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
ijonathan (formerly a Ryan defender)
January 16th, 2011
12:51 am
@Jeff…well, he’s probably not going to have the big one and keel over…but he did start to yell at a local Fox 5 reporter doing a story at the bar (with Packers fans) and he had to stop talking a couple of times and turn the show over to Radin because he was so flustered. He sounds a little calmer now.
Fan Since 72
January 16th, 2011
12:51 am
@504 and all other trash talking Saints fans. I wouldn’t come in here talking smack. You guys lost last week to a 7-9 team.
SeasonTicket
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
Marty Icemelt! Ryan crumbled under the pressure. He was awful and he looked timid and scared. And the defense was god awful. They stunk up the place. ASS WHUPPIN’ is all you can say.
Michael B
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
Sad performance by all. The coaches must have watched Glee this week instead of game films of Green Bay. How do receivers consistently be open by 10-15 yards. You rush 3 guys and have 8 back — How???? This game represents how the Falcons have treated their fans forever, so this should be no surprise. Get to the playoffs every now and then just to keep the fans coming.
Packer Rick
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
Well anyway, this is definitly trolling on my part and I get that. Just was really interesting to see the Saints / Falcons stuff. GL to you guys next year, I am sure it will work out better for you than the Saints. Hope you watch the NFC Championship this weekend. We wont let up on the Bears either. Should be epic. See ya in the big dance next year.
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
timmmaaaayyyyy u mad? the failcans lost brah, its ok if u mad lol WHO DAT!!!
lol
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
to the saints fans coming to atlanta newspapers to “show off”
Why does it smell like dead dog in your city?
serious question.
Enjoy loosing to 7-9. the nfc south looks to be pretty bad now, so i don’t think you have much room to brag.
plus aren’t the hornets being moved?
reality check
January 16th, 2011
12:52 am
Seen: You were right all along that the Falcons truly were the Falcant’s. You were among the first on these blogs to use that term for the Falcons, and you were undoubtedly proven correct tonight. Nice call pal!
Matthew
January 16th, 2011
12:53 am
the sheer volume of taint turds on this board makes me laugh each time les miles eats a booger… or reggie bush breaks a leg…
Mark Chumura
January 16th, 2011
12:53 am
@packer Rick…you give us a bad name….you cheese queen
Najeh Davenpoop
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
“The Browns, 49ers, Cardinals, Panthers, are the teams the falcons beat. What do these team have in common?”
The Falcons had five quality wins this year, against the Saints, Packers, Ravens, and Bucs twice. All of those teams have ten wins. You can’t minimize the significance of those wins.
They won all those games by making fewer mistakes and controlling the ball better than the other team. That’s fine, in the regular season. In the playoffs, though, other teams step their games up and limit their own mistakes, so just playing mistake free football isn’t enough — you have to make big plays of your own to win, and that’s something that at least on offense the Falcons cannot do. (They usually do it on defense and special teams though, and the defense didn’t really make any big plays today aside from Nicholas’ forced fumble on Jennings). Of course, they didn’t exactly play mistake free in this game either, which is why they got blown out. But the Falcons going forward need to be able to make more big plays offensively to be taken seriously as a Super Bowl contender.
barnzey
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
Since you guys keep bringing up Katrina, let me hit you with knowledge. Since our town went underwater, the Saints are 8-2 against the Pigeons, have 4 playoff victories and a Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, in NOTlanta, you’ve watched a head coach slither away to a slightly less hillbilly, inbred locale (NW Arkansas), a star QB headed off to Leavenworth, and 500 weddings between couples with at least one set of grandparents.
Keep Paying
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
New Orleans is Atlanta’s little playground….
FALCLOWNS are losers
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
@ Matthew – are you really that delusional thinking the Falclowns had a chance to win? Quit listening to the boys on the loading dock….oh yea, the Saints have been relevant for many years, especially last year,nwhen we ON the SB….how many rings the FALCLOWNS have? Zero, which is what you are….stay classy….redneck…
ijonathan (formerly a Ryan defender)
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
I’ve come to the liberating realization that the only midrange/long passes Ryan completes with any consistency are the timing out-routes, as they don’t require tremendous arm strength, just timing (which he’s pretty good at) and enough time from the O-line. Any other situation, where Ryan has to force a longer pass into coverage or loft a ball down the field to a streaking receiver, he’s about the most inconsistent QB I’ve seen. Our receivers need to employ their jump ball skills on almost every one of those passes.
LeeS
January 16th, 2011
12:54 am
Can’t look into the heads of the present day roster, but can say that Falcon teams of the past that made it this far at least gave it a run when they reached the playoffs. This has to be one of the biggest meltdowns in NFL history
(Un-) Fair weather fan
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
I have to wonder, was Rodgers’ 31 for 36 a playoff record?
It was truly astonishing to watch.
Poor Matt Ryan. When has a highly touted NFL quarterback laid such a massive egg on the big stage?
jestjuda
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
The Atlanta Chicken Chokers coughs up another one!!!
terrible ending to a good season
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
my brother in law is a packerfan.
he’s getting a kick in the nuts tomorrow
so that should make everyone feel somewhat better.
Skip Bayless
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
Like I said this whole year, the Falcons just aren’t that impressive… Hartley missing a gimme FG, 49ers fumble when they had the game in hand, getting manhandled by the Eagles, barely beating the Bucs twice, getting beatdown by the Saints on national TV on Monday Night Football. This team just seem to have too many flaws, you guys have a good core but you really need to upgrade the offense with some playmakers. Matt Ryan’s YPA is too low and if teams roll coverage towards Roddy White, you can’t really move the ball. Being dead last in plays of 20 yards or more didn’t help matters as well.
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
lesticles doesn’t eat boogers. he eats the grass. U mad matthew? U mad about LSU’s two recent national championships? U mad they’ll be #1 next season? U mad the saints going to two dat next year? Yeah u mad. WHO DAT!!!
Voice of Reason
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
Jeff — don’t get upset. It’s unbecoming. I just liked Mark’s column more than yours. Mark focused on the defense, and in my view had more “facts” about defensive performance and less pure opinion than your column. I enjoy your blogs, but you’ve become quite negative of late. This is a negative night, no doubt! But I hope the blogs going forward will focus on the fix. We ain’t moving out of Atlanta (unless you’ve got a new job), so it’s the only team we have.
Vick Supporter
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
Man this article had me laughing so hard I had tears coming out of my eyes, LMAO.
Great article Schultz!
Roger
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
Well,,,without the interception for a touchdown and the turnovers, the game should have been close…the falcons played terrible,,,,should have been a close game….but hats off to Green Bay….they are the better team(not just tonight either)…..Good luck to GB..I hope you win the NFC and super bowl….that offense is going to be hard to stop….on a side note….Starks was not a factor…and GB does t have a running game…but damn they sure do have a passing game!!!!!!
barnzey
January 16th, 2011
12:55 am
that is … couples who share at least one set of grandparents.
Timmy
January 16th, 2011
12:56 am
I have a B.A. in English from Georgia State and I’m currently enrolled in grad school.
Your level of classlessness trumps anything I’ve said because anything I say is after-the-fact that you decided to mosey on over here. I have more class than to invade an opponent’s board. Nothing at all good can come from that and I get no satisfaction out of bathing in a foe’s misery. Once you go that route, you deserve to have cruel things said to you.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
January 16th, 2011
12:56 am
@packer Rick, N.O. has an inferiority complex ..fortune 500 companies prefer to locate in cities ABOVE sea level, for some silly reason. I just let their comments slide, because i threw up on the sidewalk in their city a lot on weekends when I was a student to Auburn and I figure they had to clean it up because I sure never did:)
World Champ Saints
January 16th, 2011
12:57 am
On TV it sounded like a Packer home game.
FALCLOWNS are losers
January 16th, 2011
12:57 am
@ Matthew the redneck – now he brings up Les, LSU and the SEC. Do you really want to go there, loser? How’s that West Ga degree working out for you?
Hickory Avenue
January 16th, 2011
12:57 am
@FalconsUGAFan —- Yes sir , you are right ,indeed ; as a Saints fan , I will be the first to admit that the Falcons are a VERY GOOD team , and will be a legitimate NFC playoff contender for many years to come , but unfortunately they just “no-showed” tonight , BOTH players AND coaches —- I think maybe having the bye week actually hurt them , in a strange sort of way , because other than that first drive in the first quarter , they looked totally out of synch — Mularkey got outcoached by Capers , and Van Gorder didn’t stand a chance , going against that juggernaut . All I can say is that your Falcons will be right in the mix for the top spot next year , but so will my Saints, as well ; and bruddah , we’re gonna take this “RIVALRY” to the next level ! See ya , Pigeons fans …………….
wat
January 16th, 2011
12:57 am
no one in atlanta fears the saints.
DE will smith can’t beat his wife, much less tackles anymore.
and next time god will finish what he started and clear out the left over trash
whodat70816
January 16th, 2011
12:58 am
Why do all the men in Atlanta run around in high heels, mini skirts and lip stick?
Fail-Clowns
January 16th, 2011
12:58 am
STILL WAITING FOR ONE JUST ONE FAIL CLOWN FAN RESPOND TO THE FACT THAT THEIR FANS LEFT THE STADIUM BEFORE THE 4TH QUARTER BEGAN.
25% OF THE GAME WAS A HOME GAME FOR GREEN BAY…..WIN OR LOSE THAT IS THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING IN ALL THIS…I MEAN…BESIDES THE FACT YOU GOT BLOWNNNNN OUT AT HOME AFTER A BYE WEEK LOL….YOU GUYS WILL NEVER WIN ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU DON’T HAVE CLASS FANS OR PLAYERS…
George
January 16th, 2011
12:58 am
Fail.
This team did what they always do when they reach the playoffs. They saunter around on the field as if it’s the pro bowl and not a playoff game. To say it was a dissapointment doesn’t quite cut it. Embarrassing is closer. I spent this whole year speaking highly of this team and the ones who arrived at the dome didn’t resemble them in the slightest. I would say there was bad tackling by them but that would imply there was any tackling to be seen in the first place.
Interceptions, fumbled snaps, yes this one had it all. The Packers played a good game but we made them look better than they are.
It’s a sure bet Gonzalez hangs it up after this year. Sorry, Gonzo. It would have been nice to end your career with a Super Bowl ring.
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
12:58 am
timmmaaayyyy congrats on your english degree brah. maybe you can teach roddy white how to spell W-H-O-D-A-T into his twitter.
Baron Samedi Papa Legba
January 16th, 2011
12:58 am
Repent Timmy! God don’t like ugly. Shame on you Timmy. I feel sorry for your friends and family for having to also feel the wrath of the Voodoo Gods for your actions. The Goddess of truth, balance and justice is here. Timmy it’s you and people like you who are to blame for the Falcons loss. Your evil and wicked statements have brought down God’s vengeance upon the Falcons. Let this be a lesson to us all.
Matthew
January 16th, 2011
12:59 am
So, I’ll finally answer that question. Who Dat, you ask? Well, the answer is a bunch of worthless losers that have nothing going on in their lives other than claiming a crappy city that won a superbowl last year. “dats who”. A city with failing schools, a corrupt government, and clueless and abhorrent immorality. “dat’s who”.
Taint fans suck.
Good night.
djack0062
January 16th, 2011
12:59 am
Congrats on a great season!!! It takes time to build a winning playoff tradition in NFL. Teams like the Packers, Patriots, Steelers can feed off history (Playoff, Super Bowl wins)…we will one day. You also need coaches and players who have those kind of “roots” to win during the playoffs. Almost there.
Kane337
January 16th, 2011
12:59 am
Time to make Kroy Biermann a backup. Need to draft to replace him. Where has he been since the Cleveland game? Total non-factor.
Vick Supporter
January 16th, 2011
12:59 am
Damn the Falcons got their asses whooped. At least my Eagles could have won at the end. If our kicker makes all his FGs, we would have beat the Packers.
The Falcons though…had ZERO chance. Weak armed QB can’t stretch the field…the last in the NFL in big plays proves it.
William T. Sherman
January 16th, 2011
1:00 am
The sorry a$$ Falcons got burned tonight just like I burned your precious city back in 1864. I would of loved to see this massacre in person!! Oh well, I will definitely sleep amazingly well in my grave tonight…
SuperbowlXLIVChamps
January 16th, 2011
1:00 am
The Falcons are who we thought the were. Every sports news station in the country tried to tell ya’ll falcons fans your squad was below average but ya’ll remained in denial. The truth hurts, and the Packers are the truth.
ijonathan (formerly a Ryan defender)
January 16th, 2011
1:01 am
Kane337…He’s been employing the power rush against Kim Z.
FALCLOWNS are losers
January 16th, 2011
1:01 am
This is funny. Ga redneck losers are getting into a geographical discussion of New Orleans. How pathetic is that? This is a football blog, not a discussion of one of the most historic and visited cities in the world. WTF wakes up and says ” I am planning a week vacation in Atlanta”…only a redneck like Timmy…btw, my company would never hire from GSU….get a degree from a real school, loser…
Keep Paying
January 16th, 2011
1:01 am
How does my tax paying bailout taste New Orleans?
Pour4now
January 16th, 2011
1:01 am
Alright, so where are all the ATL fans that wanted to serve me crow tonight? I see none of them had the courage to come back after a tough loss. Like I said at the beginning of the week, Rodgers has more experience than Ryan and it showed tonight. You guys had a great season and it looks like you have a QB that will just keep getting better. GB is playing very good ball right now and thats why most of the media picked the Pack. I don’t think it was a dis on the Falcons. Good luck next year.
GO PACK!!!
504forlife
January 16th, 2011
1:02 am
whassa matta matt? U mad? U mad that new orleans has all the charm and of a centuries old city ripe with tradition and soul? U mad that your city is a concrete jungle of walmarts and unoriginal sprawl? yeah u mad. It’s ok. We ain’t mad atcha, we just laughin atcha!!!!!!
wat
January 16th, 2011
1:02 am
i can’t believe this is all saints fans
what a pathetic fan base, only joy is to watch their division weaken.
The saints put up 17 on a defense that just gave up 47.
something to be proud of.
I guess people in NO have great social lives.
Matthew
January 16th, 2011
1:02 am
People only visit new orleans to poop on it.
Aaron Rodgers
January 16th, 2011
1:03 am
Too bad we can’t play the Falcons every week, I faced tougher defenses while I was still at CAL.