A battle of defenses: Rob’s ‘Boys lose to Nolan’s No Names
Kroy Biermann introduces himself, not gently, to Tony Romo. (AP photo by Chuck Burton)
Technically they didn’t play against one another — it would have been amusing if they had, and the score through three quarters couldn’t have been much lower — but Sunday’s game was a chance for the Falcons’ defense to measure itself alongside one of the best. The Dallas Cowboys arrived with a D ranked fourth in the 32-team NFL. The Falcons began the night rated 20th in total defense, although that status should have carried an asterisk. As in:
* “We may be No. 20, but we’ve lost fewer games than any of those units ahead of us.”
It must also be noted that Rob Ryan, son of Buddy and brother of Rex, coordinates the Dallas defense, and he inherited the familial gift of gab. He told Dallas reporters: “We’ve got to win this week, and we know it, and we’re going to.” That statement got much national mileage — anything a Ryan says is guaranteed to go coast-to-coast — and maybe it served to motivate the opposing defenders. Because this game became more Alabama-LSU than Oregon-USC.
The first-half numbers were eerie in their symmetry. The Falcons gained 178 yards and scored six points; Dallas had 182 yards and scored six points. (Grown-man football, this was.) Neither team turned it over. Each kicked two field goals. Each missed one.
Rankings notwithstanding, this didn’t seem a mismatch at all. It was instead an extended round of arm-wrestling between men of massive biceps and will. The Falcons had an awful time trying to block outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, but everybody does. For their part, the Falcon defenders missed some tackles — we can assume the absence of the injured Sean Weatherspoon made a spot of difference — but they bowed up when the Cowboys drew within sight of the goal line.
The third quarter opened with Dallas seeking to pound the middle, which made sense: The Falcons ranked 26th in run defense, and tackle Peria Jerry, considered an essential run-stopper, had been lost in the first half to another knee injury. Three Cowboy rushes gained 39 yards, but Akeem Dent stopped Felix Jones after a 3-yard gain on first down at the Atlanta 47, and that forced Tony Romo into throwing mode. An incompletion was followed by a Jonathan Babineaux sack, and a game as tight as a tick began to swing toward the Falcons.
Late in the third quarter Michael Turner, who’d gained 16 yards on his first 10 carries, burst for eight yards up the gut, then sliced off right tackle for 43. Soon the game would have its first touchdown, Turner plowing over, and not long afterward the Falcons were up 16-6. They’d finally gotten a handle on the ‘Boys of Rob, and now it was down to Mike Nolan’s defense to seal the game.
As it happened, the Falcons’ D saved their worst series for a rather significant moment. They’d had Romo addled only moments before, but desperation has a way of focusing the mind. The Cowboys drove to a blurry-fast touchdown, and now the Falcons had to move or risk losing.
They moved and won. Another guy named Ryan steered the Falcons to the clinching points, with much help from the deft footwork of Jacquizz Rodgers, who kept taking short passes and making Cowboys miss and thereby converting vital third downs. Matt Bryant’s field goal at 0:17 made it a six-point game and an 8-0 season.
Said Thomas DeCoud, the Falcon free safety: “We played really, really good defense. They’ve got a lot of big-name guys (on defense) over there, but they let the ball go over their head a couple of times.”
Said cornerback Asante Samuel: “We had a lot of plays we shouldn’t have given up on that (touchdown) drives, but I think we were the better defense.”
Said Dunta Robinson, the other cornerback: “I love the situation when it’s all up to us to stop the opponent. We have the kind of defense that can bail out the offense, and they can do it for us, too. That’s why we’re a complete team.”
The Falcons wound up scoring on their final three possessions and gaining 275 second-half yards against the NFL’s No. 4 defense, making Rob Ryan a poor prophet. Not only had his team failed to win a game he said it had to have, his defense came up second-best on this field. Nolan’s No-Names held the famous Cowboys to 13 points and walked away winners for the eighth time in eight games. We can quibble over numbers, but there can be no arguing with 8-0.
By Mark Bradley
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72 comments Add your comment
Paul
November 5th, 2012
7:10 am
Good morning! Folks, this is the Dirk and Dick Show! Mike Smith, stay the frigging heck out of their way if you ever want a ring. Talk about how the quick passing game can open up the running game even for an aging, old, slow water buffalo like Michael Turner. So, let’s be done with it. If Smith will stay out of the way, the Dirk and Dick Show will get the ring. Then, Tony G. and Turner can retire in peace. Next step, with the 32nd pick, draft a real running back and this team will be set for GREATNESS for the next ten years or so.
jerry
November 5th, 2012
7:30 am
The Cowboys have a vast fan base because of their past successes and the Falcons are still considered by outsiders as pretenders who will eventually flop in a big game, which in the past they have always done. That’s why the talk in the media after the game is “what’s wrong with the Cowboys” and not ” how ’bout them Falcons”. If you want to BE the MAN, you’ve got to BEAT the MAN, which they have never done. To demand recognition before it is deserved is not realistic, just whining like a spoiled brat.
Just Sayin'
November 5th, 2012
7:47 am
How bout them hairy Falcons!!!
Duke
November 5th, 2012
7:52 am
All the media talks about is dallas’s coach and if he’s gonna stay and not about the win by the falcons. i guess we have to beat new eng, pitt and balt before they would give us any credit.
Esquire
November 5th, 2012
8:01 am
Great win. The Falcons are still not getting any love …………….!!!
Go Jackets
November 5th, 2012
8:02 am
Funny thing Dunta talkin about bailin out the offense…..without his penalties, the game wdnt have been this close!
gary32
November 5th, 2012
8:10 am
Its funny how the media uses the no playoff wins under Ryan and Smith as a reason to ignore the Falcons and discredit them. While I want a playoff win as much as anyone what if we win one playoff game and then lose…does it really matter?? the ultimate goal is to get to and win a super bowl…so the medias beloved Jets who won one Super Bowl in 1969 have not been back since…so what does a playoff win matter if you don’t get to the dance???
Kramer
November 5th, 2012
8:17 am
I am driving into work this morning listening to the morning crew on the NFL network. They tell the listening audience that their money for NFC Superbowl rep would be the Bears, the Giants, the Packers or the 49ers. No mention at all about the Falcons. I love it! Keep going under the radar, keep getting no respect because of past playoff performances and just keep winning. As far as our schedule, can someone please show me who the Bears have played and beat. Their one loss came against a 6-3 Packer team. They beat up a bad Titan team this weekend and barely beat a Panther team at home. When we did that it was a sign we were not a great team. When the Bears did it we were told what a great comeback team they were. Like I said, keep us under the radar and the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the NFC.
Joey
November 5th, 2012
8:23 am
I just want to go undefeated in the playoffs!
Go Falcons!
Jay
November 5th, 2012
8:40 am
Vegas isn;t giving any respect either. Falcons has covered every game except carolina. we were a 4 pt fav over dallas. eagles play d this week and they are a 2 pt fav. falcons just a 3 pt fav over the aints who play philly tonight. i see a 34-20 win against the saints
Heat Check: Falcons and Bulldogs and Hawks, oh my!!! | Mark Bradley
November 5th, 2012
9:07 am
[...] Made it to 8-0, disappointing Al Michaels and especially Cris Collinsworth in the process. Stacked 453 yards on Rob Ryan’s star-spangled Dallas defense. Next up is New Orleans in the Superdome, site of last December’s Drew Brees rub-it-in [...]
Mark Bradley
November 5th, 2012
9:10 am
Here’s the weekly Heat Check, if you’re inclined. Falcons are mentioned.
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/11/05/heat-check-falcons-and-bulldogs-and-hawks-oh-my/
Dash Riprock
November 5th, 2012
9:18 am
Just a quick note: those crucial screens to Rodgers — the ones where he made Cowboys miss and moved the chains during the last minutes of the game — those wouldn’t ever have been called by the previous OC, whose name escapes me.
Mark Bradley
November 5th, 2012
9:18 am
Just for the record: The Las Vegas line isn’t a prediction of how the game will go — it’s a prediction of how the public will bet. That’s why the line moves when money comes in heavy on one team. The ideal line is one that sees no movement on either side, meaning that the public is betting 50 percent on each team.
Heat Check: Falcons and Bulldogs and Hawks, oh my!!! | Egypt
November 5th, 2012
9:55 am
[...] Made it to 8-0, disappointing Al Michaels and especially Cris Collinsworth in the process. Stacked 453 yards on Rob Ryan’s star-spangled Dallas defense. Next up is New Orleans in the Superdome, site of last December’s Drew Brees rub-it-in [...]
Enkinan
November 5th, 2012
10:20 am
Another well coached and played game that had us on top at the end against a desperate team.
Turner is catching a lot of flak, some of it rightfully so, but he seems to always be strong at the end while we are trying to put teams away which is fine by me. Yeah, I’d rather have Peterson or Foster, etc, but Turner can still get it done when he has to.
I am more concerned with how the Cowboys marched down the field in no huddle, you better believe NO and everyone else is going to be doing the exact same thing after seeing that. I hope Nolan has a plan for it.
GO BIRDS
Tron5000
November 5th, 2012
10:28 am
I’m of the opinion that after his showing last night, Dunta Robinson should be thanking the other defenders for bailing him out, rather than seeming to take some credit in helping bail out the offense. He certainly didn’t contribute much to last night’s win. I miss Grimey.
All I'm Saying Is....
November 5th, 2012
1:31 pm
Gritty win and a testament to our having a complete team at the halfway mark. But I’ve typed it before and I’ll type it again: it was and is expected that this team will qualify for the playoffs well before our undefeated streak and that’s why what matters most for Dimitroff/Smitty/Ryan et. al. is notching wins in the playoffs. We all enjoyed the 13 and 3 season and the other two seasons where we made the playoffs. What we are tired of is not doing a darn thing when we get there. The national media bought into Dimitroff, Smitty, and Ryan and the Falcons in years past (remember when all three won awards?) especially our 13 and 3 season only to see the franchise lose in the first round. So that’s why there are so many doubters and I don’t blame them one bit. But I have been a fan since the Gritz Blitz days and remain one so I’m confident this Dimitroff/Smitty/Ryan team will go deep in the playoffs. And when they do, then the Falcons will have earned the respect of the national media (not that I personally give a darn what the national media thinks and neither should our team). Just win, baby, and everything else will be taken care of.
LET’S GO FALCONS!
Joshua
November 5th, 2012
2:22 pm
I’m sick and tired of people saying “it wasn’t pretty”. It was damn pretty from where I sat. The Falcons played close to flawless as a whole and they really just dominated the Cowboys on both sides of the ball all game. Look the Cowboys played IMO their best game of the year, a few dropped passes notwithstanding, but they were flat out not good enough for the Birds.
People need to step off Michael Turner too. You can go ahead and assume he won’t have great first halves. But the Falcons will keep feeding him because the whole point is to pound the other team to the extent that they cannot make the play with the game on the line, and once again, Michael Turner busts through late to lead the Falcons to the win. The Falcons 42-0 (or whatever it is) record with 6+ points lead in the 4th quarter is no accident. Turner is absolutely the best game closing RB in football. But in order for that to be effective, he needs to consistently pound the d all game.
Joshua
November 5th, 2012
2:25 pm
And as far as the media haters go – I understand their angst regarding the Falcons previous playoff performances, but you have to be a fool to look at this team objectively and see anything less than a top tier contender.
phil
November 5th, 2012
9:20 pm
Michael Vick remains a hero to us all!
Bad Dawg
November 6th, 2012
4:26 pm
People seem to be hung up on the Falcons’ playoff record a bit too much. For one thing, the three teams that beat the Falcons in their latest playoff games have gone on to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, with two of those teams winning it. For another, the Falcons have been to a Super Bowl and an NFC Championship game, so it’s not like they’ve lost EVERY playoff game they ever played. They handed the Packers their first ever playoff loss at home, too. And they’ve been in the Super Bowl more recently than America’s Team. I can think of at least 75% of the teams in the NFL who would love to have the Falcons’ record the last 5 years, and Dallas is one of them. People should try to use a little perspective before ragging on the Falcons all the time.