As for the Falcons’ game itself: It was pretty crummy, too
The Falcons stopped Doug Martin the first time around, but not the second. (AJC photo by Curtis Compton)
This post is an adjunct to the game column, which can be found by clicking here.
1. Offensively, the Falcons were offensive. Matt Ryan’s longest completion — in 44 throws — was for 28 yards, this against an opponent that ranked last in the NFL in pass defense. Their longest run was a 17-yard touchdown burst by Michael Turner, who finished with only 18 yards on six carries. They converted three of 14 third downs. They managed but 278 total yards, their second-lowest yield of the season, and 17 points, a seasonal low. Good thing they played the starters, eh?
2. Defensively, they weren’t much better. The Falcons didn’t muster a sack. They intercepted only one pass by Josh Freeman, who’d thrown eight in the past two games. After holding the smallish rookie Doug Martin to 50 yards in a narrow victory in Tampa on Nov. 25, they saw him rush for 142 yards on 28 carries Sunday, including a rather galling 40-yard touchdown ramble. Good thing they played the starters, eh?
3. About his contingency plans for those starters, coach Mike Smith was vague. It wasn’t clear whether his plan was to stick with them for the duration or to lift them if the Falcons got a lead, which they didn’t. “I can’t say (he’d have played them) all the way through,” Smith said, and then: “If we felt the game was won, then we would make the decision to take players out.” What happened was close to a worst-case scenario: The Falcons played their starters, lost anyway and saw John Abraham and Dunta Robinson injured.
By Mark Bradley
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
196 comments Add your comment
Bull Butter
December 31st, 2012
12:26 pm
Get ready Falcon fans,its playoff time again,time to get your hearts broke again! Atlanta Falcons,wooping boys of the NFL in the playoffs!
Never First, Just the Best!
December 31st, 2012
12:28 pm
The best we can hope for is what we all really saw in the CR and TB games. One team wanted it worst than the other. I think we can safely say the Falcons should want to win the next three games worst than any meaningless division game. Go Birds. This will be my last year to watch so win it all.
NFC South Champs
December 31st, 2012
12:39 pm
Happy 13-3 New Year !
cdog
December 31st, 2012
12:39 pm
even though the officials allowed the bucs secondary to hold the falcons recievers all the way down field, matt ryan needs to step up his game if the falcons are to get to the superbowl. hes holding the ball too long and when he does throw it, every throws goes 2 or 3 yards or short of the 1st down markers. hes not attacking the defense any more.this is the year he should be boyond those mistakes.thomas decoud is scared to tackle.as the free safety noone should never get past him but he constantly missed tackles against the bucs.the falcons defense need to correct all mistakes now.there is no more excuses, its superbowl this season.michael turner is a waste.if jacqiz rodgers had his size, he would be unstoppable.turner need to let go of all of his bad habits now.if he shows up in the playoffs, no one will beat the falcons.its now or never for the falcons. all games are in the dome so there is no reason the falcons shouldn’t win the nfc and go to the superbowl.the fans should be electric in the dome and fire the falcons up in both games.
Gman
December 31st, 2012
12:51 pm
Falcons went .500 in the division and the 3 wins could’ve gone the other way. Teams that know them well don’t have much trouble with them.
Big Ray
December 31st, 2012
12:58 pm
May as well get ready to fire Mike Smith.
Likely as not, he’ll carry his stupid decision-making into the postseason.
captguitarman
December 31st, 2012
1:09 pm
What a dissapointment. At 13-2 it was still not safe to bet your ranch on which Birds would show up for the game, and now even less safe at 13-3. After the New York Giants game, it seemed to safe to finally, at long last, go “all-in” with the Birds, but (there is always a “but” isn’t there?) after yesterday, who knows what the play offs hold?
Clearly, ambivalent fans (even those who don’t wan’t to be ambivalent) are the product of teams ambivalent about winning and who don’t show up to win . . . every time . . . all the time . . . as the great teams do. Had they played the entire game with the heart they showed at in the fourth quarter, and still gotten beat, that would be one thing. But they woke up from their inexplicable coma three quarters too late – a sure way to lose a play off game. So, why ever even go there, no matter who you are playing?
Watching Green Bay, Minnesota, New England, and Washington (yes, even Washington) and highlights of Denver (watch out for Denver!) and New England, Minnesota and San Francisco, it just makes you wonder what those teams are drinking that the Falcons are not drinking.
Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . meaningless game, end of year, bye and home field secured, etc. If that was the case, then it was a great day to rest the starters and give the back ups a chance to see what they could do rather than let the starters just walk around out there and get hurt. The coaches are responsible for yesterday’s fiasco too. Bet the subs would have played with more inspiration and determination than we saw.
So the Birds will sit for a week and get ready for their first play off game at home. But we won’t know until kick off which team has shown up. Let’s just hope it’s not the one that played yesterday.
jo
December 31st, 2012
1:10 pm
Yesterday was pathetic. Either play to win with the starters or sit them down and play to win with the scrubs. Yesterday looked more like going through the motions……
jo
December 31st, 2012
1:12 pm
agree with captguitarman’s summary of the situation….
L.A.Mont
December 31st, 2012
1:27 pm
I was at the game yesterday. Let’s not overreact to a meaningless loss to the Bucs. You know after the Falcons beat the Lions and clinched everything, they would relax, and they did. Everone else in the NFC had something to play for and they played like it, and the Falcons didn’t. Even in the AFC, the top three seeds had something to play for and they played like it. Look at this way, they played relaxed and poorly and lost by 5, with the ball and a chance to win in the last two minutes. Just get Abraham and Robinson ready, and they’ll be ready Jan 13th.
JSS
December 31st, 2012
1:28 pm
You mean like the “lowly” Panthers, Saints, and Buccaneers? Half a game from .500, like those teams that were the meat of the Falcons lofty record…
You’d die to have Chris Long and their MLB…
mgm
December 31st, 2012
1:35 pm
Why is it that this team gets little to no respect nationally. Because they strike no fear in anyone. They have played a very easy schedule. NFC East, AFC West, (played Denver when Manning was still rusty). Three loses in their own division. Struggled against some really bad teams, Oakland, Arizona, Carolina. Have no running game. God forbid they have a 3rd and 1. What they do do is give up a lot of yards and take advantage of turnovers so the score doesn’t reflect that teams move the ball on them. They don’t make penalties. They have a great passing game when they protect the quarterback. Unfortunately, in the playoffs, all the find balance, opportunistic plays, and defense when needed. Also, they haven’t won in the previous 3 tries. No record or experience of winning to draw from. Tony Romo last night was a broken man at the end of the game. His history is becoming well established. Can this team shrug off the mantle of history and take that next step. This season feels like anything short of a Super Bowl is failure.
kelley
December 31st, 2012
1:37 pm
It will be 0-4 after next week. Wait and see
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
1:50 pm
Yes, I would love to have Long, Laurinitis (sp?), and Dunbar from that defense, but they are still not a playoff caliber team. Thus, the “lowly” label I dubbed them.
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
1:53 pm
I’d also like to add RBs Richardson and Jackson. Hell, Isaiah Pead might even be an improvement over Turner.
Sean
December 31st, 2012
1:53 pm
We kept everything vanilla for yesterday’s game. He played the starters to keep them gametime fresh, but that wasn’t even close to our aggressive game plan style.
Stop panicking, everyone. We’re fine. Smitty played Week 17 perfectly. The injuries are minor, from what we’re told. We’re ready. Let’s do this!
Frank
December 31st, 2012
1:59 pm
I hate to say this, but I concur that a key weakness is our head coach. We have alot of talent on the team. Several superstars. I just don’t hear anyone comment what a smart, cutthroat winner coach we have or even comment what a brilliantly coached game we had. Do other playoff team coaches fear the ferociousness of our coach?
The excuse about ‘doing it right’ by playing starters until several were hurt … i mean, what the hell does that mean?
Which game was more important in the big picture, Tampa Bay or the first playoff game? You go from there.
JSS
December 31st, 2012
2:02 pm
“Lowly” is still the wrong word, they are not the Chiefs, the Raiders, Cardinals, Bills, or the Jaguars… Those are “lowly” teams… No offense, no defense, and horrible special teams…
The Skins, Niners, and Seahawks all knew how tough they are…
James Laurinaitis is great in calling that defense once teams audible…
Moreover, they went South offensively the month that Danny Amendola went down… 3 straight losses, simple as that…
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
2:08 pm
I agree they are not with the other teams mentioned. I’ll give them middling.
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
2:10 pm
Until the Rams get a consistent downfield threat, I don’t see that offense improving much.
Decatur Falcons
December 31st, 2012
2:11 pm
Playoffs: Atlanta Falcons had a tough schedule in the regular seasons, I don’t care what anyone says about it. Atlanta Falcons got hot at the right time and took advantage winning 13 of 3 games. The Atlanta Falcons need work and when you see a team like the Dallas Cowboys with a quarterback like Tony Romo who is a great quarterback come up short it breaks your heart. NFL is cruel ladies and gentlemen; therefore, if you can’t manage the game and manage your players putting them in the right situation to win a game then it is time to go home. Coach Mike Smith got to look at his quarterback Matt Ryan, because you live or die by your quarterback in this NFL (Lovie Smith and Jay Cutler), what can we do to make you better. Coach Mike Smith has been on this rode before with all three phases and if he and the coaching staff of the Atlanta Falcons can help Matt Ryan to get over the hump and play like a Troy Aikman, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and so on then the Atlanta Falcons have a fighting chance to get to the Super Bowl. People have to undersand it is hard to win in the NFL and to get all 53 man to play as one heart, mind, and soul on game day. Coach Mike Smith has two weeks to get his act together to get Special Teams, Offense, and Defense to play hard on January 13, 2013. It starts now ladies and gentleman; time is cruel just like the NFL is cruel we all saw when the Redskins beat the Cowboys Sunday Night. Atlanta Falcons don’t be like the Cowboys and Coach Mike Smith don’t be like the Cowboys Coach looking crazy in front of the media. RISE UP!!!! GO FALCONS!!!!
Farnsworthy
December 31st, 2012
2:14 pm
If they can’t beat really awful teams like the Bucs/Panthers/Saints, how are they going to beat any of the other NFC teams in the playoffs? Right now, I don’t see them even beating the Vikings – the lowest seed.
….Pathetic!
Ivan
December 31st, 2012
2:15 pm
Lots of firings today in the NFL.
Oh look…coach killer got another one! LOL
steve brown
December 31st, 2012
2:18 pm
My kingdom for 1 yard on third down! They can’t figure this out so no wonder they miss-managed this game. We don’t need drug tests we need I.Q. tests.
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
2:19 pm
Someone that says “miss-managed” is calling for someone else to get an I.Q test?????
Farnsworthy
December 31st, 2012
2:22 pm
………….try mismanaged next time.
Heard it here first!
December 31st, 2012
2:24 pm
Ryan will asked to be traded after one and out this season.
cloudodust
December 31st, 2012
2:28 pm
If one buys into the adage ‘Trap Game’, then the Bucs provided it. Might could say the same for the Panthers, too. From here on out, it really is a new ballgame.
Never First, Just the Best!
December 31st, 2012
2:31 pm
Ivan
Lots of firings today in the NFL.
Oh look…coach killer got another one! LOL
LOL ….YA HE DID…… LOL
Never First, Just the Best!
December 31st, 2012
2:34 pm
I hope it was just a vanilla game plan for yesterday’s game. Because I could draw better plays in the dirt with a stick and have.
True Falcon Fan
December 31st, 2012
2:44 pm
@ZERO: So Harlequin what does it take for Falcons to be a winner with you? They must need to play and defeat someone to prove your sorry ashes you are dead wrong. I guess they need to play: 1st) Seatlle 1/13th —- 2nd) GB or SF 1/20th or 21st whoever survives right, and then your sorry ashes will say “well they were just beat-up” to bad from the previous games. Once the Falcons beat those teams “RIGHT”? Harlequin, “you are a joke”, why do you waist your time on this blog? Jus take your 14D botox rimmed mouth and go away, don’t you have a bed pan to clean-up along with that drooling mouth? What a “DRIP”!
Get your sorry ASHES back in that GROTTO with the GRIFFINS……Those demons will listen to your botox lip service, plus you could slap’em around all your desires……….
Go Falcons
JSS
December 31st, 2012
2:47 pm
What did Bob Bratkowski or Gregg Knapp get Mularkey or Dennis Alen canned?
Ryan Fitzpatrick got his 4th (Martz, Jauron, Fewell, and Gailey)… Bunch of deflectors
Buddy Landel
December 31st, 2012
2:57 pm
what just happened there? Harlequin? peria Jerry? Chuck Wepner? someone connect the dots.
JSS
December 31st, 2012
2:59 pm
DeCoud needs to practice actually tackling, show that you’re a “true fan” and volunteer to be a tackling dummy… The dummy part won’t take much of a reach… Dang, he’d even whiff on that too…
Real Falcon Fan
December 31st, 2012
3:25 pm
I’ve heard interviews from Mike Smith, Tony G., Roddy, Matty, and even A. Blank and none of them are happy with yesterday performance, but some of you (supposingly bigger fan than us realist) question our loyalty because we also criticize that piss-poor performance. Get a grip, the Falcons are not going to win because we all are not drinking out of the same fan cup. As a loyal fan, I have higher expectations than those of you who always look at the bright side of a loss.
doggoneit
December 31st, 2012
3:26 pm
It’s hard to get up for a game that is meaningless. I would have played my starters for one quarter then took them all out. Mike Smith was an idiot for playing them!
True Falcon Fan
December 31st, 2012
3:30 pm
@3:25 “YOU MUST BE TALKING TO — 3:27 the ZERO
Falconetti
December 31st, 2012
3:49 pm
The betting line SB favortie is a team we already beat.
We have the best possible schedule for the playoffs. It is impossible for us to have to play both GB and SF, the two other good teams in the NFC. It’s suddenly very fashionable to like Seattle, but they barely won yesterday, have been beaten by four weak teams, and haven’t played well on the road.
My guess is we play and beat get Washington, another team we already beat, here in our first game. Then we will play the SF-GB winner in round three for a trip to the SB.
Go Falcons..!!
December 31st, 2012
3:50 pm
Every Year this team Gets Better..Falcons. Thanks for 13-2. I remember the lean years.. when 13-2 would have been unheard of.
They will regroup and play Balls to the Wall…you’ll see. It’s what they do.
True Falcon Fan
December 31st, 2012
3:51 pm
Well — you are the “ONE” that knows ALL about bedbugs, also my guess is another expertise/specialty of yours is bed pans, adult dappers & linens etc., — who knows whatelse — “The self proclaimed walking book of knowledge”!!!
Get your ashes back in that grotto and stay there………..
j
December 31st, 2012
3:53 pm
Dumbest coaching decision ever to play starters all game.
inkspot
December 31st, 2012
4:13 pm
Sunday Jan 13th. This will be where the new OC and DC earn their money (or not.) I think we’ll see the Falcons win in a blow-out, and then advance to the Superbowl.
Farnsworthy
December 31st, 2012
4:14 pm
Uh, they are 13-3.
jlew
December 31st, 2012
4:17 pm
I have to admit that change at the coordinator positions did make us better without any positive change in personnel. (loss of Lofton hurt) But it did not work on O line. We fired O line coach because we couldn’t convert short yardage runs against Saints and Giants last year among others. Well, we corrected that. We don’t even try to run in those situations, anymore. 3rd and inches now is a passing down. We have to improve O line personnel in off season. I hope they can at least keep Ryan protected in the playoffs even if it can’t run block. Konz will need some help to hold up.
Answer This
December 31st, 2012
4:18 pm
No comment! See you guys in two weeks! Please all of you naysayers and those that follow the Mayan Calendar show up in two weeks on Sunday the 13th after the game and lets hear your insight then. Until, Happy New Year!
sflanagan21
December 31st, 2012
4:19 pm
If anyone in their right mind thinks that game yesterday will dictate how the Falcons will play in the playoffs then your either an idiot, a Packers fan or not a TRUE Falcons fan. Yes we all wished the game and the tempo would have been different but that game meant absolutely nothing to everyone that padded up and unfortunately it showed in their performance! But fortunately nobody got seriously injured!
Believe the media BS if ya want, but the Falcons are the real deal and there is NOT a team in the NFC that worries me at all. Now the Broncos and the Pats are a different BEAST, but I still like our chances of winning it all this year!
Poor Tackler
December 31st, 2012
4:22 pm
One thing I noticed, the defensive tacklers could not tackle a girl if thet had been running with the ball,lol.
jlew
December 31st, 2012
4:23 pm
Can’t take a great regular season away from them. They have done everything they needed to do. However, we need a strong showing in playoffs. Hopefully, we could out focused like the Giants game this year and not last.
Farnsworthy
December 31st, 2012
4:26 pm
Bears fire Lovie Smith? The Bears win 10 games and he gets fired? Must have been something going on behind the scenes.
jlew
December 31st, 2012
4:29 pm
Any update on injury to Abe? Nothing since the comment by CMS “thinking” it wasn’t serious. I would still like to confirm something. Mild sprain, day to day, etc.