The Falcons stay undefeated, but there’s cause for concern
Matt Bryant boots the winner from 55 yards out. This team never loses! (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
It’s better to be 6-0 and picking nits than to be 0-6 and searching for bright spots. We’re agreed on that. But even the unbeaten Falcons conceded that Victory No. 6 was lovely only in its final score.
“We can’t make it hard on ourselves,” said defensive end John Abraham, whose irresistible presence kept this one close enough to win. “Take the stuff we did to ourselves out of the game and we win easy.”
Said Thomas DeCoud, the free safety: “We know the longer we stay undefeated, the better teams are going to be playing against us.”
For 3 4/5 quarters Sunday, the Falcons appeared to know no such thing. They’d been roundly outplayed by the 1-3 Raiders, and the only reason Oakland didn’t build an unassailable lead was that it couldn’t stop performing illegal acts. The visitors were flagged 12 times, many of the penalties holds on Abraham. The Raiders outgained the Falcons 474 yards to 286, but 110 penalty yards had a leveling effect.
Matt Ryan, who’d thrown three interceptions in five games, delivered three in the first two quarters. Matt Bryant, who hadn’t missed a field goal this season, pulled a 42-yard try. The Matts with the soundalike surnames essentially killed four of the Falcons’ first five possessions, which ended as follows: Ryan INT, Bryant missed FG, Ryan INT, Ryan TD pass, Ryan INT.
Against a better team on another day, that lousy start would have been enough to get the Falcons beat. That said, it’s unlikely the Falcons would have played so poorly against a better team. Players are human: When you’re 5-0 and the opponent is 1-3, it’s not the same as when Belichick and Brady occupy the other sideline.
The trouble with this performance is that it followed two others cut from similar checkered cloth. The Falcons needed a frantic last-minute drive to overhaul Carolina here and a fourth-quarter rally to subdue Washington there. And this given Sunday brought another halting start.
We move to the third quarter. The Falcons got a hilarious break when a Ryan pass thunked cornerback Joselio Hudson in the back of the helmet and was gathered in by a grateful Harry Douglas. That 20-yard gain could only spark a field goal, and Abraham’s sack/strip of Carson Palmer that yielded, after a Ray Edwards recovery/return, first-and-goal at the Oakland 2 didn’t generate a touchdown, either. The Falcons tied the game but could do no more, and suddenly it was inside the final three minutes and the Raiders were driving to take the lead.
Whereupon cornerback Asante Samuel, imported for such a moment, drew up a play (figuratively speaking) in the dirt. Strong safety William Moore had conveyed a coverage to defend against a three-step drop. When Samuel saw Palmer retreat deeper, he said to himself, “Forget it” — actually, he used a different word — and decided to “do my little thing.” Samuel sliced in front of Denarius Moore and took the interception 79 yards to score. Not that those 79 yards were without peril.
At the Falcons’ 30, Samuel pointed in celebration. Next thing he knew, Palmer was bearing down on him. “I’ve got to get a little shine,” Samuel said, speaking of the gesticulation. “But I got a little scared. I thought he was going to catch me.”
Staving off major embarrassment, Samuel dodged Palmer and scored. Ballgame, right? Not quite. The Raiders moved to the Atlanta 5 inside the final minute, and here Samuel made another huge, albeit inadvertent, play. He got hurt.
Because it was inside the final two minutes, the Falcons were docked a timeout as Samuel was helped to the bench. (”I didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “My ankle hurt and I was tired.”) But the clock stopped at moment Oakland wanted it to keep running, and the result was that the two Matts were left with 40 seconds after the Raiders’ tying touchdown. Piece of cake.
If there’s such a thing as a run-of-the-mill drive that leads to a 55-yard game-winning field goal at 0:01, this was it. Ryan completed five passes and Bryant swung his foot and the Falcons won 23-20 and all was right in Birdland. Except that it kind of wasn’t.
Said Ryan: “I’m always of the opinion we need to strive to play our best. I don’t think we’ve done that the past couple of weeks.”
Said Mike Smith, the coach: “We can play better. Everyone in this (locker) room knows it.”
Yes, it sounds a bit cruel, carping about the first 6-0 start this franchise has ever known. But that’s the trouble with rising so far: If you fall from such a great height, you make a bigger splat. In the season’s first three weeks, the Falcons played very well. In Weeks 4-6, they played well enough to win. Yes, there’s a difference.
For further reading: Here are three other observations regarding the Falcons’ 23-20 victory over Oakland.
By Mark Bradley
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110 comments Add your comment
Kane337
October 14th, 2012
6:19 pm
Go Falcons! 6-0
Kane337
October 14th, 2012
6:19 pm
First!
TheOnlyBravesFan
October 14th, 2012
6:20 pm
Kudos.
We’ll come out of the bye playing better, I hope.
Kane337
October 14th, 2012
6:20 pm
Yes there is a growing concern, but I’ll take an ugly win any day over a pretty loss.
misterwax
October 14th, 2012
6:23 pm
they play better on the road….First!
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:27 pm
@Shultz, how is this different that years past? WHEN will you challenge (sp) MSmith? Close does not win SB.
Chris
October 14th, 2012
6:28 pm
6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0 6-0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:30 pm
My Bradley, just frustration. This starts with MSmith, and I think he’s a good co-ordinator, just don’t think he can take the team to SB.
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:31 pm
edit, MY BAD, sorry
keith
October 14th, 2012
6:31 pm
Offensively the Falcons will be fine..they need to commit to the run game a little more. I know the Offensive Coordinator loves the pass, but the falcons need to be more balance….60% pass 40% run Today it was like 98^ of the time they were passing. Defensively, they need to get more production from the DTs. The Ends are fine, but Babineaux & Walker & Jerry need to pick up their play against the run & push the pocket whenever the opposing team drop back to pass. Otherwisw they are fine…the bye week cam at the right time for them
steve
October 14th, 2012
6:32 pm
It is hard to win in the nfl and the falcons find a way to win awesome .
PMC
October 14th, 2012
6:32 pm
Thankfully the bye comes now and we can pause rest and figure some stuff out after 6 hard fought wins
secrules
October 14th, 2012
6:33 pm
Atlanta has come a longgggg way! Now we complain about how we win. Still 6-0 and nothing is better!
oldbird
October 14th, 2012
6:35 pm
Well put. No sense of urgency the last few weeks/
Falcons4Eva
October 14th, 2012
6:40 pm
Better to be concerned at 6-0 than be desperate at 1-4 (like the Saints) ……Go Falcons….Geaux 2 hell Saints and Eagles….
Mark Bradley
October 14th, 2012
6:41 pm
Kudos, Kane337.
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
6:43 pm
@secrules how we (they) win, wow, 2pts vs giants. escape one of the worst teams in the league. wanna buy a bridge?
Ted M
October 14th, 2012
6:48 pm
The Falcons can’t run the ball to save their lives. Because of that they will lose in the playoffs.
clem
October 14th, 2012
6:49 pm
better to be lucky than good…….matty ice should be ashamed of that performance….he is getting worse as the season progresses
pth
October 14th, 2012
6:53 pm
I see where many of the teams are winning at the last many and by three points. The really good teams find a way to win even when they do struggle for most of the game. this bye week is just on time, i think the teams can use a breaK LETs just hope green bay takes care of houston tonight and the falcons will be the only UNDEFEATED TEAM IN THE LEAGUE! GO FALCONS
epic quibble
October 14th, 2012
6:55 pm
they flat-out stunk up the joint today.
but it *is* better to be lucky than good.
john jenniges
October 14th, 2012
6:57 pm
Hey I’m a Falcons fan but lets face it if they play like they have the past 3 games they lose
in round one of rhe playoffs again. The offensive line sucks and the defense gives up BIG
plays…cant do that to playoff teams….you lose.
BravesfaninAugusta
October 14th, 2012
6:59 pm
Just would’ve like three rushes there at the 2….need to trust Turner but wow what a great win
RobbE33
October 14th, 2012
7:04 pm
New techniques and schemes may have patched our O’ & D’ lines but that won’t cut it against the big boys. I’m still holding out hope that they’ll magically correct our deficiencies by December when it matters most.
jlew
October 14th, 2012
7:11 pm
Didn’t we fire an offensive line coach because we couldn’t protect Ryan and failed in short yardage situations. Now we can’t run period short yardage or not. And still can’t protect Ryan. I hope we have some major upgrade in the offensive line in the bye week. Maybe personnel. Clabo really struggling. He is getting pushed back into Ryan on almost every pass.
Red-N-Black
October 14th, 2012
7:13 pm
Didn’t read the article – but listen to this- ALL games aren’t going to be perfect! A win is a win and you are what your record says you are!
Oh and you know what good teams do? THEY WIN
Big Dude
October 14th, 2012
7:14 pm
Perfect timing for a by week. They’ll come back fresh and show the world that they are for real when they beat the Eagles.
jlew
October 14th, 2012
7:15 pm
Did I see someone say the defensive ends are fine. I would make that singular, Abraham, but Bierman and Edwards are not even sniffing the qb. This will mean that will get stuffed with single blocker and Abe will start getting doubled more. We have to have someone else get some pressure.
GTJeff
October 14th, 2012
7:17 pm
Bradyley you are nothing but an a #1 as.shole. You carp about anything. We won. Nuff said. Noone, repeat NOONE goes through an entire season playing perfect.
Ed
October 14th, 2012
7:39 pm
I think there is a lot we can improve on but being 6-0 gives us a cushion to work with we really want to be playing our best football in January not October.
Bryant's Kick Pushes Falcons Past Raiders 23-20 – ABC News | Global Village News
October 14th, 2012
7:40 pm
[...] 20CBSSports.com (blog)Undefeated Falcons find a way to pull out a win, againYahoo! Sports (blog)Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) -CNN -NBCNews.comall 1,122 news [...]
Big Enos Burdette
October 14th, 2012
7:44 pm
Watching the Falcons right now feels like it did with the Bulldogs before the South Carolina game
RA
October 14th, 2012
7:48 pm
I hate to admit it but Bradley’s right. Of course, I think they Falcons went into this game thinking more about the bye week than the opponet. Still, if you have to learn a lesson, it’s best to do it while winning. And as far as the Falcons playing their best ball, they’re not, and they’re not supposed to be playing their best ball yet. You want your team playing their best in December and January. There’s time for them to get it together.
Sick & Tired Of Being Sick & Tired
October 14th, 2012
7:54 pm
It was an u-g-l-y win, but a WIN.
On the positive side…..Congrats to Coach Smith for tying Dan Reeves win record in shorter period of time too. Soon he will surpass it and the team will break another record this year.
Stepchild
October 14th, 2012
8:01 pm
Luck runs out….but good play is lasting. It is not better to be lucky, morons.
gulfwavesgary
October 14th, 2012
8:05 pm
Is it not great to gripe about some poor plays liked missed tackles, 3 interceptions, a PIC 6 that almost was not and having to get a win with a last second FG two out of the last 3 weeks can end with THE FALCONS ARE 6 AND 0. Never thought I’d see this kind of start. GO FALCONS. Been at games since Tommy Nobis. I think this may be the year to win a playoff game. Predict no worse than 13-3 and home field advantage. I trust Mike Smith to get this team over the hump to the next level.
colelinski
October 14th, 2012
8:05 pm
The Falcons can’t run the ball. Did anyone see how the Giants o-line preformed against the Niners.
That was a real licking they put on them It seems that with each game the birds keep falling off both
offfnsively and defensively. When they get to the real big boys on their schedule it could be hard to
watch if improvements are’nt made. I don’t mean to be to negative, but I’ve watched these birds since
1966 and I’ve seen a lot of grieve down thru the years. Let’s hope things get rectified during the
bye week.
gulfwavesgary
October 14th, 2012
8:06 pm
Abraham had a all pro day and was awesome the whole game.
gulfwavesgary
October 14th, 2012
8:13 pm
Amen to the comment of Falcons4Eva. By the way Washington trounced the 4-1 Vikings. See what happens when you knock RG3 out of the game. I love the way that Witherspoon hits. Saw him play in college and just plays real hard. GO FALCONS
Falcons stay unbeaten thanks to last-second field goal – USA TODAY | football.sportreports.tk
October 14th, 2012
8:19 pm
[...] not where they want to be yetESPN (blog)CBSSports.com (blog) -Comcast SportsNet Bay Area -Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)all 1,142 news articles » http://news.google.com [...]
North ave. faithful
October 14th, 2012
8:22 pm
they are some nerve racking bastards, but god i love them. 6-0!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beau
October 14th, 2012
8:28 pm
Leave it to Bradley to find a negative in a win. They should team him up with Kincade on 680.
OldTimer
October 14th, 2012
8:43 pm
Two out of the last three weekends the opposing team’s quarterback has apologized because they felt their play cost their team a win. I disagree.
The Atlanta Falcon’s defense deserves some serious credit.
This team can and will beat you.
Michael
October 14th, 2012
8:43 pm
It look like the Giants will be our toughest game. Boy they ran over the 49ers today.
Greg
October 14th, 2012
8:57 pm
I knew this game was trouble when I saw that the Raiders had a bye last Sunday. They looked like a desperate team that had two weeks to prepare for the Falcons.
Now the Falcons have two weeks before their game at Philly…but Philly has next Sunday off too. Falcons will get the Eagles best shot after they coughed up the game today vs the Lions.
fan
October 14th, 2012
9:02 pm
How many of the falcon thugs will be arrested tonight for dui?
CC
October 14th, 2012
9:03 pm
Never seen a pro team tackle so much like Georgia Tech… But the Birds did today. That stuff has to stop.
dobearsbare
October 14th, 2012
9:15 pm
I hate quibbling over a 6-0 start, but frankly we’ve seen this before. Two years ago the Falcons went 13-3 and had a handful of squeakers in that 13 wins. Then the Packers came to town.
BobDawg
October 14th, 2012
9:36 pm
Any team coming off a Bye week is going to be tough as nails with fresh legs as the Ray-Dahs were today… No Worries and should be a wail of a game in Philly in 2 weeks… Even if we go 6-4 the 2nd half we would be 12-4 which is darn good.
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
9:48 pm
this team is a tease, until td/ms goes and get a real coach, nothing will change. luck won’t win a SB.
————————-
been here since van brocklin
collegeballfan
October 14th, 2012
9:53 pm
The Falcons played their worst game of the year but managed to win. That is what good teams do. End of story.
Pete
October 14th, 2012
10:00 pm
As the Falcons approach the bye week I hope they realize that they were out-played today and if the Raiders had shot themselves in the foot one less time we’d have lost. This will not be good enough against the much better teams we have coming up (@Philly, Dallas, @Saints, Arizona, @Tampa Bay, Saints). We will need to do better.
The two biggest areas of concern are the o-line and/or Turner’s decline that has greatly eroded our running game, and our terrible run defense. I hope the coaches are able to try to address these issues during the break or the next six games will be Much Less Fun.
Knowshon
October 14th, 2012
10:13 pm
Good lord. Can’t we just enjoy being 6-0?
Tripp Bowden
October 14th, 2012
10:23 pm
A win is a win is a win. TTF Mark? And i respect you tremendously as a writer. I would much rather have a win than have a great great game as a team.
Tripp Bowden
October 14th, 2012
10:26 pm
Hey– I threw for 500 yards! And we ran for 300. Well, did ya win? Ummm no. Well then…Who gives a ?
steverino
October 14th, 2012
10:34 pm
The Falcons are most likely NOT going undefeated this season. Even the elite teams over the decades (70’s Steelers, 80’s 49′ers etc.) were at some point, in their BEST seasons, beaten by a “lesser” team. The Falcons are lucky to be 6-0. While you can’t count on luck, likewise you can’t go all the way without having your share of it.
Everyone should relax and enjoy the season. Haven’t you heard the the radio promos? It’s not supposed to be “EASY”. Fans have the fun part. Chill out.
Buckhead Benny
October 14th, 2012
10:42 pm
Lets don’t forget Oakland had two weeks to prepare for the falcons that’s a huge deal in the nfl and this isn’t college any professional team can beat any other team any week look New England is 3-3 San Fran 4-2 and Green Bay has a losing record so being 6-0 is huge- if we get home field advantage I think this team will do well in the playoffs-
Having dirk Ketterer as offensive coordinator teams like the giants won’t be able to guess play calls as well and sit on certain routes on defense.
This is a defense that creates turnovers and opportunities – offensive line looks a whole lot better doesn’t it when u have a good offensive coordinator that keeps teams guessing rather than pinning their ears back every play because they know u want to run first pass second
We have blown out every team really except an Oakland team coming off a bye week and a close Carolina game – last I checked it is the nfl and every team has lost to a team it shouldn’t have this year as well and we haven’t that’s a good thing -
Falcon Old Timer
October 14th, 2012
10:45 pm
This is to Matt Ryan –
You are the face of the franchise – but not the face many fans including children want to see mouthing off on the sideline like he himself was a child – cursing and using the “F-word” like he was the only person offended by his (and the teams) poor play. If you want to become the idol and leader of the Atlanta Falcons (off the field as well as on it) – clean up your act -keep the cursing to yourself where impressionable kids won’t see you – and realize that none of us are perfect (including yourself).
Falcon Old Timer
October 14th, 2012
10:46 pm
Please insert the words “DO NOT” after children in the above post.
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
10:49 pm
Enter your comments here
Michael M.
October 14th, 2012
10:51 pm
the pass to Harry Douglas was the turning point in the game………..oh that was funny when Ryan hit that guy in the head…………We fixing to be the only undefeated Team in the NFL !
slick
October 14th, 2012
10:55 pm
Some questionable play calling on 3rd downs. Goal line when we ran wide? It seems that most teams we play have better, more explosive runners. These are exciting games to watch, but the Falcons are not going undefeated. The Giants defense against S.F. looked like the one that stuffed us last post season.
Big Crimson 75
October 14th, 2012
11:41 pm
19 fourth quarter comebacks from Matt Ryan since 2008.
Most in the NFL.
LoveMyFalcons
October 15th, 2012
12:09 am
Luck is being prepared when opportunity presents itself. Was Douglas “lucky” to make that catch or was he prepared? I would argue that 100’s if not 1000’s of tip drill reps prepared him to make that catch and his desire to win prevented him from giving up on the play. Same for White in the Carolina game. Was he lucky? No, he has talent and made a great catch. Don’t knock the D because the Raiders got called for holding! What would have happened if Abraham wasn’t held? A sack? A fumble?
Did we make mistakes today? Yes. But good teams overcome their mistakes and win. Go Falcons!
Psych Ward
October 15th, 2012
12:34 am
Someone please tell Matty Ice to come to me for a little self esteem coaching & some HGH supplements. This guy still plays like he has one ball, and and that’s WITHOUT the pigskin in his hands. Matty start running, work on that play action and you won’t take as many hits!!I still see you as an above average QB (even though you play like an ABOVE AVERAGE pansy QB…)
Just Me Again
October 15th, 2012
12:37 am
I hate to say it, particularly after just achieving a victory to go 6-0…but the Falcons are SOFT. This is the primary reason they have NOT and will NOT win in the post season. This is a function of the head coach…nice guy, but clearly lacks killer instinct that reflects in the team. Although we changed OC and DC (both desperately needed), other problems with this team that have been present under the Mike Smith/Thomas Dimitroff/Matt Ryan era include:
Lacks killer instinct
Porous OL
Poor tackling
Inconsistency
When you are six games into the season and the team says “we have yet to put together a complete game”, that is an indictment to the coaching staff. This is something that has been said consistently over the past few years during various times of the season. Why are you not able to consistently put together a complete a complete game? Elite teams are able to do so more times than not. Until Mike Smith understands these issues and move to correct them, the Falcons will not sniff the Super Bowl!
Great Falconi
October 15th, 2012
12:41 am
Gotta pick it up. Giving up yards is one thing, but giving up big plays is quite another. The D did make some plays, but the bad ones on the Raiders’ final drive were inexcusable. Good teams don’t often get whipped like that. The fact that Ryan and the boys had their ho-hum drive capped by the easy as pie 55-harder (I kid) doesn’t fully Febreze the stench of everything else. The Eagles have their bye like us next week, so we won’t be at a disadvantage in that respect. Nevertheless, there ain’t a Falcon fan alive who wants to lose that one. Time to pick it up. It’s only gonna get tougher.
Just Saying
October 15th, 2012
12:43 am
The falcons had 2 nail bitters. The Redskins was not really a “nail bitter”. And another thing give the DEFENSE some love, they have kept the falcons in the game in these last few games and they are leading the league in takeaways. EVERY team picked to win lost in BLOWOUTS today. I think the falcons biggest problem was OVERLOOKING the raiders, and raiders fresh off a bye had TWO weeks to prepare and study the falcons..thats a recipe for an upset. A teams success is measured by how they win the ugly games.
I had a feeling this game would be close….I had a feeling the panthers game would be close. I have a feeling the falcons/eagles game is not going to be as close as some think (in falcons favor)
Home School Drop Out
October 15th, 2012
1:12 am
Duh ! Maybe if they still had a BLOCKING FULLBACK Michael Turner could still get some yardage.
crowmeat
October 15th, 2012
1:17 am
kane337..get a dam life..moron! as someone said “an ugly W is better than a pretty L” The birds have plenty of problems and it has to be laid on Coaching and play calling. We NEVER seem to adjust!
Where is the run game? Tack;ling game? pass coverage game? Either the coachs have not a clue or the players are too dam stupid to carry out the plan!?
It’s going to be a long season ..can they possibly win a playoff game at their current game plan? HELL NO!!
joeyoff
October 15th, 2012
1:34 am
The problem is that the fans expect the team to win big every single time. Great teams don’t always blow out the teams they should beat and they sometimes lose. Look at GB losing to IND last week. No one saw that and no one would say GB is bad but they lost. That’s just the NFL. Heck people keeping picking PIT and they keep losing. Falcons are a great team. Winning when you aren’t playing your best is a hallmark. We are the only undefeated team and regardless of how we won that is worth something. All the other “elite” teams have lost several games to teams they probably should have beat.
I think the sports media needs to take it for it is. It’s up for debate who’s the best team now. GB sure looked amazing tonight but they didn’t play that well the previous weeks that’s for sure. Superbowl winners don’t have to win every game.
So we barely won the last few weeks… it doesn’t matter. We won. I just want to get to the playoffs and get a good win, if only to shut up the critics.
joeyoff
October 15th, 2012
1:39 am
Turner had a good point as well. You can’t always rely on a late game INT. We’ve got to stop the mistakes and start making more plays early on. He was also pretty eloquent in his statements about wanting to be a “special” team. Liked to hear that. He’s not the best RB in the NFL but with a better line he can get the job done well enough for the time being (gotta draft a new guy though bc turner has at most one year left in him I think).
Olde Fan
October 15th, 2012
2:44 am
Had to holler out “D Block” several times. Our “D” kept us in this game. And a Win is a Win. Forget how ugly it might have been. Nobody laid down and quit.
Stinger 2
October 15th, 2012
6:11 am
An ugly win is always better than a well played loss. Based on the comments above, I guess many people do not agree with my statement.
Big Daddy
October 15th, 2012
6:40 am
I think it is great that we are 6-0. This serves as a testament to the teams perseverance in the face of adversity. That said, this is like watching someone you really care about do something you know is going to get them in trouble sooner or later. You know it is coming, you want them to stop and you are afraid the downfall will be devestating. This is a smart group who should be able to figure out what is wrong during the bye week and fix it. GO FALCONS!!!!!
Nativebird
October 15th, 2012
6:40 am
Why is it you press guys can never speak to the root of the problem with this team….THE reason Turner rushed for only 40 yards….THE reason Ryan had little time to find open receivers…THE reason they got stuffed twice on first and goal frim the one, and had to settle for three. This offensive line is a joke. And everyone knows it. That got dominated. Yet you bozos never hardly ever write about it.
Samuel
October 15th, 2012
6:48 am
I’ll take Corey Peters over Jerry any day of the week. Their are several players on the team that Mike Smith is not getting production from. I think Ray Edwards is one of them. If John Abraham has a bad game, they have no other defensive lineman who can get after the quarterback. This has been going on for years and the Falcons still haven’t dealt with the problem. Run blocking is horrible and save Turner, we don’t have another running back that teams are leary of. Jaquizz didn’t show up to play, I don’t think his head was in the game.
marko
October 15th, 2012
6:51 am
It was a less than inspiring win, but it still counts as a “W”. Lest we forget, Oakland was coming off their bye week. they had two weeks to nurse their boo boos ,and prepare.
In two weeks when we get reacquainted with little Michael and his bumbling Eagles. Both teams have two weeks to prepare, and the Eagles need it real bad. I think the Falcons we’re guilty of looking too far down the road. At any rate we’ll know a lot more about how good this team is after the dust settles in Philly.
Larry
October 15th, 2012
7:01 am
This is the team I was afraid we would have when we gave away the moon to get Julio Jones. There was no play on the offensive or defensive lines. I hope this is not a trend; if it is, we’re doomed.
garcia
October 15th, 2012
7:23 am
The offense needs a RIGHT GUARD. That is all. With a real road grader at RG, the offense will have all it needs to dominate. At the moment, we have Reynolds. It is very telling that we tend to run to the left, when we need a tough yard. The right side of the line is supposed to be the “pushers”…..the guys that you count on to push the DL backwards. We don’t have a good RG on this roster.
I’d like to see TD work out some RG’s at Flowery Branch.
mike
October 15th, 2012
7:31 am
I’ve always felt like that the mark of a good football team is being able to win when you don’t play their best. Yesterday’s game was pretty ugly and the Falcons didn’t play well. But…when it was crunch time, they got it done by whatever means possible and walked away with a win. I wouldn’t use the word “epic,” but it was pretty impressive.
The Falcons’ bye, the run defense and Abe’s honest effort | Mark Bradley
October 15th, 2012
7:46 am
[...] Note: This post is an adjunct to the game column off the Falcons’ 23-20 victory over Oakland, which can be found here. [...]
Ackshun
October 15th, 2012
7:59 am
Bottom line folks is that a great team has the maturity to know that you can’t take games off and then “summon” superior play when faced with more formidable competition. You have to develop the habit of superior play or else when you call on it… it won’t be there (seen Green-Bay v Atlanta playoff shellacking). These guys are good but you better grow up fast and see every team like the Pats or the Packer (anybody see what happened to Houston last night?) cause if you don’t you are paving the way to yet another 1 and done to a team with a .500 record and a little heart.
Go Jackets
October 15th, 2012
8:04 am
We need to lose one of these ugly games in the regular season so that come playoff time, we know what it takes. GB,chicago, or NY comin here in Jan scares me atm…….
Really?
October 15th, 2012
8:10 am
Is Ovie still available? If he’s sitting somewhere and willing to play for low pay, we need him back to improve the running game. Polite is too polite.
ATL123
October 15th, 2012
8:24 am
I agree with the nasayers……..if the Falcons play like this in two weeks they will not be undefeated. Also, like several others on here, no way they win in the playoffs with these type of performances. The last three games have been against loosing teams and we were lucky to win all of them. I know it is nice to be 6-0…..hands down better than 0-6 BUT reality is we will not win playoff games with this type of performance. Someone else posted about the 13-3 season and that we won a lot of close games and then GB came calling….how did that turn out.
HawksFanSince'89
October 15th, 2012
8:50 am
6-0 is good, winning a playoff game and going deep in the playoffs is better, winning a Superbowl is great, and until those things are done in that order, I’m not impressed.
Ivan
October 15th, 2012
8:52 am
^^^^ Bandwagoner
HawksFanSince'89
October 15th, 2012
8:57 am
I’m sorry all my optimism was killed by the ‘98 Falcons, until we go back and win the Superbowl, I will remain a pessimistic fan.
Mac Daddy
October 15th, 2012
9:25 am
A team is only as good as its QB! Our QB is hurting the whole team offensively and defensively!! What does he do doing the offseason? Where is Cory Peters?
Terrell
October 15th, 2012
9:51 am
Last year the Giants had a horrible rusing offense in the regular season but in the post season it was pretty effective. The problem this week was the Falcons did not control the time of possession. The Radiers had nearly 500 yards of offense but only scored 20 points. They played at their best while we played at our worst and we still won. In the 13-3 season when the Packers beat us is different than this year. The reason being was that our team was predictable that year and that was why we had so many close games. This year, the team is not as predictable. The 3 close games we had this year is due to defenses playing us differently each game to try to stop us. Against the Radiers we lost in every statistical catergory but still won the game. Had this team been the Steelers would we be saying anything? (Note the Steelers lost to this Radiers team after having a 10 point lead in the 4th qtr)
Terrell
October 15th, 2012
9:52 am
HawksFanSince’89
So I’m assuming you have the same attitude towards the Hawks correct?
Heat Check: Falcons are unbeaten; Georgia State’s on a roll! | Mark Bradley
October 15th, 2012
9:58 am
[...] FALCONS: They’re the only NFL unbeaten remaining, and here I offer the boldest prediction of my so-called career — they won’t lose next Sunday, either. Forecast: They’ve got a bye, and they could use 0ne to refocus and recalibrate. When you’re 6-0, there’s obviously nothing grievously amiss. But the past three games weren’t nearly as emphatic as the first three. [...]
JSU "P"
October 15th, 2012
10:11 am
Where is Antone Smith,for the last two preseasons this guy is clearly the most complete back on this team. Extremely fast,vey shifty. great hands to catch the ball coming out of the backfield. The only back on the team with the ability to take a screen play to the house. We are waisting his talent as just a guy for kick off coverage. J Rodgers and M Tuner take off speed is just to slow, with neither able to bounce it outside fast enough when there is no hole to run through. It’s time for the Antone Smith experiment to take our running game to the next level, if he is healthy, let’s give him a try. I know he will be better than what we are getting now.he has been a Falcon now since 2009,shows the most promise in every preseason, it’s time to see what he can do if we give him a shot. It’s exciting to see this kid run with the ball.
longtimefan
October 15th, 2012
10:16 am
6-0. Only undefeated team. The rest is chatter. The rest is noise. Losers dissect games to justify why they should have won. Like most of life, football is outcomes based. Matters not the score or how you won. We won, they lost. Six straight times. No other team can lay claim to that. The rest is nothing but noise and chatter. Case closed.
Terrell
October 15th, 2012
10:29 am
JSU “P”
Smith is injured. Also he is not the most complete back. He’s the fastest back but he struggles in pass protection and in the preseason he has done well against inferrior talent (2nd and 3rd and 4th stringers).
JSU "P"
October 15th, 2012
10:48 am
Terrell, thanks for th heads up on Smith,do you agree we lack speed and direcional quickness at the running back position? Put Smth in with a two back set,I believe he is the best back we have in open space and the only back we have that can take a sceen play to the house. I just want to see what he can do if given a chance. I’ll take you word on pass blocking, I have not witnessed that so I will admit I ws not aware. It is extremely important to keep Matt Ice safe.
Terrell
October 15th, 2012
10:55 am
I’m with you on Smith’s speed once he’s in the open field he’s gone. I just think oline is still an issue. Not as bad as last year but we are covering up some areas of concern. They don’t get to the second level consistently enough to really be effective in the screen game.
TU87
October 15th, 2012
11:06 am
IMO you are discounting the Redskins. They are a good team, look at what they did to Minnesota. Problem with the Falcons is they seem to play better on the road than at home.
kent kingsley
October 15th, 2012
11:16 am
al davis ” JUST WIN BABY” JUST WIN………….
Enkinan
October 15th, 2012
11:25 am
This was a good time for us to have a bad game. The Raiders played pretty bad themselves and kept us in it. You can’t be perfect every game, but I like that there is no quit and an expectation to win in any game with this team. Should be interesting to see how the team responds to a bye.
Seriously though, wrap up the freakin ball carrier defense. There was some very embarrassing (lack of) tackles.
kent kingsley
October 15th, 2012
11:46 am
al davis ” JUST WIN BABY” JUST WIN……… GO FALCONS 6 AND 0. JUST WIN BABY” JUST WIN
james
October 15th, 2012
12:52 pm
You people suck ain’t nothing gonna make you happy.
Smooth Operator
October 15th, 2012
1:34 pm
MTSeats
October 14th, 2012
9:48 pm
this team is a tease, until td/ms goes and get a real coach, nothing will change. luck won’t win a SB.
********************************************
You don’t think that catch by NY Giants-David Tyree in the Super Bowl wasn’t luck. Even the fact that Manning wasn’t sacked was luck.
As they say, “I would rather be lucky than good”.
L.U.C.K.= Labor Under Correct Knowledge
Jonathan Vilma Heads Back to Court to Stop Suspension, and More NFC South News | Football Betting
October 15th, 2012
2:20 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution article states the Falcons were outplayed for “3 4/5 quarters Sunday” against the [...]
Jonathan Vilma Heads Back to Court to Stop Suspension, and More NFC South News | Scripting4You Blog
October 15th, 2012
2:34 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution article states the Falcons were outplayed for "3 4/5 quarters Sunday" against the Oakland [...]
Jonathan Vilma Heads Back to Court to Stop Suspension, and More NFC South News | :: Sparxxrx LLC ::
October 15th, 2012
2:36 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution article states the Falcons were outplayed for “3 4/5 quarters Sunday” against the [...]
The Falcons are 6-0, but certain other numbers don’t add up | Mark Bradley
October 15th, 2012
3:14 pm
[...] defensive tackle who was once a New England Patriot (and before that a Georgia Bulldog). After the Raiders outgained the Falcons 474 yards to 286 but lost 23-20, Seymour told reporters: “I’ve done a lot of different things in my career in wins where [...]
Jesus
October 15th, 2012
8:16 pm
They are not the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO
Stepchild
October 15th, 2012
8:21 pm
Falcons are a 3-3 team that has been fortunate ;the Patriots or Greenbay are clearly better. Don’t be surprised if the Saints take 2 games from the birds.