Falcons get their reality check, and it’s not what they expected
Falcons could do nothing to stop Drew Brees and the Saints. (AP photo)
(UPDATED: 1:03 a.m.)
NEW ORLEANS — So much for the mystery.
There’s no need to wonder how heavily to weigh six consecutive dominating quarters against Carolina and Jacksonville. As it turns out, it means only that the Falcons are better than Carolina and Jacksonville — neither of whom they’ll be facing in the playoffs.
They’re not as good as New Orleans. They’re certainly not as good as Green Bay. It remains to be seen if they’re as good as anybody in the playoff field (although they did beat Detroit. But the Falcons won’t be playing them, either.)
Pecking order was firmly established Monday night. The Falcons got boat-raced by New Orleans 45-16 at the Superdome. At least, that was the score the last time anybody looked up.
“I think it’s an aberration,” coach Mike Smith said when asked what this says about the state of his team.
He had better hope so. The Falcons just suffered their worst loss ever under Smith. The 29-point deficit was even bigger than last season’s playoff loss to Green Bay (48-21).
Some might have been upset that the Saints poured it on at the end. (Drew Brees threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game with 2:51 left, prompting Saints coach Sean Payton to later alibi that he was just trying to get Brees the single-season passing yardage record on that drive.)
But when a team gets body-slammed like this, it has nothing to whine about.
The Falcons didn’t merely get beat by a seemingly faster and more talented team. They got punched in the mouth. They lost both lines of scrimmage. They had receivers laid out in the New Orleans secondary, and their own defense didn’t reciprocate. They got outcoached. They didn’t have an answer for a New Orleans offense that went over 300 yards by halftime or for quarterback Drew Brees, who just made them look silly most of the night.
They gave up a 92-yard kickoff return and allowed a touchdown on a 30-yard fumble return after Julio Jones found himself with an excess of thumbs. So they spread the agony around.
This all happened with quite a bit on the line, not the least of which was a slim chance to rally and win the NFC South.
“It’s pretty embarrassing the way we played,” linebacker Curtis Lofton said.
“I don’t even know what this means — I don’t have a clue,” wide receiver Roddy White said.
This doesn’t mean the Falcons are incapable of winning a first-round playoff game over Dallas, New York or San Francisco. But they have beaten only two teams all season that currently have winning records (Detroit and Tennessee), and this performance by players and coaches leaves nobody with any sense of comfort.
There’s also this: If things fall just right (or wrong), the Falcons will be coming back to New Orleans in two weeks for the playoffs. Sleep well, Brian VanGorder.
After consecutive wins over Carolina and Jacksonville, the Falcons had started to believe they could go on an improbable playoff run from a wild-card position this season, just like the Green Bay Packers did last season. But this game provided no reassurance of that.
Smith again: “I felt like we had a good week of preparation. I didn’t see this coming. We didn’t play Atlanta Falcons football and the scoreboard indicates that.”
What the scoreboard indicated was that this defense still can’t handle offenses with an elite quarterback. The only thing the first half gave the Falcons were bad flashbacks of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense, ripping them apart in January.
The Saints led 21-10 at halftime. They would’ve had four touchdowns in four possessions, but one would-be score went off Jimmy Graham’s hands in the end zone, was volleyballed by William Moore and fell like manna from heaven into the hands of Falcons defensive back Dominique Franks for an interception. So much for the Falcons’ first-half defensive highlights.
When Brees stepped back to pass, the Falcons’ secondary looked like somebody had kicked an ant hill. The Falcons rarely pressured Brees, rarely blitzed and, when they did, they got burned. Brees threw for 230 yards on only four possessions and New Orleans totaled 306 yards in offense.
There is your reality check about the Falcons’ defense in game No. 15.
Moving the ball wasn’t an issue early. The Falcons’ drove to a field goal and a touchdown on their first two possessions. But when they stalled, New Orleans kept going. As much as the Falcons fashion themselves as an explosive offense, they’re not nearly at the level of New Orleans or Green Bay.
The defense’s only hope against opponents at this level is to punch them in the mouth. But the Falcons were throwing hooks at air Monday night. In the first half, Brees moved the Saints 84 yards in 3 minutes and 28 seconds, 81 yards in 3:59 and 80 yards in 1:55.
You could almost hear defenders yell in unison, “Which way did he go?”
When New Orleans took a 28-10 lead in the third quarter on a 24-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Robert Meachem, chants of “MVP, MVP,” went up in the Superdome crowd.
Nobody in white jerseys would cast a dissenting vote.
The Falcons were looking for a sign that they could do something special in the postseason. Instead, they got smacked with a reality check. Barring an unexpected mutation, they’re nowhere nearly good enough for that.
By Jeff Schultz
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751 comments Add your comment
Peter
December 27th, 2011
8:20 am
That was a Statement game all right. If Defense wins championships…for get about it !
Julio Jones is a very nice piece, but blowing all the picks on him did nothing. Ray Edwards may be a physical specimen, perhaps he should try body building ?
Turner is old and slow, he reminds me of Duckett hitting the hole. Perhaps he has been over used here, cause he is no longer a burner.
GT
December 27th, 2011
8:20 am
I am with Dan, it is hard as hell beating a team of playoff caliber in the NFL three times in one year. I think NO is getting too hot to soon. I don’t think the coaching staff on the Falcons can be this bad after having exact time to prepare. If Chicago had beaten Green Bay Sunday night the Falcons would have won last night and lost in the playoffs. We will be glad they took the dive at the end of the year. They will still lose to GB in subzero temps but this was a good run. This is actually the best stretch this franchise has ever had, we should be celebrating.
Mac
December 27th, 2011
8:24 am
Well I saw this coming. I will never be fooled by any atlanta team. I’ve seen this story play before. Stink coaching, stink lazy players who only care about getting paid is what it is. Which is also why i never spend a dime watching these bums. Looking forward to reading about another blowout loss against them in about 11 days.
Let's Go
December 27th, 2011
8:25 am
Not saying the Falcons would have won the game but the personal foul penalty on DeCoud and the holding call on Rodgers in the 1st half were 2 of the worse calls I’ve seen this year. Jacquizz takes the guy out with a block to the legs and they call holding, give me a break.
Whenever a player has a chance to set a record on national TV it seems the officials will do whatever they can to make sure the guy gets enough chances to get the numbers he needs.
CGD..
December 27th, 2011
8:27 am
Mr Blank, Sell the team!….
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:27 am
It’s a fact that the Falcons cannot beat the Packers or Saints. So why even play the playoffs ? John Abraham & Ray Edwards are the main reasons the defense sucks. They get ZERO pressure on quarterbacks. Yet they make $8 million dollars each. The Falcons cannot stop A.Rodgers and D. Brees. It will be one and done in the playoffs.
Sam
December 27th, 2011
8:28 am
GT you are a moron if you think beating a team 3 times is so hard. That is true if the teams are evenly matched!!! That’s no where near the case. They got BLOWN OUT. And the same will happen again in two weeks. The falcons are a bunch of primadonnas who are soft and play with no heart. They only care about money. That is soooo evident. They need to fire both coordinators and not resign half the team and tell ryan if he doesn’t spend rigirous time in the weight room this offseason, he’s gonna be traded too. He stands there like a scared 5 year old. Brees can run why can’t matt? And get some arm strenght. Gosh he is a dang noodle arm.
ed
December 27th, 2011
8:29 am
Let’s face it, the Falcons don’t belong on the same field with the Saints or any other first class team. They took a collective inferiority complex to New Orleans because as a team they are inferior. A good head coach, potentially great quarterback, and Gonzalez don’t a competitive team make.We see the attitude in every game of ’so what if we lose; so what if we win. We still get paid’. Maybe not for much longer. Fan support is drying up.
Massey
December 27th, 2011
8:31 am
Boy that ray edwards and dontplay robinson sure were great acquisitions by falcons mgmt!! great job idiots!
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:32 am
T.J. on ESPN said “Frankly John Abraham hasn’t been showing up to register sacks in Falcons games”. Exdamnactly !
Nativebird
December 27th, 2011
8:32 am
An Aberration”? Are you freaking kidding me Mike Smith? Apparanty what we hoped was not the case is indeed the case with this team…an inability to truthfully assess the quality of this football team and coaching staff by the HC. At week 15 of year 4 of the new regime it is CLEAR this team is 2nd tier franchise with a staff that cannot get it to the next level. Time for wholesale changes. the Julio roll of the dice by Dimitroff was and is a disaster. a complete misread of the sheer quantity of needs this team has. If the fans and Arthur truthfully desire a Superbowl, the Smith regime has got to go. good guy….average coach. too loyal to mediocre friends.
Pat yY from ESPN is right - SAINTS > FAILCANTS
December 27th, 2011
8:33 am
Drew Brees broke a record Monday night. He also broke a rival.
In one massive swoop, Brees set a new NFL passing record for yards in a season, won an NFC South title and sent a very clear message to the Atlanta Falcons, who had been surging lately, that they can’t compete with the Saints right now.
Couldn’t have said it better….
Rip
December 27th, 2011
8:34 am
It is very clear after last night’s game that we are copnstantly being out coached. the Saints had a new defensive scheme for our offense and we had an same scheme for their offense, something is not logical to me here. We need a defensive line that can put pressure on the QB Abe and Edwards cn not get it done.No push from the middle and no 1st round pick. like the Braves and Hawks we are not gaining any gound in the division. We are in DEEP Trouble.
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:34 am
I’ll donate $100 to get rid of Van Gorder,Abraham,Edwards,& D.Robinson.
curious
December 27th, 2011
8:35 am
After 9 losses, Bucs have hope. Falcons on Sunday.
Falcons > saints
December 27th, 2011
8:35 am
In the playoffs, the ATL will beat the saints! Book it! New orleans got all the calls and breaks in that game—it will be different in the playoffs! ATL will get their game going big and go deep in the playoffs!!!
MountainMan
December 27th, 2011
8:36 am
Lets Go,
The Rodgers block…that was no block, he tackled the guy. He wrapped his arms around the rushser’s legs. Holding all the way. Now the spearing call on Wetherspoon (I think)? Bad call all the way. Saints had one similar where that Falcon tight end was almost bent in half and it was a no call. Bad job by the reffs on those two plays.
Ken Wagner
December 27th, 2011
8:36 am
We were egregiously outcoached.
Lemon B
December 27th, 2011
8:37 am
Same ol Falcons.
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:38 am
I guess EVERY lineman that Abraham & Edwards go against are all-pro’s ?
Oh, I forgot against the Jaguars (who had 27 players on injured list) they got pressure & sacks. One game out of 15 games sucks. Both of these players need to be released along with “Don’t play” & can’t tackle Dunta Robinson.
mike
December 27th, 2011
8:39 am
So, everybody bitched because the Falcons never made the playoffs. So now they are making the playoffs consistently and you folks are STILL bitching. Jeesh. Give you and inch and you want a foot. Give you a foot and you want a yard.
GT
December 27th, 2011
8:39 am
Where could Blank show off those 10 thousand dollar suits if he didn’t have this toy? He is no football man but he is not Rankin either. I wonder if Smith ever came down to the sideline. I couldn’t imagine a real southern gentleman being that insecure.
My only question is do the 49ers belong in this group of NFC super teams. They beat Pitt already though out in SF.
atlnative
December 27th, 2011
8:40 am
The Atlanta Falcons can’t handle the “lights”!(Monday Night Football) What the F_ _ _ was that?
anonymous
December 27th, 2011
8:41 am
tom, Brees’ locker room speech after the game was exponentially superb! Listening to him and hearing the applause from his teammates shows that the Saints are a cohesive and extremely proud group of players that the Falcons are not and have never been. So SHUT UP for speaking about something you know nothing about.
Thank you to the Saints fan who offered some hope (the one who said he used to wear the bag over his head).
Falcons fans: Just root for your team – a playoff team – but quit thinking they are the next Super Bowl Champion because right now they are not.
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:42 am
The rematch will be in New Orleans in the playoffs. Saints 37 Falcons 10. Falcons cannot beat the Saints. It will a tri-fecto of losses.
Call it like it is
December 27th, 2011
8:42 am
And before anyone starts about Atlanta Fans, lets go ahead and get this out of the way.
Falcons superbowl wins, none.
Hawks championships, none
Thrashers, none and they left town
Flames, none and they left town
Brave, 1, and something like a thousand division wins where they choked it away each time.
As fans we really have nothing to support. People say you support no matter what. Well we have been doing that for decades, and we have been rewarded for squat. Times up get rid of all the jack wagons. I will be keeping my money, you can find some other way to pay these 1/2 hearted semi-pros. I will go watch my local little league teams. At least they have heart and want to win.
ls1z28chris
December 27th, 2011
8:42 am
I still don’t understand why this game is supposed to be a reality check for the Falcons. The reality check should have come when Schultz wrote his last article.
Two wins against teams .500 or better.
I wish he would have put out the figure for teams not just even, but with actual winning records. Would that have made it zero wins?
So you basically field a garbage team with zero wins against sides with winning records. That should have been your reality check. Look, instead of hyping every win against teams with two wins as a harbinger of Super Bowl runs to come, maybe you folks can be a little bit honest with yourselves and tell Blank and the jokers he employs the truth.
MountainMan
December 27th, 2011
8:42 am
Do the Falcons even have a defensive front? That to me was the most alarming indicator of the state of this team. Julio Jones will be a fine player for sure, but was he worth the price?
stephanie**S
December 27th, 2011
8:43 am
Seriously, all of you should just stop being falcons fans if you cant support them throughout the good AND the bad. No wonder we never win anything with fans like you all.
Reality Check
December 27th, 2011
8:44 am
so tired of watching our “video studying” qb checking at the line of scrimmage….
doing ANYTHING to keep from throwing farther than 15 yards downfield….
tapdancing in fear of getting hit….
sure our defense sucked..but imagine this..
if you swapped qb’s last night…ryan with N.O. and brees with falcons…
i think brees still wins..
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:44 am
Lasst year Green Bay barely made the playoffs and won the Super Bowl. But they played well the last 5 games of the season. The Falcons looked bad last night. The Saints & Packers will kill the Falcons on any night on any field.
Stewart
December 27th, 2011
8:45 am
The two teams are in the same division, but in different leagues. The Falcons had ten days to recharge and prepare and still played poorly…
MountainMan
December 27th, 2011
8:46 am
anonymous,
Should you not be posting on a Saints board rather than a Falcons board? We’re glad you feel the way you do about your team. You should go celebrate with your own kind.
Tampon Gators
December 27th, 2011
8:46 am
No. Falcons have an invisible defensive front. No pressure on Brees and gashed by running backs all game. I think Abraham & Edwards are the 2 sorriest players on the team.
DC Dirty Bird
December 27th, 2011
8:47 am
Ryan moved the ball with ease between the 20’s. Mularkey then proceeds to muck things up with his play calling.
Not sure I kick that 51 yd field goal in a game that had no bearing on us making the playoffs. Funny, division lead on the line at home in OT and Smith goes all in on our 29. In a meaningless game (Panthers not likely to beat NOLA in NOLA) he plays conservative even though our defense obviously was slowed by a night on Bourbon St.
I hate to say this, but Mike Smith may very well be the new Jeff Fisher. Good coach, will always field a good team, but will likely never win you a Super Bowl. And yes, I know Jeff Fisher was 2 yds away from winning a Super Bowl that his team should have never been in.
LakeDawg
December 27th, 2011
8:47 am
I’ve always known the Falcons were a long way away from being a real contender. Last years record was smoke and mirriors. A great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of their team with a soft schedule and a little bit of luck. Unfortunately, Blank thought they were a WR away from ciontending with the best. Falcons need DE’s, DT’s, CB’s, and safeties on D. On O, they need offensive linemen desparately. The worst off season move was not resigning Dahl.
Lemon B
December 27th, 2011
8:48 am
@ Stephanie: really? The good and the bad? When were the good times? Zero Super Bowl wins and still getting embarrassed as always on the road in prime time games?
Nothing has ever changed wIth this team. Uninspired is the word that describes 45 years of trying to compete for championships.
Steve Bratkowski
December 27th, 2011
8:48 am
Why does Matt Ryan check out of every play on every down ? Every time last night he changed the play the Saints changed their defense to counter it.
Bama Mike
December 27th, 2011
8:48 am
The Facon Spinmisters where seen heading in to the office very early this morning. Only two wins against teams with winning record. Enough said. We win against Bucs and then let the beatings begin.
60's Dogfan
December 27th, 2011
8:49 am
I can’t understand why everyone hyped Brees breaking a record set in a 14 game seaon by passing for more yards in 15 games. I quit watching after hearing Berman gushing. Yuck! Yes, Brees has been unreal this eason. If his per game average for the season is higher than Marino’s, then I will say it is a record.
MountainMan
December 27th, 2011
8:50 am
stephanie**S,
How will the fan base of any team help win a game? Do fans take the field? Do fans call the plays? Fans will cheer when things are going well and gripe when things are going not-so-well, but through it all the players must play and the coaches must coach.
this dawg want hunt!!
December 27th, 2011
8:51 am
Ryan and Murray=losers!! Neither will ever win a big game, and both will have great stats that they got against terrible teams. Ryan looks just like Murray once he gets in the red zone. And it even looked like Bobo was calling the plays for the falcons in the redzone last night. Throw in the fact that both the falcons and UGA have marginal head coaches, and you will never see a championship in the state of Georgia.
William Andrewws
December 27th, 2011
8:51 am
Jeff, you got to call out the Falcons defense on this game dude. Your title should be “Where were Abraham & Edwards Last Night” ?
LakeDawg
December 27th, 2011
8:51 am
@stephanie**S
I’m strictly a fair weather fan. When the Falcons win, I’m for them. When they lose, they suck.
bill
December 27th, 2011
8:52 am
Tired of the Matt Ryan comments, without him we would not have won 9 games. Does anyone notice how effective we are in the “no-huddle” when he is calling the plays. Does anyone notice how poor the O line is play, Sintek at left tackle & our #1 choice for left tackle on the bench and MR getting hit on just about everythrow. Notice the last 4 games M. Turner has gotten less than 50 yds, this is the O line, where is Dahl and his nastiness when you need. It’s not Ryan, it falls directly on the scheme, O & D, the co-ordinators, head coach and GM putting the right people in place. The Falcons failed to address the D, with the exception of Ray Edwards who is a bust, instead once again going for the O with Julio and Jacquiz. So quite talking about Ryan and start addressing the real issues, in this case Co-Ordinatiors, head coach and GM.
jim jones
December 27th, 2011
8:53 am
I’m counting on the fact that the guys pulling the strings are far more intelligent than they have been given credit for. I would have lost to NO in exactly the same fashion, played the same game I’d shown them all year. Then when we meet again in the playoffs, NO would play a team they’d never seen before. They wouldn’t know what they were up against. If the Falcons outplay NO in the playoffs, this entire forum will have to eat crow.
whodat70816
December 27th, 2011
8:54 am
I love the “Falcons did not want to show their hand” comments from the FailCon fans who cannot accept reality.
WHO DAT!
Keith
December 27th, 2011
8:54 am
Remember last year in Green Bay?
We had the same feeling. The defense stinks. And while the defense made some strides this year, they didn’t do it last night when it mattered and versus the #1 offense in the NFL.
So next year I say we draft heavy on defense…oh wait…that’s right, we lost most of our picks. He fumbled away our very slim chance to make it a respectable loss.
I’ve seen crazier things happen – teams that “stumble” into the playoffs and make a run…but nothing from last night would be evidence for the run.
Anyway, GO FALCONS!
MountainMan
December 27th, 2011
8:54 am
LakeDawg,
Those are allot of needs (and I agree on needing them). There’s no way we can get them all filled. The greatest need I can see right now is the defensive front. They get absolutely no pressure on opposing QB’s. I would like to see some DT’s here that can collapse the pocket from the middle. I think the best pressure is when it comes from up the middle without a blitz. But with the Julio Jones pick, that’s not going to happen anytime soon. We’re in some pretty big trouble.
LakeDawg
December 27th, 2011
8:55 am
Ryan is a gem. With a couple of exceptions, the Falcons aren’t very talented. Especially the O-line and D-line.