The Falcons spoil ESPN’s Peyton party and win a big one
Vance Walker slams into the famous Denver quarterback. (AP photo by David Goldman)
ESPN tried to throw a Peyton party Monday night. Some guys wearing red almost turned it into a pity party. The Worldwide Leader sought to show the world the greatness that is Peyton Manning; the Falcons almost made you feel sorry for the old guy.
Almost, I said.
We can only hope that some who tuned in to watch Peyton stuck around to appreciate the team in red. It ain’t bad, folks. It’s better than it was last season, maybe better than in the 13-3 run of 2010. In Week 1 the Falcons let Kansas City hang around before pulling away on the road. On Monday night they never let Denver get started. It was 10-0 barely five minutes in, 20-0 late in the second quarter, 27-7 midway through the third.
Of Peyton’s first eight passes, four were caught by Broncos; three were snagged by Falcons. In order, the interceptors were William Moore, Thomas DeCoud and Robert McClain. There were those who thought Manning would lay waste to a secondary minus the injured Brent Grimes, but he needed nearly all the first half to lead his team to its first points, and those came only after a replay review of a frankly outrageous Demaryius Thomas catch.
Which brings us to the officiating. It was awful. The first half lasted one hour, 48 minutes, and the inaction was largely because of the replacement refs — the regulars are locked out — having little idea what was what. One Atlanta touchdown was overruled by technology; the aforementioned first Denver score was posted only after TV corrected the man on the scene.
The low point — we’re talking sinkholes now — came when the Broncos’ Knowshon Moreno, who used to be a big deal around here, fumbled at the end of the first quarter. Players from both teams gave impassioned tutorials in the fine art of pointing. The refs stood around and gawked, apparently afraid to offend either side. A Broncos lineman nudged one official, perhaps in the effort to end the deliberation, and then the players started shoving each other, and Denver coach John Fox lent his perspective, and the Falcons’ Ray Edwards got himself flagged for unnecessary roughness.
Days later, it was determined that Sean Weatherspoon had recovered. The Falcons didn’t score off that turnover — Denver’s fourth of the quarter — and their lead remained only 10-0. For long moments it seemed as if they’d live to rue this squandered chance, but in the end there would be no cause for ruing. They were too good for Denver, too good for the famous Peyton Manning.
“When you get an opportunity to steal possessions against a very good offense, you’ve got to make them pay,” Falcons coach Mike Smith would say. “We played a good game, but there are lots of things we have to address.”
As we know, the Falcons changed both coordinators over the winter. Most of the attention has fallen on Dirk Koetter, the new offensive man, and he had his coming-out moment in Kansas City. This night was the time of introduction for Mike Nolan, charged with energizing a mediocre defense. Nolan’s schemes flummoxed Manning early, and if you do that you’ve done something.
“The way we were disguising things, I think we had him on his heels,” DeCoud said. “To be able to do that is a testament to how we’ve grown as a team. It’s a testament that we’ve taken the next step.”
Nolan’s No-Names won this one. The offense didn’t move much. Michael Turner went mostly nowhere, and Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez managed to drop two passes apiece. (The massively gifted Jones even flubbed a touchdown that would have made it 14-nil.) But this “D” kept giving the ball back to Matt Ryan, and finally the Falcons stitched together two nice-looking touchdown drives.
The second made the score 27-7, and even after the Broncos scored to draw within 13 points early in the fourth, there was no sense that this would be Peyton’s night. Those early turnovers would have taxed even the Manning of old’s comeback prowess, and this wasn’t quite the Manning of old — just an older Manning.
By beating such a famous opponent, the Falcons served notice that their time might well be hand. They’re still not a finished product — the running game needs serious work — but they have enough talent to make them a serious NFC player. They’ve had it for a while. Difference is, they’ve got coaches inclined to let that talent have its way.
Eight minutes left, Denver trailing by 13 points but facing third-and-6 at the Falcons’ 36. Remember the soft zones of Brian VanGorder? Remember how Nolan, in his introductory teleconference, said he’d like to have 10 guys getting four sacks apiece rather than four guys getting 10? Well, here was your moment of both departure and arrival. Moore, the strong safety, came clean off the left side and sacked Manning.
The Broncos would score with 3:25 left to draw within 27-21, and now it was nervous time. Would the Falcons flop again in prime time, this time blowing a 20-point lead? Would they, after all their good work, remind us that they’re still the feckless Falcons?
Nope. Ryan found Jones for a vital first down with 2 1/2 minutes left, Ryan dodging a hard rush to buy his receiver the needed nanosecond to shake loose. Then Turner finally broke free for the clincher, and the party-crashers had their victory. The Falcons were 2-0, alone atop the NFC South. Even better, they were 1-0 against Peyton Manning. And when last this team beat Peyton, it wound up in the Super Bowl. You could look it up.
By Mark Bradley
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214 comments Add your comment
Big Al
September 18th, 2012
11:08 am
The Falcons have won two games and are headed to the Super Bowl. LMAO!!!!
War Dawg
September 18th, 2012
11:18 am
I say trade Turner for a back-up long-snapper and a new pair gloves for Julio! Sounds about fair market value.
GT
September 18th, 2012
11:19 am
I now understand why these defensive coordinators like the 3/4 or 2/5. There were up to 11 standing defensive players in any given set. I am sure someone will figure out what to do to this defense but not Manning and not last night.
On offense this is only the second real game for Manning and these receivers. It took Ryan and White a few years to figure each other out and Jones ain’t there yet. To have all that confusion created by this wild defense, and receivers not being able to read it more less communicate to Manning was chaos. I loved it and damn good job. Coaching has improved on both sides, but the running game has got to improve. One thing the Broncos did was hold off blitzing thinking the Falcons would run more so maybe that part of their game is healthy too.
Jaded
September 18th, 2012
11:26 am
I’d rather see Rodgers and Snelling get the bulk of the carries anyway. Turner looks like he’s the 30-year-old running back wall.
WDE
September 18th, 2012
11:27 am
Great win for the Falcons, great game for Ryan and the D…I have a little concern for the lack of our receivers except Roddy to catch the ball in the first half, we missed a TON of well thrown balls.
Buddy Landell
September 18th, 2012
11:32 am
Call It Like It Is
September 18th, 2012
9:50 am
So am I the only one that was concered that we only got 13 points off of 3 interceptions and 1 fumble?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Julio dropped an easy TD.
ImGumbyD**MIT
September 18th, 2012
11:42 am
I’m so glad we won! But I am sick and freak’n tired of seeing Turner run for no gain over and over again!! This game should not have been this close. What will it take for Smith and company sit Bubble Butt Turner down and play Snelling and Rogers?
Dawg Haus
September 18th, 2012
11:45 am
Great win for the Falcons! Matty Ice was better than the old man last night.
Dawg Haus
September 18th, 2012
11:45 am
All in all, a great win for the Falcons!
billyBobjacket
September 18th, 2012
11:47 am
Refs were bad, but equally so against both teams. They did let Fox bully them on that tipped ball…the interference clearly happened before the tip. I suppose you could just tackle all the receivers and then tip the ball so there would be no penalty? LOVED seeing ESPN’s scripted annointing or the return of the chosen one go awry.
Hamad Meander
September 18th, 2012
11:48 am
It doesn’t matter the final score, it doesn’t matter that the Falcons didn’t end up blowing Denver out. What matters is that we won against a team that is certainly playoff bound and maybe one of the toughest games of the season. The defense was active, took risks, and harrassed Peyton all night. I LOVED IT.
Time
September 18th, 2012
11:56 am
1 – Everyone rooting for Turner sudpension. Won’t happen. First offense = fine.
2. The refs aren’t the problem. The players and coaches looking to take advantage of a less than perfect situation are the problem. When you’ve got 50 players and coaches running on the field thinking they can sway every call you can’t keep control. The actual in game calls have been no worse than the regular refs.
3. It’s the rare day that Bradley is right. ESPN, and especially the annoyingly smug Tirico had their virtual pom pom’s out for Peyton all night. Gruden was pretty balanced.
4. Game could have been a bigger blowout if you ask me. They went to a more vanilla scheme late in the 2nd quarter and the Broncos scored. They take their foot off the pedal offensively at the start of the 4th trying to run the clock out.
5. The Saints are terrible. I can’t believe there’s still Saints trolls hanging around here talking them up. You Saints people should get together with the Tech people. You have one half decent run in your existence and all of the sudden you believe you’re elite, when you’re really just a joke to everyone else.
falcons41
September 18th, 2012
12:01 pm
That was an absolutely fantastic performance by the ATL Falcons!!!! Great game guys. I LOVED watching Peyton C-H-O-K-E!!!!!! He cannot handle the noise and I know that in Denver the screens all say “QUIET” when Manning has the ball (was at Mile High last week for game against Pgh). HEY DENVER FANS—–WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR SAVIOR MANNING NOW!!!! HE AIN’T ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CHIPS LIKE YOU GUYS WERE RAVING ABOUT WEEK 1 AT MILE HIGH. AT LEAST HE TOOK THE BLAME FOR THE PICKS AT THE POST GAME INTERVIEW. FALCONS WERE AWESOME!!!!! GREAT W FOR THE FALCONS (JUST AS I PREDICTED).
Matt the Brave
September 18th, 2012
12:08 pm
“Days later, it was discovered that Sean Witherspoon recovered” sounds like a Grizzard line, Mark. Good recap.
Art
September 18th, 2012
12:10 pm
Karma is Cool. Denver already had a hellava quarterback. You forget his name? It was Tim Tebow.
DERP
September 18th, 2012
12:12 pm
@Art
Amen…..
Sweet Old Buck
September 18th, 2012
12:17 pm
Great win! Now put together a running game for some offensive balance. The season wil be short otherwise.
Thrash
September 18th, 2012
12:18 pm
Mr. Audible got fed his lunch due to the frenetic ATL defense last night. All future Denver opponents, take note.
Mikey
September 18th, 2012
12:24 pm
GREAT GAME! Some observations:
1. NFL needs to find a way to decide quickly (e.g. 10 seconds) on ref calls. Consider having the extra ref be accountable for reviewing all camera angles and making the final call QUICKLY. Only interrupt the flow of the game if an onb-field call is overturned. I’m to the point of never watching a LIVE game again and I doubt if advertisers want us to fast forward through 2.5 hours of a 4 hour game.
2. It was refreshing to hear John Gruden’s positive comments about players and coaches rather than pointing out mistakes. He seemed to cover almost all positions and both teams… Nice!
3. Mike Nolan made a BIG difference… we have plenty of talent on defense. Manning is a great QB and the Falcons will face numerous great QBs… we certainly have hope looking forward!
4. The offense has tons of weapons and is improved. Dropped passes and penalties stalled drives however the basic approach was good. They have demonstrated that they can eliminate these barriers within a few weeks and stay clean. There is hope for the future! THEY DO HAVE WEAPONS starting with a VERY smart and capable QB.
BamaGuy
September 18th, 2012
12:28 pm
Seen? Too early for you to show your face around here…You and your team Shat in the bed (twice in two weeks)…I know you didn’t smell it but hey, that is the city of New Orleans for you…
Leroy Rogers
September 18th, 2012
12:35 pm
While a student at UT, Manning “mooned” a female in the training room. This cost UT–not insurance-
300,000 bucks! The female quit and so did one of the other people, who did not want to work there.
Thus, some of us call him “moonie Manning!-
What last night proved was he was color blind-throwing to the wrong color jerseys!
He had the best receivers in football with the Colts.
The most underseving 4 MVP’S and only one Super Bowl win!
So I am in hawg heaven this am–gloating over the guy in the commercial with wings! Well, the “birds” clipped Moonie Manning’s wings last night.
In his post game interview he said they still had a chance to win–without the football! What a joke!
md
September 18th, 2012
12:41 pm
The game I watched showed a defense with a lot of holes……they best be thankful they jumped out to a lead because Denver had way too many big yardage plays including the Moreno fumble.
North FLA Falcon
September 18th, 2012
12:47 pm
ESPN “scripts” these events to minimize risk and to make their advertisers happy. Just like the first Saints game in the ‘Dome after Katrina … against the Falcons. Just like last year when Brees broke Dan Marino’s record … against the Falcons. It was sweet revenge to completely RUIN their bromance with Peyton Manning and watch the Falcons CRUSH an opponent in MNF! But now it is time to focus on a west coast road trip to Philip Rivers and Co……….
Reality
September 18th, 2012
12:49 pm
Its obvious Turner has issues! They should never run him outside due to his lack of speed. He is not a super bowl back….period! His feet are woefully slow as are his LEGS! We need to draft new backs.
SeenThisB4Saints were 0-2
September 18th, 2012
12:54 pm
If Julio had caught that early TD pass the game would have been a total rout, and never in question. Drops hurt all night and kept Denver in the game. Also Peyton’s first TD pass was an absolute 3rd down miracle just before the half … the game really was not that close.
Boise Dawg
September 18th, 2012
1:01 pm
Good start for the Falcons… but the lack of a running game is a conern. This may be a passing league, but if you can’t run the ball effectively it will be tough to win deep in the playoffs.
warfalcon
September 18th, 2012
1:03 pm
All doubter are gone today,but they will be back tommorow.Lets Go Falcons.
warfalcon
September 18th, 2012
1:03 pm
All doubter are gone today,but they will be back tommorow.Lets Go Falcons.
warfalcon
September 18th, 2012
1:03 pm
All doubter are gone today,but they will be back tommorow.Lets Go Falcons.
warfalcon
September 18th, 2012
1:03 pm
All doubter are gone today,but they will be back tommorow.Lets Go Falcons.
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
1:06 pm
Hello guys, I have Phillip Rivers on the line…..
What’s that Phillip? You are not impressed by the Falcants getting 4 turnovers in the first half from a senior citizen with a broken neck?
That’s cold Phillip. What’s that Phillip? I don’t know how CHOKE only got 217 yards on 24 completions.
What’s that Phillip? Yeah I guess that is dink & dunk.
Say that again Phillip. You are saying they won’t be playing against a has been quarterback?
What’s that Phillip? Tell CHOKE to grow a pair? A pair of what Phillip?
HA HA HA
tsmith
September 18th, 2012
1:06 pm
John Fox spent more time on the field last night than Matt Ryan.. They should have given him a striped shirt. It was pathetic. Also, the side judge finally threw a flag after Fox said something (the official threw it high in the air) but then they picked it up and never even made an announcement. Absolutely pitiful, they let John Fox get away with coming to the middle of the field at least twice. WTF?? Where is the unsportsmanlike penalties – they must not have those in Division III. Shameful shameful officiating!!!
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
1:12 pm
Peyton just justified why Mike Vick is the ONLY player worthy of 2 100 million dollar contracts. He is the ONLY qb in the NFL capable of over coming 4 plus turnovers in back to back wins.
The Great Mike Vick baby……………
CHOKE not so much
Matt "CHOKE" Ryan
September 18th, 2012
1:15 pm
Somebody please tell me what is elite about getting 217 yards on 24 completions when Vick got 371 on 23 completions?
Anyone?….Hmmmm……ha ha
Ravens vs Eagles in the superbowl baby.
CHOKE well one and done again if they even make the playoffs….ha ha
CHOKE is a JOKE
Old Dawg
September 18th, 2012
1:15 pm
There’s no excuse for the way the NFL is handling the officiating issue. It has more money than God, both political parties and Apple Computers and it won’t pay up to protect the game from on the field anarchy … which almost broke out the six day of the officiating fiasco, and then the commissioner went to bed holding onto to his bag of gazillions.
I like the way the Falcons are playing this year. Too bad their uniforms and cleats still look like standard issue for the Florida School for Clowns!
KCFalcon
September 18th, 2012
1:21 pm
Where were the TV shots of Mike Nolan? Come on ESPN. You found Elways’s box. You showed John Fox and Jack Del Rio to the point of overkill. Where were the shots of Mike Nolan? He was the storyline of the game. Mr. Producer? Mr. Director? Anybody? Bueller.
Jay Smoothe
September 18th, 2012
1:26 pm
This Seen This B4 guys says “Saints are the best team in football. You read it here. Prove me wrong losers.”
Dude you must be seeing something we are not. Quit living in the past and on your Super Bowl year because the Saints are far from being the best team in the league. So do us all a favor and SHUT THE HELL UP and MOVE ON…
ZAvs
September 18th, 2012
1:32 pm
OK, so I am a Broncos fan, not a troll, and a Falcons fan (lived in Atl for 6 years). The officiating SUCKED. Bad. The Falcons’ O and D lines played exceptionally well and their secondary had a great night. Here is the scary thing, and that which gives me a lot of hope: Falcons were +4 in turnovers and still sweating the end of the game and how it would turn out. Take away just one of those turnovers and you may have lost (purely speculation). Take away all 4 (the Moreno fumble was BS, Broncos had the ball), and you would have lost that game.
Congrats to Atl, I do miss the city (not the traffic) and you/we (still a Falcon fan, just not when they play the Broncos) have a good team. Best of luck, I will be rooting for the Birds and the Donkeys
And somebody, please, get the real Refs back.
SeenThisB4Saints were 0-2
September 18th, 2012
1:35 pm
“Choke” … what is elite about Ryan? How about no fumbles … no bruised ribs … accurate passes … a balanced attack so that Matt doesn’t have to throw 59 times in a game … and a clean arrest record!
Dan
September 18th, 2012
1:53 pm
The biggest difference between this years D and last years is they guys are in position to make plays. How many times last year did teams have recievers running wide open downfield? The first two weeks we haven’t seen that…..I understand over the course of a season you will have mistakes but not every game, Mike Nolan is a professional coach and it shows.
MarineDog
September 18th, 2012
2:03 pm
John Gruden was one of the commentators that gave the defensive scheme a lot of credit. He even said on several occassions that he hasn’t seen that type of scheme. I think that the DC prepared that scheme just for Peyton and his ability to audible out of any kind of defensive formation. The DC was the hero of this game by far. The OC needs to use their offensive weapons throughout the duration of the game. This would have forced Peyton to make even more mistakes in the second half, just trying to keep up. This Falcon team has the potential to very dangerous, if they can play this way for 4 quarters, and the OC not taking his foot off the gas until the game is put away. There’s still work to be done, but it looks promising. Running game needs to be established in order to keep opposing defenses honest.
MJ
September 18th, 2012
2:21 pm
Saints are losing and Tampa and Carolina have very young and inexperienced teams.
Looks like the Falcons can win the division. I really like the new Falcon defensive schemes and how
the defensive players would set, then move before Peyton snapped the ball. Very impressive!! It REALLY unsettled Peyton. Previously, the only team that could frustate Peyton was the New England Patriots. And Manning is an accurate and great quarterback. However, the Falcons were able to shut him down. Congratulations to the entire Falcons coaching staff and team!! Job well done!!
DW
September 18th, 2012
2:23 pm
Mike Nolan’s game plan was fantastic. Still got questions about Matt Ryan, 24-36 and 219 yards = no deep passes completed. Things look great now, but can’t win in January with those 5-10 yard dink passes all game long. Let’s face it, we don’t have a running game. Also, for Matty Ice, don’t see any pay-off yet from the strength and conditioning (deep ball still not getting there).
3 points about the winning Falcons, who put Peyton in his place | Mark Bradley
September 18th, 2012
2:24 pm
[...] 1. In victory, the Falcons were equal parts happy and relieved. They knew full well that they’d been starved for what 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. [...]
NA
September 18th, 2012
2:25 pm
The defense looked good—– offense was off last night—– Turner however finally came through on his last run getting the first down……….. after watching him all night, I was second guessing that call……..
However Turner seemed to be a little speedier after the game.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
September 18th, 2012
2:25 pm
Great Game Overall!!!! Also great to see the ESPN announcers perplexed over Manning’s performance last night. It was obvious that they were prepared for a Manning Love Fest.
The atmosphere at the Dome was “ROCKING”. Someone just needs to educate the fans that you don’t start the wave when your offense is on the field. Otherwise, the FANS WERE FANTASTIC!!!
eddie willers
September 18th, 2012
2:27 pm
Evidently, when the cops asked Turner to walk a straight line, he took a step to the left, a step to the right, and then fell forward for 2 yards.
As of 2:30, still the thread winner.
kerryb
September 18th, 2012
2:39 pm
eddie willers
September 18th, 2012
2:27 pm
Evidently, when the cops asked Turner to walk a straight line, he took a step to the left, a step to the right, and then fell forward for 2 yards.
As of 2:30, still the thread winner.
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kerryb
September 18th, 2012
2:41 pm
Turner was so slow he looked like he was drunk before the game started.
air of mendacity
September 18th, 2012
2:57 pm
Lack of running game alarming – is it Turner or the O-line doesn’t block worth a damn. From what I could tell, it was a combination of both. Turner has definitely lost a step and does not hit the hole like he used to. Now with this DUI charge, it is time to put Quizz and Snellings in more.