Falcons melt down on the road against Panthers

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

CHARLOTTE – No one can mistake the Atlanta Falcons for road warriors.

They even switched up travel arrangements for Sunday's big NFC South matchup with the Carolina Panthers and took buses up I-85.

But no matter what the travel mode -- bus, plane, skateboard -- the Falcons continue to misfire on the road. Literally and figuratively, they kicked away several opportunities to take control of the game before falling to the Panthers, 28-19, before 73,329 fans at Bank America Stadium.

"We are not sustaining the level of play that we need to be successful," Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

With quarterback Matt Ryan throwing two key interceptions, Jason Elam missing another critical chip shot and the lost of running back Michael Turner with an ankle sprain, the Falcons could never wrestle away control from the Panthers.

The Falcons dropped to 5-4 overall, including a 1-4 record on the road. The Panthers, left for dead in September after starting 0-3, improved to 4-5

"To be a great team in this league, you have to win on the road," wide receiver Michael Jenkins said. "You definitely want to win all of your home games and split the road games."

The Falcons beat the Panthers 28-20 in Week Two and were going for their first sweep in the series since 2004.

"It's tough to beat a team twice and we have to be able to win on the road," center Todd McClure said. "It was a really frustrating game."

And for the record, the Falcons did not want to blame the three-hour bus trip for this one.

"I don't think so," Jenkins said. "It was the same amount of time if we would have flown. Traveling down to Hartsfield-Jackson and flying up, it's about the same time."

But was their routine thrown off in any way?

"I don't think it affected us at all," Jenkins insisted.

A little sluggish?

"No, not at all," Jenkins said.

It most certainly didn't help the cause that Turner, the person who Smith dubbed the team's most valuable player last season, left the game in the second quarter.

"It stinks that Mike went down," fullback Ovie Mughelli said.

Turner was on his way to another great game and had accumulated 111 yards in just nine carries. Jason Snelling took over, finishing with 61 yards on 18 carries.

Ryan had two momentum-killing interceptions, one in the second quarter and one in the fourth. Both times, the Falcons were in position to drive for a lead. Both times, on the first play of the possession, Ryan made errant throws that were easily picked off.

"This is year two and playing quarterback in this league is one of the most difficult jobs, period," Smith said. "There are going to be ups and downs. But we have confidence in our quarterback."

Ryan completed only 22 of 41 passes for 224 yards and appeared to miss an open Tony Gonzalez in the back of the end zone on a 2-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game at 21-21. Ryan checked down to swing pass to Snelling, who was tackled well shy of the goal line.

"We've still got seven [games] in front [of us]," Ryan said. "We've got a long way to go. There's a lot of football to be played. We feel like our best is in front of us."

Smith and Ryan like what the offense is doing overall, but they have been markedly inconsistent.

"We just have to keep our heads down," Ryan said. "It's a long grind. Just keep your head down and keep doing things the right way. We feel like if we do that, we're going to like where we are at, at the end of the year."

Smith would not lay the blame for this defeat at the door of his second-year quarterback.

"It's a matter of all of us getting better," Smith said.