3 points about the Falcons, who put Peyton in his place
Robert McClain, who's not exactly world-famous, returns his interception. (AP photo)
1. In victory, the Falcons were equal parts happy and relieved. They knew full well that they’d been starved for Signature Wins, and this qualified. They beat Peyton Manning, who’s among the best ever, and the Denver Broncos, who made the playoffs last season and beat the Steelers once there, on a Monday night. The Falcons led from the game’s third minute until the end, and they made the great Manning look addled early. In sum, it was a big night for this franchise.
2. The Falcons’ secondary might have played its finest game since the 1998 NFC title tilt in Minneapolis. Brent Grimes, who’s a starter, has been lost to an Achilles tear. Asante Samuel, who’s a starter, missed plays Monday night with a neck injury but returned. Christopher Owens, the new nickel back, suffered a head injury and didn’t return. Working with guys such as Robert McClain, who had been cut by both Carolina and Jacksonville, and Dominique Franks, whom the Falcons themselves cut during training camp, they nonetheless made Manning work for everything and intercepted passes on the game’s first three series. Massive kudos to defensive coordinator Mike Nolan for disguising the coverages so deftly.
3. The running game isn’t functioning. The Falcons ran the ball 28 times for 67 yards, and this total includes 19 yards gained on six Matt Ryan scrambles. Michael Turner needed to break a 15-yarder on the final series just to get over 30 yards on the night. (He finished with 42. Then he went out and got himself arrested for DUI.) On 28 carries over the first two games, Turner averaged 2.6 yards. That’s terrible. Coach Mike Smith pointed to Turner’s clinching first down as an indication the Falcons can run when they needed to run, but that seemed sugar-coating.
By Mark Bradley
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133 comments Add your comment
Jake
September 18th, 2012
5:06 pm
With all the well deserved kudos for Matt and the defense, lets not overlook the continuing strong play of special teams. Punt and kick coverage very good–kickoffs and a few punts were also excellent along with Mr Reliable our.place kicker. Special teams coach Armstrong is doing a great job in the first two outings.
Hillbilly D
September 18th, 2012
5:06 pm
Great progress but they are going to have to get better at closing the deal
I didn’t tune in until midway through the 3rd quarter but I’d pretty much agree with that. If not for the big lead, from what I saw, they’d have been in trouble. They had the two three and outs which aren’t a good sign when you have a big lead.
ATLNative
September 18th, 2012
5:10 pm
@deepdiver – funny I got a little freaked when Matt R had the knee brace malfunction; thought that was a black and blue knee bone hanging out for a second. Great win! We must run the ball someway, somehow. Awesome job by def coaches/players on pass coverage. Proud night to be a life long Falcons fan! Keep dem Birds rollin… ps – I know Jeff Van Note liked watching that game.
Haskel Stanback
September 18th, 2012
5:18 pm
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again……”CHOKE” has a man crush on Matty Ice. He needs to accept it, own it, and embrace it!
BobDawg
September 18th, 2012
5:19 pm
I don’t know “Choke”…. He already beat the Monday night hex by winning last night and with this coaching staff and their aggressiveness . Matty Ice will win plenty of playoff games… Meanwhile….Vick won’t last the year… Once he gets a “paper cut” it’s all over ….
AlanFalcon
September 18th, 2012
5:20 pm
Falcons won, Saints lost, let me repeat, Falcons won, Saints Lost—ENOUGH SAID, well, Falcons Won, Saints Lost, my god that sounds good, by the way does anyone know how the Saints did ???????????????
kriddi
September 18th, 2012
5:21 pm
Ryan, Koetter, and the O-line aren’t helping the running game either. Turner didn’t get enough carries to get into a groove. Of his 17 carries, 3 game on the first drive, 1 came on a drive that began with 2 seconds left in the half, and 4 came on the final drive. There were 3 drives where Turner didn’t touch the ball at all! It is also kinda hard to run for plus yardage when you are getting hit before you get to the LOS
BobDawg
September 18th, 2012
5:24 pm
I don’t know “Choke”… Matty Ice broke the 0-6 Monday nights last night and with this coaching staff should start winning a ton of playoff games…. He is young, bright and just getting better….Vick is old, battered and will not last the season….
Senior falcon
September 18th, 2012
5:24 pm
BTW, what did you choke on?
panic fan
September 18th, 2012
5:26 pm
What we all saw was a aggressive defense and a passive (nopun) offense,with that being said we finally have the ability to compete with the elite teams. How many back up and non starters had to step in and rise up ? GREAT WIN TO START 2012 AT HOME!!
G
September 18th, 2012
5:28 pm
I don’t get how turner still has a job? I mean I can get 2 freaking yards.
BobDawg
September 18th, 2012
5:30 pm
Mark, have you “banned” me???
LOL at The Aints
September 18th, 2012
5:39 pm
0 and 2,,,LOL!!
hawk
September 18th, 2012
5:45 pm
Joe Addai is still out there?
Moonshine
September 18th, 2012
5:53 pm
watched every minute of the game…..where were the screen plays we heard so much about in spring training to Quizz in space? We need to put speed in game at running back. I too think Turner is done, over and through 1400 yds is in past. What have you done for me/us lately? No yards =DUI = NOTHING. Matt Ryan is looking comfortable in pocket with extra time he has so far….Julio catch the damn ball son this aint college, pick it up next week on West coast, know you can do it….love the defense with all players flying to the ball, love Nicholas and Spoon, Dent will be there at end of season after he has a few more games under his belt. Falcons Looking Good!! Beat Chargers
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
5:58 pm
PDXbyrd
September 18th, 2012
4:08 pm
@MCR: Matt Ryan’s 45 wins since 2008 are the most of any starting QB during that stretch. His 233 consecutive passes without throwing an interception also tops the current list.
Yes, I would call that elite!
______________________________________
Actually Joe Flacco has 50 wins (45 reg) and (5) playoffs.
But the biggest number to becoming elite is winning in the playoffs, and based on that, Joe Flacco is more elite than CHOKE will ever be.
Elite qbs don’t get shut out in the playoffs or blown out at home.
Nice try though
ww
September 18th, 2012
6:02 pm
Like – Falcons won.
Hate – both teams didn’t play well.
Like – Ryan hit the weights this summer.
Hate – Peyton brought his “F” game.
Like – Secondary play.
Like – Learning who McClain is on the fly.
Hate – Twinkle toes Turner thinks he is a finesse RB instead of a power RB. I’m sure people have told him, but he is not listening…played too poorly to party after the game and pick up a DUI…may the DUI is God’s way of saying you didn’t play very well.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
6:07 pm
We all have seen this soap opera before…..
CHOKE gets you fools all excited and then………..BOOM………..
The playoffs starts and he is like a deer and a head light….ha ha
You’ll see…..ha ha.
The only difference this season is this is Tony’s last season with no backup plan and no draft picks thrown to K.C. for Tony and the whole 2012 draft for Julio. Turner will be done….Abe will be done……….
Not looking good ladies and gentlemen. But if you look at Philly, they have already retooled with a fresh bunch of elite talent on both sides of the ball.
That’s how you run a winning franchise….ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
6:11 pm
The Falcants don’t have a Turner problem, they have a CHOKE problem.
Turner is the same Turner. The problem is every defensive coordinator doesn’t respect CHOKE so they game plan to shut down Turner.
CHOKE is and will always be the clipboard holder that got away…ha ha
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
6:13 pm
The best defense against CHOKE is to tell him it’s the first round of the playoffs and let him do his thing
ugaclassof2004
September 18th, 2012
6:16 pm
Really “Choke”?
You must be a Tech fan, because only a Tech fan talks this much crap when they lose( and make no mistake my friend you are a loser).
And San Diego does not put the fear of God into anybody. You want to talk about a bunch of Choke Artist’s? Nobody has underachieved more than Norv Turner and the Chargers. A Softer, Pu$$y A$$ West Coast Team you will never find!
Wes Mantooth
September 18th, 2012
6:16 pm
Sadly, Turner is done and I think he knows it.
#10
September 18th, 2012
6:18 pm
you need to take your racists antics else where !!!
the evil eye, because thats exaltly what you are, evil !
reality
September 18th, 2012
6:23 pm
I think the Falcons had a very nice game. The defense was superb. The offense was good – 13 points off 4 TO was not super. There were two glaring things missing. The run game was sad. Not sure if its the runners or the blockers but they were not very good. And I did not see Ryan try even ONE deep ball. He was very good on medium and short routes but if he tried one over 30 yards i missed it. If this team has deep strike ability they are saving it for something. Seems a couple deep throws might loosen up the run game, ya think?
Ricky Bobby
September 18th, 2012
6:26 pm
The secondary is average, but so was Peyton. Face it, the guy was throwing like a wobblers to his WRs. I say wait 2 more games to have a decent assessment of what this team will be like for the long haul of the season, you can’t based it off 2 mediocre teams, especially when the Saints are about to get clicking. They’ve scored over 25 points in each of their last games and both their game were pretty close after getting embarrassed in the first half. Also, if ATL wants to be elite, this midzone stuff is not optimizing the capabilities of this top notch WRs, and I blame the offensive coordinator for that…
Jay Smoothe
September 18th, 2012
6:30 pm
The Falcons were up 27-7 going into the 4th quarter then they did what every other team would do. Try to burn out the clock with the run game. Matt Ryan had only 4 pass attempts in the 4th quarter. I am not worried about our offense at all. They can score on any drive and at any time.
Falconfanatic
September 18th, 2012
6:38 pm
“CHOKE”-so that is why Matty Ice is the highest rated passer in the league right now? I think you are just a little jealous that you don’t have a quarterback that Dosent still make errors that a pop Warner QB makes. As you said before, Philly does have a lot of scary talented, but when the guy in charge Dosent have the brain capacity to throw to the correct spot or correct team…then your team will not go anywhere…quick comparison Mile Vick 59.1 completion percentage 3 TD’s and 6 INT’s..ok now for Matt Ryan 70.1 completion percentage 5 TD’s through the air , 1 on the ground and 0 INT’s and I know Matt Ryan’s stats are more impressive because he is putting up these stats without a running game. You can talk Trash all day, but in the end Matt Ryan is the better QB (by a long shot)…Mike Vick=No playoffs, he will either get hurt or he will cost you W’s because of his stupid decisions…I saw it when he was her in Atlanta and I see the same things now in Philly…I am so relieved that headache is out of Atlanta…Thank You Matty Ice for saving this team! That is all…
Dave
September 18th, 2012
6:39 pm
Chokie was awfully quiet last night. What a big man he is today!
What r u really choking?
September 18th, 2012
6:42 pm
@RickyBobby
All last week the Rise Up Nation had to hear about Peyton and how he was going to come in ans destroy our Defense. Then we had to hear about Denvers D which was very good. Yet we win! And now you give Peyton excuses and say ee havr not played anyone? Sick of jokes like you that get on the blog and find an excuse in every win. Sick if you negative Nancys! Stay the fudge away from the Nation and quit your hating!
Hot err
September 18th, 2012
6:44 pm
We’re the only team in the NFL whose starting tailback has a gut.
john30456
September 18th, 2012
6:44 pm
Choke should be banned. I am tired of read his comments. Time to move on.
What r u really choking?
September 18th, 2012
6:45 pm
And you talking about the Saints clicking?! RickyBobby what the heck are you watching!! You fool! Id clicking is giving up 35 a game on defense please tell me what looking good is? Man sit down shut up and go Choke Choke!
Not so Fast
September 18th, 2012
6:51 pm
Great Falcons performance that I enjoyed watching with my Bronco buddies here in CO. The secondary rose to the challenge. Have to say I was nervous after losing Grimey. TD is a genius for stealing Asante for a 7th round pick from Philly. Moore, Babineaux, Nicholas and ’spoon are studs. Ryan is in a zone! Did he even throw a bad pass all night? Roddy was Roddy. Sam Baker made Elvis leave the building. The Replacement Refs were painfully pathetic but we both had to play with them. Julio has to ends the drops. Snelling needs more touches. Reynolds might be losing his position to Konz soon.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
6:53 pm
Is it the 1st round of the playoffs yet? Oh no it can’t be, CHOKE is playing next week….ha ha
Willie B
September 18th, 2012
6:57 pm
Falcons still cannot step on the throat of a team when they have them down. Good team, but not yet championship caliber.
dirtybirdsalltheway
September 18th, 2012
7:07 pm
the falcons have reached a point where they are serious contenders for a super bowl nd i think they will probably win it this year in the saints house. hows tht gonna feel aints fans? we will have to deal wit the bandwagon fans though, GO FALCONS!!!
Nate
September 18th, 2012
7:19 pm
Same old Falcons under Smith. Still trying to sit on leads instead of going for the juggular. That lack of a killer instinct will come back to haunt them again in the playoffs. Just not ready for the big time.
Falconfanatic
September 18th, 2012
7:20 pm
“CHOKE”-It’s a long way from the playoffs, but Matt Ryan looks like a different QB this year!
dan royal
September 18th, 2012
7:22 pm
Why do you call your self MATT”CHOKE” RYAN. You make fun of yourself??????? What a IDIOT!!!
Brian Smyrna
September 18th, 2012
7:51 pm
Let the foot off the GAS? While that was a big win regardless of the refs or anything else. The Falcons offense did not look strong. We should have been up at least 17 – 0 in the first quarter. Drop passes and trying to establish the screen game early never got the offense into any rhythm. The Falcons only had 1 1/2 drives that were impressive. The drive where Roddy scored and the very last drive to end the game. A win is a win! But, the offense was not the star. The defense was.
FSUBrave
September 18th, 2012
8:03 pm
Time for the Falcons to sign an elite running back..turner is slow and now can’t stay out of jail
eastbound and down
September 18th, 2012
8:12 pm
can someone tell me why the falcons didn’t challenge the placement of the ball after the defensive holding penalty in the 2nd quarter? it is challengeable, isn’t it?
jMeg
September 18th, 2012
8:14 pm
We need to trade for Chris Johnson. Hes not doing great right now, and they will be looking to get rid of him. Maybe a bad trade but I think it would benefit us and he would rebound.
Barry
September 18th, 2012
8:20 pm
HEY Y’ALL :
“FALCONS,ROSE UP! THEY “ROSE UP!!” IN”ONE HEARTBEAT!!”. THUMP!!! CAN YOU HEAR IT???!! THUMP!!THUMP!!! IT’S. GETTING LOUDER!!! THUMP!! THUMP! !! THUMP!!……..!!
GO FALCONS!!! THE “PROCESS” CONTINUES TO THE SUPER BOWL.
“FALCONS,RISE UP!!” WE “RISE UP!” IN “ONE HEARTBEAT!!”.
SSSSSSHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
This is a SECRET from a FALCON FAN. TELL EVERBODY!!!
………….”ONE HEARTBEAT,BABY!!!!…….
guy
September 18th, 2012
8:59 pm
Same old Falcons,just another year! Wait and see!
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
September 18th, 2012
9:12 pm
wished they capitalized better on the turnovers. 4 should’ve been at least 20 points for the Falcons
Hobbler
September 18th, 2012
9:19 pm
Enter your comments here
Hobbler
September 18th, 2012
9:21 pm
Mike Nolan you are Brilliant!
Hobbler
September 18th, 2012
9:30 pm
Koetter you called plays as bad as Mularky and almost lost the game when you let off the gas pedal.
Fullup Filmer
September 18th, 2012
9:30 pm
I’m ready to suit up and play running back. Just give me a call.