Peters hangs his head

The Falcons remained winless in the playoffs under head coach Mike Smith with a 24-2 loss to the New York Giants. The Falcons offense struggled converting on third and fourth downs lead to the paltry offensive output. The Falcons have been ousted in their first playoff game for the third time in four seasons. The Falcons record for the year ends at 10-7.

Matt Ryan completed 24 of 41 for 199 yards, as the Falcons were unable to really be effective throwing the ball downfield. The running game was meager, with Michael Turner rushing 15 times for 41 yards. Julio Jones led the team in receptions with 7 catches for 64 yards. Roddy White had 5 catches for 52 yards, while Tony Gonzalez had 4 catches for 44 yards. Matt Bosher punted 7 times, matching a season high, for an average of 46 yards, with only 1 being placed inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems averaged 20.8 yards on 4 kickoff returns, but did not return a punt. The Falcons offense only converted on 4 of 14 (29%) of their third down attempts, and was 0 for 3 on fourth downs. All of their fourth down tries came inside the Giants own 25-yard line, all representing chances for the Falcons to settle for field goals to put additional points on the board.

Defensively, the Falcons played the Giants very tough in the first half. They only converted 2 of 9 third downs and were held to 7 points. But the Giants found little stopping them in the second half, converting all of their third down attempts, and putting up 17 points and 314 total yards. Curtis Lofton and Sean Weatherspoon tied for the team lead of 12 tackles. John Abraham (4 tackles, 1 sack), Spencer Adkins (4 tackles), Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles), Kroy Biermann (4 tackles), Thomas DeCoud (9 tackles, 2 for loss), Dominique Franks (5 tackles), Chris Owens (6 tackles, 2 passes defended), Dunta Robinson (3 tackles, 1 pass defended), and James Sanders (6 tackles) had noteworthy games.

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Jones stiff arms a defender

The Falcons put a beatdown on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning 45-24, but went up 42 points in the first half before the Bucs finally got on the board. The Falcons finish the year 10-6 and will earn the fifth seed in NFC playoffs, and will be set to play the winner of tonight’s New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys game in the opening round of the playoffs.

Matt Ryan led the way, going 6 of 9 for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns before getting pulled late in the second quarter. Ryan finishes the year with 4,177 yards, the most ever for a Falcons passer and also had 29 touchdowns, the third highest total and his own career high. Chris Redman subbed in and passed for 71 yards, while completing 7 of 12 pass attempts. He also had an interception. Michael Turner led rushers with 172 yards on 17 carries and 2 scores. He finishes the year with 1,340 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Jacquizz Rodgers added 8 carries for 24 yards and a touchdown and Jason  Snelling had 9 carries for 50 yards. Julio Jones and Roddy White both had 4 catches for 76 and 69 yards, respectively. Jones scored twice. He finishes his rookie year with 959 yards, the most ever for a Falcons rookie. White becomes the first Falcon receiver to ever have two 100-catch seasons, as he finished the year with 100 catches on the nose for 1,296 yards. Tony Gonzalez only had one catch for 8 yards. Matt Bryant connected on his lone field goal attempt from 20 yards. Matt Bosher had 2 punts for an average of 50.5 yards. Eric Weems had a single punt return for 9 yards and no kickoff returns. The Falcons offense rolled over the Bucs, particularly in the first half where they converted 5 of 6 third down attempts and gained 319 total yards, including 186 on the ground.

On defense the Falcons stymied the Bucs offense in the first half, forcing three turnovers and only allowing 98 total yards. With their pedal off the gas after building a 35-point halftime lead the defense did allow 17 second half points and 177 passing yards. Curtis Lofton led the team with 14 tackles and an interception which he returned for a score. John Abraham (1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery); Kroy Biermann (3 tackles, 0.5 sacks); Thomas DeCoud (8 tackles, 1 pass defended); Dominique Franks (5 tackles, 1 interception); William Moore (6 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble); Chris Owens (5 tackles, 1 pass defended); Darrin Walls (1 interception); and Sean Weatherspoon (5 tackles) had noteworthy games. Lofton’s production pushes his tackle total to 147 for the year, a career high for him. Weatherspoon finishes the year 113, a career high for him as well. Abraham finishes the year with 9.5 sacks, for the team lead.

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Abraham strips Gabbert

The Falcons dominated the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 41-14 victory on Thursday Night Football. The Falcons got off to a fast start with a 27-0 halftime lead and never looked back.

Matt Ryan led the team with 224 yards passing on 19 of 26 completions with 3 touchdowns. Michael Turner rushed for 61 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown. Jason Snelling added 22 yards on 5 carries as well as 4 receptions for 26 yards. In the air, Roddy White caught 10 passes for 135 yards and 2 scores. Julio Jones also added 5 catches for 85 yards and a touchdown. Matt Bryant hit on both of his field goal tries of 33 and 31 yards. Matt Bosher punted 4 times and averaged 51 yards with 3 placed inside the 20-yard line. He did have one blocked which was returned by the Jaguars for their first touchdown of the night. Eric Weems averaged 7 yards on 4 punt returns and 26.5 yards on a pair of kickoff returns. The offense put up 220 total yards in the first half and converted on half of their 8 third down tries in the first two quarters. They dominated time of possession, holding the ball for over 38 minutes, compared to Jacksonville’s 21 and a half minutes. The Falcons took the pedal off the gas in the second half, subbing in Chris Redman and most of the backups late in the third quarter after putting 41 points on the board.

Defensively, the Falcons were outstanding, only allowing a last minute Jaguars touchdown with only a minute remaining in the game. Going into the fourth quarter, Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert had only accumulated 22 yards passing. He was sacked five times and picked off once. Twice Gabbert was stripped for fumbles, one of which was ran 13 yards for a score by Corey Peters. The Jaguars muffed a punt as well, which also set up a quick Falcons score. Curtis Lofton led defenders with 8 tackles, including one for loss, and recovered a fumble. John Abraham (5 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles); Jonathan Babineaux (2 tackles); Kroy Biermann (1 sack); Thomas DeCoud (1 tackle, 1 interception); Ray Edwards (0.5 sacks); Dominique Franks (3 tackles, 1 pass defended); William Moore (7 tackles, 1 tackle for loss); Chris Owens (2 tackles, 1 pass defended); Corey Peters (2 tackles, 1 fumble recovery); Darrin Walls (1 tackle, 1 pass defended); and Sean Weatherspoon (2 tackles, 1 tackle for loss) all had noteworthy games.

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Jones celebrates with White

The Falcons overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to rally to beat the Carolina Panthers 31-23. It was the biggest halftime deficit overcome by the Falcons since they rallied 17 points to beat the Los Angeles Rams in October of 1987. The Falcons record moves to 8-5 and now they are in the driver’s seat as far as their wildcard hopes go with three games remaining.

Matt Ryan led the team with 320 yards passing, completing 22 of 38 pass attempts with 4 touchdowns. On the ground, Michael Turner led with 76 yards on 21 carries (3.6 avg). Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez both had 7 receptions for 84 and 82 yards, respectively. White also had a touchdown. Julio Jones had 3 catches for 104 yards and 2 scores, while Jacquizz Rodgers had 2 receptions for 39 yards and a score. Matt Bryant connected on a 30-yard field goal, but was wide left on a 46-yard attempt. Matt Bosher punted well with 6 punts for an average of 47.8 yards and 3 placed inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems averaged 7 yards on a pair of punt returns and 23 yards on his lone kickoff return. The Falcons only generated 117 total yards of offense in the first half, and converted 3 of 9 third downs (33%). But in the second half things picked up with 277 total yards of offense and 5 of 8 on third downs.

Much of the team’s offensive turnaround was faciliated by a pair of turnovers generated by defense, in which the team was able to score 7 points off. The defense did not have much of an answer for the Panthers in the first half, allowing 245 total yards including two touchdowns off big plays. Sean Weatherspoon led the team with 9 tackles, and also had a sack, two tackles for loss, and a pass defended.
John Abraham (3 tackles); Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles); Ray Edwards (3 tackles, 1 sack); Dominique Franks (2 tackles, 1 pass defended); Curtis Lofton (5 tackles); William Moore (3 tackles, 1 interception); Chris Owens (4 tackles); Corey Peters (3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss); Mike Peterson (1 tackle, 1 interception); and Dunta Robinson (4 tackles, 1 pass defended) had notable games.

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Ryan is taken down

The Falcons struggled on the road against the Houston Texans, finishing with a disappointing 17-10 loss. The Falcons had some opportunities to win late, twice with the ball in Texans territory late in the fourth quarter, but failed to punch it in. They also found themselves with two defensive touchdowns wiped off the board from turnovers due to costly penalties.

Matt Ryan struggled early in this game with two picks on his first six passes. But he managed to finish going 20 of 46 for 267 yards with a touchdown. The running game added little, with Michael Turner rushing 14 times for 44 yards (3.1 avg). In the air, Tony Gonzalez led the team with 7 catches for 100 yards. Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Harry Douglas each had 4 catches for 68, 51, and 43 yards respectively. White had the team’s lone offensive touchdown. On special teams, Matt Bryant connected on a 19-yard field goal, his lone attempt of the day. Matt Bosher punted 4 times for an average of 50.5 yards with 2 of his punts going inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems averaged 23.5 yards and 11 yards on a pair of kickoffs and punts each, respectively. The offense struggled in the first half, converting only 1 of 6 third downs with only 123 total yards. The Falcons failed to take advantage of their lone redzone opportunity in the first half. Things did pick up in the second half as they were able to convert 5 of 7 third downs, adding 214 total yards, and did score a touchdown on their lone redzone entry.

Defensively the Falcons struggled to stop the run. They gave up a total of 162 rushing yards, 106 of which came in the second half. The Texans were able to convert on half of their 18 third down attempts. Curtis Lofton led defenders with 11 tackles, and also added a sack and a tackle for loss. John Abraham (1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 pass defended); Kroy Biermann (4 tackles); Thomas DeCoud (10 tackles); Dominique Franks (3 tackles); Mike Peterson (10 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass defended); Dunta Robinson (3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended); James Sanders (10 tackles, 1 fumble recovery); Vance Walker (1 tackle, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble); and Sean Weatherspoon (7 tackles, 1 pass defended) all had noteworthy games. Walker was able to force a fumble early in the game on a strip of T.J. Yates that James Sanders scooped up to run 90 yards for a touchdown. But the score was wiped out by a pair of off-setting illegal substitution penalties on both squads as players had begun to walk onto the field believing that the play was actually an incomplete pass. And at the outset of the fourth quarter, Mike Peterson stepped in front of a Yates pass to return it 31 yards for a pick six, but that play was nullified by a defensive holding call before the interception on the opposite side of the field by Robinson. That score would have given the Falcons a 17-10 lead, but instead the Texans proceeded to drive down the field to take the 17-10 lead, a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.

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Sidbury sacks Ponder

The Falcons overcame a late push by the Minnesota Vikings to win 24-14, to move their record to 7-4. The Falcons got out to a 17-0 lead at the half, but allowed the Vikings to score 14 points before they could get back on the board to seal the win late in the fourth quarter.

Matt Ryan completed 27 of 34 passes for 262 yards with 3 touchdowns. Michael Turner led the team on the ground with 60 yards on 19 carries (3.2 avg). Roddy White led receivers with 10 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez (9 catches, 69 yards), Harry Douglas (2 catches, 45 yards, 1 touchdown), and Michael Palmer (2 catches, 8 yards, 1 touchdown) also contributed in the air. Matt Bryant connected on his lone field goal try from 37 yards.  Matt Bosher averaged 50.4 yards on 5 punts with 1 placed inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems averaged 13.5 yards on 4 punt returns, including a 42-yarder, 26 yards on a pair of kickoff returns. The Falcons were able to convert on half of their 14 third down attempts and also scored 3 touchdowns on 4 redzone trips.

Defensively, the Falcons dominated the game in the first half, holding the Vikings to 97 total yards. Sean Weatherspoon led defenders with 10 tackles, and also had a sack and 3 tackles for loss. Curtis Lofton (9 tackles, 1 pass defended), Stephen Nicholas (4 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass defended), Chris Owens (4 tackles, 1 sack), Corey Peters (4 tackles), James Sanders (8 tackles), and Lawrence Sidbury (2 tackles, 2 sacks) all had noteworthy games.

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Abraham sacks Locker

The Falcons rebounded from last week’s tough loss with a strong 23-17 win over the Tennessee Titans at home. The Falcons record moves to 6-4, as they attempt to keep pace down the stretch in the NFC playoff race.

Matt Ryan led the team, completing 22 of 32 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown. Michael Turner had 100 yards on the ground on 21 carries (4.8 avg) and a touchdown. In the air, Roddy White led receivers with 7 catches for 147 yards. Tony Gonzalez caught 5 passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. Harry Douglas added 4 catches for 51 yards. Matt Bryant connected on 3 field goals of 19, 33, and 24 yards on the day. Matt Bosher punted twice for an average of 33 yards with both kicks placed inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems returned a pair of punts for 27 yards. The offense was not at its most crisp on the day, only converting 4 of 12 third down attempts and scoring only 2 touchdowns in 6 redzone trips. Turner also had the team’s lone turnover with a fumble near the goalline.

Defensively, the Falcons handled the Titans much better, particularly early in the game. They gave up only 298 total yards and forced a turnover with a Dunta Robinson interception. Chris Johnson was shut down with only 13 yards on 12 carries. Chris Owens led defenders with 7 tackles on the day, he replaced Kelvin Hayden, who left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury. John Abraham (3 tackles, 1 sack), Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles, 2 passes defended), Ray Edwards (1 tackle, 1 pass defended), Brent Grimes (1 tackle, 2 passes defended), Curtis Lofton (6 tackles, 1 pass defended), Robinson (3 tackles, 3 passes defended), James Sanders 94 tackles), and Sean Weatherspoon (3 tackles) had noteworthy games.

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Meachem makes TD grab over DeCoud

The Falcons dropped an overtime heart-breaker to the New Orleans Saints at home, by a score of 26-23. It marks the team’s third consecutive home loss to the Saints. The Falcons led a valiant comeback to tie the game at the end of regulation, but a failed fourth down conversion in overtime deep in their own territory set up an easy Saints field goal for the win.

Matt Ryan completed 29 of a career-high 52 pass attempts for 351 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception. Michael Turner led rushers with 96 yards on 22 carries. Jacquizz Rodgers added 30 yards on 7 carries. Harry Douglas led receivers with career highs of 8 catches and 133 yards. Tony Gonzalez (6 catches, 71 yards, 1 touchdown), Roddy White (4 catches, 62 yards),  Jason Snelling (2 catches, 25 yards, 1 touchdown), and Eric Weems (3 catches, 25 yards) also contributed. Julio Jones left the game just before halftime, re-aggravating his hamstring injury. He finished on the day with 2 catches for 9 yards. Matt Bryant connected on 3 of 4 field goal attempts. His miss from 40 yards snapped his consecutively made field goal streak at 29. His 27-yarder at the end of regulation tied the game and sent it into overtime. Matt Bosher had a solid day punting, averaging 45.4 yards on 5 punts. He also had a touchback on a kickoff, a touchdown-saving tackle on another, but could not convert on an onside kick attempt late in the fourth quarter. Eric Weems averaged 20.5 yards on 2 kickoff returns. The Falcons offense struggled converting third downs, going 5 of 16 on the day, went 0 for 3 in the redzone in terms of touchdowns, and were penalized 10 times.

Defensively, the Falcons had some success keeping the explosive Saints offense in check. While they gave up 363 total yards, they did hold the Saints to going 4 of 13 on third downs, limiting them to 41 rushing yards on 16 attempts (2.6 avg), as well as shutting them down in the redzone (0 for 3 on touchdowns). But they could not force any turnovers, snapping the team’s 27-game streak of doing so. They also struggled to get pressure on Drew Brees, resulting in no sacks. Curtis Lofton led defenders with 9 tackles including one for a loss. John Abraham (5 tackles, 1 QB hit), Jonathan Babineaux (3 tackles), Thomas DeCoud (7 tackles), Ray Edwards (3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss), Brent Grimes (4 tackles, 1 pass defended), Kelvin Hayden (4 tackles), Stephen Nicholas (5 tackles, 1 tackle for loss), James Sanders (5 tackles), and Sean Weatherspoon (6 tackles, 1 pass defended) had notable performances.

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Jones runs for a TD

The Falcons had a dominant performance to earn their fifth win of the season with a 31-7 rout of the winless Indianapolis Colts. It marks the team’s second straight road win, coming off last week’s bye week, and a complete victory as they controlled the game in all three phases.

Matt Ryan led the team, completing 14 of 24 passes for 275 yards, 3 touchdowns, and an interception.  Michael Turner had a solid showing on the ground with 19 carries for 71 yards (3.7 avg) and a touchdown. Jacquizz Rodgers had 10 carries for 44 yards, and Jason Snelling 8 carries for 15 yards. Julio Jones led the team’s receivers with 131 yards receiving on just 3 catches, but two of which were touchdowns. He also added 33 yards on 2 carries on the ground. Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez had the team lead with 4 receptions each for 76 and 36 yards, respectively. Gonzalez added a touchdown grab. Matt Bryant hit on his lone field goal attempt of 20 yards. Matt Bosher also had 7 punts for an average of 45.9 yards, including 3 placed inside the 20-yard line, in what was arguably his strongest showing of the year. Eric Weems returend 3 punts for an average of 6.3 yards, and had no kickoff returns due to a pair of touchbacks. The Falcons offense got out to an early lead and was successful in grinding out the clock in the second half. The Falcons held the ball in the second half for nearly 24 minutes while the Colts only managed just under six and a half minutes on time of possession.

Defensively, the Falcons outclassed the Colts, limiting them to 186 total yards, forcing 2 turnovers, and allowing them to convert only 4 of 14 third downs (29%). Curtis Lofton led the team with 12 tackles, as well as forcing a fumble. Jonathan Babineaux (2 tackles, 1 sack), Thomas DeCoud (3 tackles), Ray Edwards (1 tackle, 1 fumble recovery), Kelvin Hayden (6 tackles, 1 interception), Stephen Nicholas (2 tackles), Corey Peters (1 tackle, 1 sack), Dunta Robinson (5 tackles), and Sean Weatherspoon (10 tackles, 2 passes defended) all had noteworthy performances.

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Weatherspoon sacks Stafford

The Falcons pulled off an impressive road win against the Detroit Lions by a score of 23-16. The Falcons got off to a very strong start and were helped by a very strong performance by their defense. A few Falcon players reached some impressive benchmarks during the course of the game.

Matt Ryan led the team, completing 20 of 34 passes for 318 yards with a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Ryan also rushed for a touchdown on a QB sneak. Ryan left the game briefly with an ankle and knee injury in the third quarter, but only missed two offensive snaps before returning to the game to finish. Michael Turner had a nice game on the ground with 122 yards on 27 carries, including an impressive 50-yard run. In the air, Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White shared the team lead with 5 receptions each. Gonzalez had 62 yards receiving, while White had 52 yards and a touchdown. Gonzo moved into second place all-time behind Jerry Rice with career receptions, passing both Marvin Harrison and Cris Carter on the day. Harry Douglas also had a nice day receiving with 4 catches for 62 yards. Matt Bryant connected on 3 field goals of 23, 47, and 40 yards. He also broke the Falcons record for consecutive field goals with 27 straight and counting. The record of 26 was set by Norm Johnson back in 1993. Matt Bosher had a nice day punting with 5 punts, averaging 35.4 per kick and having 2 placed inside the 20-yard line. Eric Weems had a good day on returns averaging 27.3 yards on 3 kickoffs despite having a 104-yard touchdown negated by a penalty. He also had 4 punt returns for an average of 15.5 yards, including a 37-yard return. Special teams was also successful in forcing the team’s lone turnover, as Akeem Dent knocked a Stefan Logan kickoff loose, allowing Jason Snelling to recover.

Defensively, the Falcons were sharp on third downs after a sluggish game a week ago in that realm against the Panthers. The Lions only converted 1 of 12 third down attempts, and their lone success did not come until there was little more 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Falcons were able to get pressure on Matt Stafford, with 3 sacks and for most of the game held wide receiver Calvin Johnson in check. Johnson ended the game with 5 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, but most of his yardage came on a single play, a 57-yard score. The defense held Matt Stafford to only 47 yards passing in the first half, the lowest first half total of his career, and a passer that has been averaging 288 yards per game this year. Curtis Lofton led the unit with 10 tackles. John Abraham (2 tackles, 1 sack), Ray Edwards (3 tackles, 1 pass defended), Brent Grimes (4 tackles, 2 passes defended), William Moore (4 tackles, 1 pass defended), Stephen Nicholas (6 tackles), Corey Peters (3 tackles, 1 sack, 2 passes defended), and Sean Weatherspoon (6 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defended) all had noteworthy games.

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