Mughelli suffered leg injury against 49ers

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Falcons starting fullback Ovie Mughelli suffered an unspecified leg injury against San Francisco on Sunday.

Mughelli, who did not return to the game, was replaced in the lineup by Jason Snelling.

Falcon coach Mike Smith said he'd know more about the injury on Wednesday. Mughelli was limited last week due to a sore hamstring.

Ryan's legend

Matt Ryan's rookie legend started to grow last season after he delivered a final-second victory over the Chicago Bears. The poised he showed in the sixth game of his career while getting the Falcons into position for the 48-yard game-winning field goal turned heads league-wide and helped propel him to the rookie of the year award.

A little over a year to the date, he will face the Bears again on Sunday, coming off his best passing performance of his career (329 yards). His previous top mark was 315 yards in a lost at New Orleans last season.

"It feels better when it’s a win," Ryan said. "I've never been overly concerned with the stats but the wins. That's the only thing."

Big play bounce

Wide receiver Roddy White dominated the list of the Falcons' 10 longest plays from scrimmage against San Francisco. He had gains of 90, 31, 24, 16 and 15 yards.

Running back Michael Turner had two of the 10 longest plays with his 33-yard run and a 16-yarder in the third quarter.

Wide receiver Michael Jenkins had receptions of 20 and 15 yards. Tight end Tony Gonzalez had a 20-yard catch in the third quarter.

White's 90-yard reception was the third longest play in Falcons history. Bobby Hebert's 98-yard pass to Michael Haynes in 1993 is tops, followed by Chris Chandler's 94-yard pass to Jamal Anderson in 2001.

Moore makes debut

Falcons safety William Moore, the team's second-round draft pick, made his debut against the 49ers. He played mostly on specials teams, including the punt coverage unit.

He's fully recovered from preseason knee surgery and a pulled hamstring.

Key to run game

The Falcons had been talking about getting to the extra man in the box and blocking him as the key to getting the running game untracked. But against the 49ers, what worked was something less complex.

"The biggest thing that we did was that we got the push up front," center Todd McClure said. "We pushed those guys into the second level and that made it harder for their linebackers."

Who dat?

White isn't worried about the Falcons being a game behind New Orleans in the NFC South.

"I know they are playing well, but we [aren't] worried about them," White said. "When Nov. 2 comes, we'll deal with that then."