The Falcons extended their 2012 record to 6-0, the best in franchise history record, with a third consecutive comeback win in the fourth quarter over the Oakland Raiders 23-20. This time the heroics rested on the leg of Matt Bryant for the second time this season. Bryant hit a 55-yard field goal to win the game with a second left on the clock. It marked the longest kick during his stint with the Falcons.

Matt Ryan struggled early in this game, with three first half interceptions. He finished the game completing 24 of 37 passes for 249 yards with a touchdown. It snapped Ryan’s 9-game streak of having more touchdowns than interceptions in a game. On the ground, Michael Turner did not get much going finishing with 33 yards on 11 carries. Roddy White led receivers with 6 catches for 72 yards and Ryan’s only touchdown pass. Julio Jones (4 catches, 63 yards), Tony Gonzalez (4 catches, 42 yards), and Harry Douglas (5 catches, 37 yards) also contributed in the air. The Falcons offense struggled throughout the game, only converting 2 of 9 third downs and 286 total yards. Bryant made 3 of 4 field goals on the day. He missed his first attempt of 43 yards, but then made kicks of 41, 20, and finally 55 yards in the second half. Matt Bosher had 4 punts for an average of 52.8 yards with 2 inside the 20 yard line. Jacquizz Rodgers returned a single kickoff for 29 yards with Dominique Franks unable to return any punts.

Defensively, the Falcons kept the game close for the most part despite a struggling offense. While they did give up 474 yards to the Raiders, they were able to generate 3 turnovers, including a pick six by Asante Samuel which gave the Falcons a 20-13 lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game. However, Oakland was able to respond with an 8-play, 80-yard scoring drive to tie it up with less than a minute remaining. Dunta Robinson and Sean Weatherspoon tied for the lead with 9 tackles each. John Abraham (5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble); Jonathan Babineaux (5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble); Kroy Biermann (3 tackles); Thomas DeCoud (5 tackles); Akeem Dent (8 tackles); Ray Edwards (2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery); Robert McClain (2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery); William Moore (6 tackles); and Asante Samuel (4 tackles, 1 interception) had notable games.

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The Falcons managed a come from behind win over the Washington Redskins by a score of 24-17. It’s the second consecutive week in which the Falcons found themselves down early, but managed to pull out a victory. They push their record to 5-0, which is the best start in franchise history.

Matt Ryan was up and down early in the game, but finished completing 34 of 52 passes for 345 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. His completions and attempts matches career highs in both categories he set last December against the New Orleans Saints. On the ground, Michael Turner led rushers with 67 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez led receivers with 13 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones also added a score, catching 10 passes for 94 yards. Roddy White had 4 catches for 68 yards, while Harry Douglas made his name known with a pair of receptions for 34 yards. Matt Bryant made a 53-yard attempt, the longest in his tenure as a Falcon. Matt Bosher punted 6 times for an average of 48.8 yards with one placed inside the 20-yard line. In the return game, Jacquizz Rodgers returned a pair of kickoffs for 36 yards, and Dominique Franks had a pair of punt returns for only 2 yards total. The Falcons converted 9 of 17 third downs, and totaled 421 yards on offense. They also overwhelmed the Redskins on time of possession with 37 minutes to Washington’s 23, but could not quite finish many of their drives early to put points on the board.

Defensively, the Falcons were tough, limiting the Redskins from converting on only 1 of 9 third down attempts. Most of the Redskins offensive success came on the ground, as they allowed Alfred Morris to rush for 115 yards. But overall, they allowed 316 total yards. The defense was able to force two late interceptions which sealed the win for them. Sean Weatherspoon led defenders with 11 tackles. He also added a sack, and put a hit on Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin that knocked him out of the game midway through the third quarter. John Abraham (1 pass defended, 1 quarterback hit); Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles, 0.5 sacks); Kroy Biermann (6 tackles, 1 sack); Thomas DeCoud (3 tackles, 1 interception); William Moore (8 tackles); Stephen Nicholas (4 tackles); and Dunta Robinson (6 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 interception) all had notable games.

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The Falcons pulled a come from behind squeaker over the Carolina Panthers by a score of 30-28, extending their 2012 record to 4-0. Matt Bryant hit a game-winning 40 yard field goal with 10 seconds left, capping a long drive in the last minute of the game to steal the victory at home.

Matt Ryan had another strong performance despite being sacked 7 times on the day. He finished the game completing 25 of 40 passes for 369 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. His yardage total was just 4 yards shy of matching his career high. On the ground, Michael Turner had another strong performance for the second consecutive rushing for 103 yards on 13 carries (7.9 avg), his first 100-yard outing of the 2012 season. Turner also caught 3 passes for 68 yards, including a 60-yard score, the first receiving touchdown of his nine-year NFL career. Roddy White led receivers with 8 grabs for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez (5 catches, 51 yards) and Jacquizz Rodgers (4 catches, 40 yards) also contributed. Julio Jones was held in check for the most part, only catching 1 of 8 passes thrown his way, but it was for a big gain of 30 yards. Bryant made three field goal tries, from 41, 33, and 40 yards out. Matt Bosher punted 5 times for an average of 47 yards, with 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Dominique Franks had a pair of punt returns for 17 yards, and Rodgers returned his lone kickoff for 27 yards. As mentioned earlier, the Falcons offensive line gave up 7 sacks. The Falcons have given up that many sacks in a game since September 2007 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Defensively, the Falcons did not have a strong performance, but were able to make some stops near the end of the game to turn the tide. Carolina put up 404 yards of total offense, the most given up this season. The Falcons also had their first game of the season where they did not intercept a pass, but they did force three fumbles. But they only managed to recover one. Stephen Nicholas led defenders with 8 tackles. John Abraham (5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble); Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles, 2 tackles for loss); Thomas DeCoud (4 tackles); Akeem Dent (4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss); Ray Edwards (3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery); William Moore (5 tackles); Dunta Robinson (5 tackles, 1 forced fumble); Vance Walker (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble); and Sean Weatherspoon (4 tackles, 1 sack) all had notable games.

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The Falcons pushed their record to 3-0 by taking down the undefeated San Diego Chargers with a 27-3 victory on the road. The Falcons got off to a strong start and never looked back, as the Chargers were scoreless through the first half of the game.

Matt Ryan had another strong performance, completing 30 of 40 passes for 275 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception. On the ground, Michael Turner bounced back from a slow start this season by leading the team with 80 yards on 14 carries with a touchdown. Jacquizz Rodgers also added 10 rushes for 32 yards. In the air, Tony Gonzalez led receivers with 9 grabs for 91 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Rodgers each had 5 catches for 67, 55, and 35 yards respectively. Jones and Rodgers both caught Ryan’s other two touchdown passes. Matt Bryant did not attempt a field goal on the day. Matt Bosher punted 5 times for an average of 44.6 yards, with 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Dominique Franks returned a pair of punts for an average of 17 yards. The Falcons offense had little issue moving the ball against the Chargers. They dominated time of possession, holding onto the ball for over 36 minutes compared to the Chargers’ 24. In the first half, the Falcons held the ball for over twice as long as the Chargers with nearly 20.5 minutes of possession. The offense finished 8 of 13 on third down conversions and put up 384 total yards.

Defensively, the Falcons were too much for the Chargers offense. The Chargers struggled to convert third downs, particularly in the first half where they were 0 for 3. They wound up finishing the game 5 of 11 on their third down conversion attempts. They were limited to 280 total yards and had four turnovers. Dunta Robinson led defenders with 7 tackles. John Abraham (2 tackles, 1 sack); Thomas DeCoud (3 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery);Dominique Franks (3 tackles); William Moore (5 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery); Stephen Nicholas (6 tackles); Asante Samuel (6 tackles); Vance Walker (4 tackles); and Sean Weatherspoon (5 tackles, 1 forced fumble) all had noteworthy performances.

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The Falcons extended their record to 2-0 with a 27-21 win over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. It marks the fifth straight season where the Falcons won their home opener under Mike Smith.

Matt Ryan had another strong performance, completing 24 of 36 passes for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 19 yards on 6 carries on the ground. Michael Turner led rushers with 42 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown but the Falcons ground attack was largely ineffective on the night. Roddy White had an impressive game, catching 8 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez also added a score, finishing the night with 7 catches for 70 yards. Harry Douglas (3 catches, 27 yards) and Julio Jones (4 catches, 14 yards) also contributed. Matt Bryant connected on a pair of field goals of 37 and 42 yards. Matt Bosher punted 6 times for an average of 42 yards, with half of his punts going inside the 20-yard line. The Falcons offense was able to generate 13 points off defensive turnovers, which allowed them to build an early lead. The team only finished with 275 total yards on offense.

Defensively, the Falcons were opportunistic, forcing four turnovers on the Broncos first five drives in the first quarter. Sean Weatherspoon led defenders with 10 tackles. He also recovered a fumble. Jonathan Babineaux (1 tackle, 1 sack); Kroy Biermann (5 tackles); Thomas DeCoud (5 tackles, 1 interception); Dominique Franks (6 tackles); Robert McClain (1 interception); William Moore (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception); Stephen Nicholas (8 tackles, 1 forced fumble); Dunta Robinson (3 tackles, 2 passes defended); Asante Samuel (7 tackles); and Vance Walker (2 tackles, 1 sack) had noteworthy performances.

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The Falcons opened their 2012 regular season strongly with a 40-24 thumping of the Kansas City Chiefs on the road. It was the first opening day win for Mike Smith on the road in his tenure, and the third time in five seasons that the Falcons have begun their season with a win.

Matt Ryan had an excellent game, completing 23 of 31 passes for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also rushed for 25 yards on the ground on 3 carries with a rushing touchdown. Michael Turner led rushers with 32 yards on 11 carries, while Jacquizz Rodgers added 7 carries for 22 yards. Julio Jones and Roddy White led receivers, each with 6 catches for 108 and 87 yards, respectively. Jones caught 2 of Ryan’s touchdown passes, with Tony Gonzalez having the third. Gonzalez finished the game with 5 receptions for 53 yards. Harry Douglas also contributed with 3 catches for 32 yards. Matt Bryant connected on four field goal tries of 34, 21, 30, and 41 yards. Matt Bosher only had to punt a single time thanks to the success of the Falcons offensive attack, which went for 52 yards. Jacquizz Rodgers returned a pair of kickoffs for a total of 104 yards, including a 77-yarder that set up a Falcons score.

Defensively, the Falcons did not get off to a great start. The Chiefs scored 17 first half points, capping their first three drives with points. The Falcons gave up 292 of 410 total yards accumulated by the Chiefs in that half, including 96 yards on the ground. But they put the clamps down in the second half, able to generate three turnovers. Stephen Nicholas led defenders with 12 stops, and collecting one of the team’s interceptions, as well as a fumble recovery. John Abraham (3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble); Jonathan Babineaux (1 tackle, 1 sack); Thomas DeCoud (7 tackles); Ray Edwards (2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss); Brent Grimes (6 tackles); William Moore (7 tackles, 1 interception); Asante Samuel (3 tackles, 1 pass defended); and Sean Weatherspoon (7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended) all had noteworthy performances.

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The Falcons dropped their fourth and final preseason game to the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 24-14. The game got off to a great start for the Falcons, going up 7-0 on the second play of the game. But from that point on, the Jaguars battled back to pull out the victory.

Dominique Davis got the start for the Falcons under center and played every snap. He finished the game, completing 14 of 24 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. On the ground, Antone Smith led the team with 33 yards on 12 carries. Dimitri Nance (4 carries, 25 yards) and Jacquizz Rodgers (5 carries, 24 yards, a touchdown) also had productive evenings on the ground. Smith also led the team in receiving with 3 catches for 40 yards. Kevin Cone caught the lone touchdown on a 49-yar scamper, ending his night with a pair of receptions for 64 yards. LaMark Brown (2 catches, 15 yards), Nance (2 catches, 12 yards), and Marcus Jackson (2 catches, 8 yards) also produced in the passing game. Matt Bryant had no field goal attempts on the night. Matt Bosher had a good night as he punted 7 times for an average of 47.3 yards with 3 placed inside the 20-yard line. James Rodgers returned a single kickoff for 27 yards, while Tim Toone and Dominique Franks each had a punt return for 8 and 4 yards, respectively.

Defensively, the Falcons backups played most of the game and had their struggles to get off the field at times. While the Jaguars only converted 4 of 13 third downs, they won time of possession by holding the ball for 11 more minutes than the Falcons did. Pat Schiller and Akeem Dent led the team in tackles, each with 8 stops. Dominique Franks (5 tackles, 1 INT); Robert James (3 tackles); Jonathan Massaquoi (4 tackles); Cliff Matthews (4 tackles, 1 forced fumble); Robert McClain (3 tackles); Charles Mitchell (5 tackles); Peyton Thompson (5 tackles); and Vance Walker (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery) all had noteworthy nights.

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The Falcons got their first preseason win of 2012 by taking down the Miami Dolphins 23-6. The Falcons had seven straight preseason games, their last victory being a road win over the Dolphins on August 27, 2010.

Matt Ryan had another solid performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown. Dominique Davis had another impressive night in limited work, completing 2 of 3 passes for 53 yards and a score of his own. Chris Redman had 36 passing yards on 4 of 7 passing. Michael Turner led rushers with his most extensive work, getting 35 yards on the ground on 10 carries. Dimitri Nance added 3 carries for 12 yards, and Antone Smith had 10 more yards on 4 carries. Julio Jones led receivers with 4 catches for 90 yards. Tony Gonzalez also had 4 catches for 24 yards. Turner (3 catches, 36 yards) and Harry Douglas (3 catches, 20 yards) also contributed. Roddy White caught Ryan’s touchdown, ending his night with 2 catches for 28 yards. Tim Toone’s only catch of the night was a 39-yard touchdown from Davis. Matt Bryant hit on all 3 of his field goal attempts of 45, 44, and 51 yards. Erik Folk missed his lone field goal attempt of 32 yards. Matt Bosher punted 5 times for an average of 43.6 yards with 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Jacquizz Rodgers returned 1 kickoff for 40 yards. Toone had 2 punt returns for 21 yards, while Dominique Franks had a pair of punt returns for 8 yards. The Falcons offense had some struggles converting on third downs early in the game, with only 2 successful conversions on 7 attempts in the first half.

Defensively, the Falcons held tough. The Dolphins were plagued by a ton of dropped passes, which was also a cause of why they only converted 3 of 15 third down attempts. The Dolphins offense was held to 246 total yards, were sacked twice and had two turnovers. Thomas DeCoud led defenders with 5 tackles and an interception. John Abraham (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble), Akeem Dent (3 tackles), Cliff Matthews (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery), Dunta Robinson (3 tackles), Asante Samuel (3 tackles), Lawrence Sidbury (2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble), and Sean Weatherspoon (3 tackles) all had noteworthy games.

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The Falcons almost pulled a comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals in their second preseason game, but ultimately lost 24-19. Dominique Davis put the Falcons in scoring position with only a few seconds left on the clock, but a dropped pass by James Rodgers on fourth down ended the Falcons chance to pulling the come from behind victory.

The Falcons starters got extensive reps, playing into the second quarter before being pulled. Matt Ryan had another solid performance, completing 18 of 21 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Ryan completed his first 11 passes on the night before suffering his first incompletion at the start of the second quarter. Chris Redman entered the game thereafter, and completed 10 of 15 passes for 106 yards and an interception. John Parker Wilson got limited work in the fourth quarter, completing 2 of 3 passes for 5 yards before making way for Davis. Davis ended the night 11 of 18 for 121 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Jacquizz Rodgers led rushers with 24 yards on 4 carries. Davis added 21 yards on 2 carries. Dimitri Nance had 4 carries for 16 yards. Michael Turner got the start, but only had -3 yards on 3 carries. Roddy White and LaMark Brown led receivers with 4 catches each, for 54 and 47 yards respectively. Brown also caught a touchdown pass. Lousaka Polite caught Ryan’s touchdown pass, finishing the game with 2 catches for 9 yards. Tony Gonzalez (3 catches, 44 yards), Julio Jones (3 catches, 41 yards), and Marcus Jackson (3 catches, 40 yards) also topped the receiving charts. Matt Bryant hit on two field goal attempts of 22 and 20 yards. Matt Bosher had 4 punts for an average of 30.3 yards, with all four landing inside the 20-yard line. Jacquizz Rodgers returned 3 kickoffs for an average of 23 yards, with James Rodgers returning 2 kickoffs for an average of 25 yards. Dominique Franks and Tim Toone each had a pair of punt returns for 13 and 12 yards, respectively.

Defensively, the Falcons were able to force a turnover early in the game and held the Bengals to 17 first downs and 322 total yards. They also tallied a sack. Darrin Walls led defenders with 5 tackles. John Abraham (2 tackles), Thomas DeCoud (1 tackle, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery), Peria Jerry (2 tackles, 1 sack), William Moore (3 tackles, 1 forced fumble), Dunta Robinson (3 tackles), and Sean Weatherspoon (2 tackles) had noteworthy games.

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The Falcons lost their preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 31-17, but positives could be drawn from the game. Notably the Falcons starting offense and defense both had strong performances, getting out to a 14-0 lead early in the game before the reserves let the Ravens back into it.

Matt Ryan had a strong performance. He began the game completing his first six passes for 92 yards, including a touchdown. He finished the night completing 9 of 13 passes for 155 yards with a touchdown and an interception. All four Falcons quarterbacks got work from under center. Chris Redman entered the game to complete 1 of 6 passes for just 8 yards before giving way to John Parker Wilson. Wilson completed 8 of 13 passes for 69 yards, while Dominique Davis finished the game with 6 of 11 passing for 53 yards and an interception. On the ground, Jacquizz Rodgers led rushers with 33 yards on 9 carries, including a touchdown. Michael Turner had 5 carries for 17 yards, and Antone Smith also had 4 carries for 13 yards. Julio Jones had a dominant performance with 6 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Roddy White added 3 catches for 46 yards in his brief work. Kevin Cone, Marcus Jackson, Aron White, Michael Palmer, and Tim Toone each had a pair of receptions for 25, 25, 22, 17, and 16 yards respectively. Matt Bryant connected on his lone field goal attempt of 31 yards to end the first half. Matt Bosher punted 4 times for an average of 44.8 yards with 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Dawson Zimmerman also punted 5 times for an average of 47.6 yards.

Defensively, the Falcons were stout against the Ravens’ starting offense shutting them out and limiting them to 15 total yards in the first quarter. Once the reserves starting to enter the game, however the unit was far less stout. For the game, they gave up 321 total yards. But they also forced a late interception, and also brought down Ravens passers for 3 sacks on the evening. Robert McClain tied for the team lead alongside Shann Schillinger with 6 tackles. McClain also added the interception. Kroy Biermann (1 tackle, 1 sack); Rico Council (3 tackles); Akeem Dent (2 tackles, 1 sack); Dominique Franks (4 tackles); Robert James (5 tackles, 1 sack); Peria Jerry (3 tackles); Jonathan Massaquoi (4 tackles); Travian Robertson (3 tackles); and Peyton Thompson (3 tackles) had noteworthy games.

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