Abraham cuts loose for three sacks

If John Abraham looked like he was prepared to crawl on his hands and knees to get a sack on Sunday against Tampa Bay, it’s because he was.

And he did.

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Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Falcons defensive end John Abraham had his third three-sack game of the season, giving him 15-1/2 overall.

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With the Buccaneers driving for a potential game-winning touchdown at the Falcons 9-yard line, Abraham went to work on tackle Donald Penn, gunning for quarterback Brian Griese.

Just when Penn thought he had Abraham sealed off high, Abraham went low, ducking under Penn’s outstretched arm and he was gone, crawling toward Griese.

“When he swiped the guys hands and then crawled, I don’t know of an offensive technique to block that move,” said Falcons offensive tackle Tyson Clabo, who admired it from the sideline. “I’ve never seen that move before. I’m glad he’s an Atlanta Falcon.”

Abraham was so low, he said afterward, he couldn’t tell if Griese still had the ball. But Griese did, and he went down for an 11-yard loss on the second of Abraham’s three sacks in the game.

So instead of capitalizing on the Falcons’ blocked punt and rolling in for a go-ahead touchdown, the Bucs had to settle for a sack, a holding call on the next play, and a game-tying field goal.

Then in overtime, Abraham single-handedly changed the game again. This time, it was third-and-8 on Tampa’s own 37. He didn’t do anything fancy, just shed tackle Jeremy Trueblood, and nailed Griese for a 13-yard loss.

The Bucs had to punt, and the Falcons drove the field and won on a 34-yard field goal by Jason Elam.

Trueblood threw his hands up as he watched Abraham take Griese down, as if to say: “What am I supposed to do about this guy?”

It might make Trueblood feel better to watch the Pro Bowl this year. Abraham should be there. By adding three more sacks Sunday, it brought Abraham to 15-1/2 on the season, which is third in the NFL behind Miami’s Joey Porter (16-1/2) and Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware (16).

One more sack and Abraham will have the season record for the Falcons, passing Joel Williams and his 16 sacks in 1980.

The 15-1/2 also is a career high for Abraham.

He had 13 sacks in 2001, the first of his three Pro Bowl seasons with the New York Jets. That was when he was only 23. At 30, it feels a little different for a guy who’s been battling shoulder, hand and thigh injuries.

“I was so beat up before the game, I was like ‘I probably won’t play well,’ ” Abraham said. “I’ve got so many bumps and bruises just from the season. The more I played, the more passion that came out, the more everything stopped hurting. All the bumps and bruises went dead. It was crazy.”

Tell it to Penn, who had Abraham not only go under him for a sack, but through. Abraham picked up his first sack of the game in the second quarter by bull-rushing Penn into Griese.

Credit Penn with an assist?

“He’s a great player, particularly on this surface in that noise,” Tampa coach Jon Gruden told reporters. “We sent help there several times [in the form of double-teams] but there are some situation in which you have got to let some people out. He made some big plays in some tough situations and that’s a credit to him.”