close as we thought they were.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1,754 comments Add your comment
Hickory Avenue
January 16th, 2011
1:42 am
@Timmy and Matthew —- you guys represent just exactly what is wrong with the “ATL ” fan-base , which is more focused on trash-talking , and in the process , exposing the extremely low “football IQ ” that alot of your fellow fans have been afflicted with ; but fortunately , there is some hope , however , since a guy like FalconsUGAFan apparently has vastly superior football knowledge , in comparison with you 2 a**-clowns , so perhaps there is a chance for the possibility of some Falcons fans to actually “RISE UP” with a little CLASS , after all ; the bottom line is that your Pigeons got reamed mighty hard tonight , and I’m sure thatit is a very unpleasant feeling ; but take pride in the fact that the Pigeons still are a very good team , and they’ll be back in the mix next year —but so will the Saints , and them (and us )aren’t going to be going away anytime soon , and that has to be the most disheartening thing of all , “ain’t ” it ?????
Go Pack Go!
January 16th, 2011
1:42 am
Thanks to the Falcons and their fans for the most exciting game so far this year
GO PACK GO!
matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:44 am
hick – this is an atl forum, so get lost
BJ Tompkins
January 16th, 2011
1:44 am
Bears Fan here. How did Atlanta win so many games???? They looked putrid.
saintssuck
January 16th, 2011
1:45 am
hey arthur blank stare, sounds like you love one part of the city since you know where the man whores live…time to go spoon with yours I guess…
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
1:45 am
hey matty is that sofa cough clearing out male pubic hairs…or is it matty ice cubes??
DawgDad
January 16th, 2011
1:45 am
I stopped reading your article after the headline. The SEASON was an “epic fail”? Schultz, there are no words sufficient to express the loathing I hold for you and the AJC for allowing that to be posted.
This GAME and the PLAYOFF RUN was an “epic fail”. The SEASON surely was not. I for one enjoyed watching every minute of the Falcons games. As I posted on the Bradley blog, this is not a time to cry in our beers, it’s time to be thankful for a great season and for having a team with a future.
Hickory Avenue
January 16th, 2011
1:45 am
@Michael — Dude , have you been living in a cave ??? How about coming back to the “real world’ , where the REST of us live ……….
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
1:45 am
lulz @ matty and timmaaaay bein mad.
WHO DAT
Lassie
January 16th, 2011
1:46 am
Timmy? Put up a real name kiddie. What are you, all of 10 years old? BTW, my offer is still good Timmy. Meet me at the back of your trailer in a few minutes…
matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:47 am
whodat – it turned out to be a better record than the taints. that’s what.
NOLA
January 16th, 2011
1:47 am
Micheal…..Not saying it was you,but some of your Falcant brethren,did indeed make many references to Katrina. In fact that was their favorite comeback. So before some of you say how classless us Saints fans are for coming over here and rubbing it in your faces a bit. Some of you should sweep your own doorstep before talking about someone elses being dirty. If your fans comments were strictly about football,Im sure most Saints fans would’ve been pulling for ATL. But the Katrina comments were way outta line. Case in point Monday night in the NC game. We dont like Auburn,but most of us were rooting for them just because they are a SEC team,and just because they are located in the South.
Hickory Avenue
January 16th, 2011
1:48 am
@Matthew — you need to go to the doctor and get that cough checked out , SISSY BOY ……
matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:48 am
fa cough
JSS
January 16th, 2011
1:49 am
ijonathan
January 15th, 2011
1:40 pm
“@JSS…Professor, NARC, “Cutty Shark”…lots of names for a well-rounded, modern renaissance man. LMAO.”
_______________________________________________________________________________
You forgot “Oracle of Epic Falcons Failure!”
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
1:50 am
guess he was wit a guy that doesnt shave regularly hickory ave
whodat70816
January 16th, 2011
1:51 am
@matthew….LOL..but both teams will be sitting home watching the Super Bowl.
So enjoy the Failcants 2010 13-3 season and their #1 seed they couldn’t even do anything with. Enjoy it, because next season they’ll be lucky to win 10.
count_schemula
January 16th, 2011
1:51 am
I was worried when you combined the 1 week layoff with the ice storm chaos. It looks like that is what happened. That was not the same team I watched all season, but I’m used to saying that since I’m more of a Braves fan. ATL teams and the playoffs just don’t work out much.
Brian
January 16th, 2011
1:51 am
What a let down. Packers brought their “A” game and Falcons couldn’t respond. They imposed their will on the Falcons. Aaron Rogers was unstoppable. Congratulations Packers. If they put up 2 more games like that, they will be impossible to beat.
expatoz
January 16th, 2011
1:51 am
I thought there was no way any team could lay a bigger egg than New Orleans did this postseason. Boy, was I wrong.
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
1:51 am
matty likes playin’ doctor with the other boys, that’s why he’s always coughing….
lolumadmatty?
whodat70816
January 16th, 2011
1:52 am
Rise up?
LOL
Sit your @$$es down!
matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:54 am
hickory avenue and offdabus have this in common: they spend their lives hiding behind a keyboard typing things they’d never have the balls to say to someone’s face.
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
1:54 am
scott please lovely atlanta my A$$. your town has more natural disasters on a weekly basis…arent you still shoveling snow off the streets??? has the kids been to school lately??? how many banks have foreclosed in the past few weeks??? if atlanta is a lovely metropolis than adam and eve began in new orleans
NOLA
January 16th, 2011
1:54 am
The bottom of the NFC South?? HAHAHAHA!!! You still must have a lil bit of jizz in your eye from shooting your wad too soon….
matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:55 am
and 504 is a troll self-pleasuring his rectum with his mom’s rusty dildo right about now. right, brah?
Stew
January 16th, 2011
1:56 am
blow it up again. start all over. this effort was pitiful. just lost all interest in falcon’s football
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
1:56 am
lolumad? matty down to mamma jokes, yeah u mad brah. WHO DAT!
Tweets that mention Falcons' embarrassing loss means season was an epic fail | Jeff Schultz -- Topsy.com
January 16th, 2011
1:56 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Chip D., Sean Womble and others. Sean Womble said: RT @JeffSchultzAJC: #Falcons game column updated with quotes. One word: unacceptable humiliation (OK, 2 words). http://bit.ly/fizs5B [...]
peter thermansen
January 16th, 2011
1:56 am
GB season ticket holder. 55 years old — seen some games. Tonight, things went GB’s way. For the most part, probably because GB was the better team. In time, this will change. That is the beauty of the game. I think the best part of being a fan is that it can help you strive to be better at what you do, if only for a awhile. May the best team win.
count_schemula
January 16th, 2011
1:57 am
Has the kids been to school? than adam and eve? wtf
Justin
January 16th, 2011
1:57 am
What happened tonight was appalling! A 13-3 team should never get ripped apart at home. Ridiculous. AS A FAN I WANT ACTION! Heads need to roll for this.
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
1:58 am
awwww matty dont get so teary eyed…you think i’m going to give you my full name so you can commit identity theft on me like atlantans do…lmao. and bsides dude i didnt want to fight all of a sudden when you said new orleans was all that stuff. get the pric out ya mouf and take it (up tha butt) like a man
Mitchell
January 16th, 2011
1:58 am
Why is it Schultzie and Bradley take this kind of stance on the Falcons and pretty much every other team in this city but not the Braves?
Somebody wanna tell me that? Explain that to me please.
When the Braves tanked it in September and totally choked yet again in the playoffs it was like, “What a magical year for the Braves.”
“Heartbreaking loss to the Giants does little to diminish a marvelous 2010 season.”
Bulls***!
If you blow a 7.5 game lead in your division and end up going 18-19 in the final two months and have the best home record in the majors and lose both of your home playoff games by a run… it’s a bad season.
If the manager and players are crying after being eliminated in the playoffs,,, IT WAS A BAD SEASON!!!
And not good crying. Not tears of joy. No, tears of failure.
Somebody tell me why Bobby Cox or Scheurholz never got this kind of direct criticism from the AJC.
Maybe we the fans would have been spared tears of our own for twenty years.
I hate to say I don’t really care about the Falcons. I was hoping they would win but my TV signal was out and after listening to the first half on the radio I could tell it was completely over.
I knew they would lose though. All our teams lose.
When you win thirteen games and dominate all year and then lose at home in the playoffs, your season was a definite waste.
It’s nice to see the media in this town tell it like it is for once.
count_schemula
January 16th, 2011
2:00 am
Braves did not have a good team. Good pitching, but the D and O were not so great. This was a pretty good Falcons team and that got us a serious beat down. The team is not a total failure, but that game sure as hell was.
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
2:01 am
aww you no what i mean count_spatula dont pretend you didnt get it schmuck…you hurt too???
expatoz
January 16th, 2011
2:02 am
NOLA, honestly…I would never waste my time on the NO chat. And, really, you are going to bash the Falcons for losing to the Packers after your team lost to the Seahawks?
*****
The Birds didn’t lose, they were annihilated — at home.
saintsfan
January 16th, 2011
2:04 am
Tell your FB that he should have been preparing for the Pack last weekend instead of watching the Saints/Seahawks game at the bar cheering on the Seahawks. And “Matty ice”…..that name is earned in the POSTseason. Tell me when he earns it…..that’s it for now, gotta go look at a pic of our Lombardi trophy!
UGAKev
January 16th, 2011
2:04 am
The fact that Saints fans come in here to knock on falcon fans is kinda pathetic. Your trying to make yourselves feel better about your loss. We lost to a hot packers team that is alot better than the seattle team you lost to last week. Both fan bases should feel ashamed at the ending to their seasons. With that said I will be the first falcons fan to admit we were more fortunate than good this season. But on the bright side I know the falcons will have more success in the long run then the saints because we have a damn good owner who will do whatever it takes to get us up with the best in the NFL. Ten years from now the falcons will laugh about this loss. You have to crawl before you walk. Three years ago we did not even know how to crawl. The falcons will make the changes next season that are necessary to get to the next level I can guarantee you that.
NOLA
January 16th, 2011
2:04 am
Im gonna do a little paraphrasing here…
Saints are raw, you ain’t even medium rare, stay the f*@k outta our hair boy
You can look, you can stare, point,
But you can’t touch we’re too clairvoyant
I don’t get it man, is there a void,
All this weak sh*t, what we steroids?
Well b@*ch, we back with some sh*t for that a$$,
In ya trunk elephant hemorrhoids
And remember boys…
Saints SB Rec 1-0
Falcants 0-1
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
2:05 am
nice talking to you matty… brb, going to look at more pics of saints superbowl rings!!!
#whodat
count_schemula
January 16th, 2011
2:07 am
@GETTOFFDABUSS, I was replying to Mitchell. You are obviously an illiterate, so there is no conversation to be had with you. Get yo’ momma to read this back to you since even these short monosyllabic words probably escape you.
saintsfan
January 16th, 2011
2:08 am
UGAKev…….we’ll see how many SB you have in 10 years…..zero! And if you think fans are “pathetic” for having some fun, then what do you think of Roddy White opening his big mouth the week of the Saints/Falcons game a few weeks ago. Is that not pathetic of him….and even worse after his team lost thatb game? Please.
Jeff Schultz
January 16th, 2011
2:08 am
I’m having to delete too many comments. Please clean it up. I don’t want to have to close this blog to commenting and start banning people.
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
2:09 am
roddy white’s next tweet: “by the grace of god atlanta… oh wait, god don’t like atlanta neither”
count_schemula
January 16th, 2011
2:10 am
Schultzie… lol, it’s a 2am drunken blog tonight. Let us vent. Go Braves!
JSS
January 16th, 2011
2:11 am
The embarrassments keep coming…
http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-falcons-blog/2011/01/16/falcons-coaching-staff-to-coach-nfc-team-in-pro-bowl/?cp=1#comment-79926
Oh the irony, they have to coach Vick!!!
saintsfan
January 16th, 2011
2:11 am
Is the Ga dome, and really old Fulton Co. stadium, the easiest stadium in the country for opposing fans to “take over” when the Falcons are losing? Apparently saints fans aren’t the only ones who can do it.
GETTOFFDABUSS
January 16th, 2011
2:11 am
my mother tried to read it too me count_schmuk but she didnt understand monnucleosis frekkin genious…if it weren’t for me making the same statements you commented on i would have left your sorry *ss alone. waste of time anyway(no comma) i was enjoying myself giving it to mattyice.
saintsfan
January 16th, 2011
2:12 am
JSS….THAT is funny