The Falcons and Washington played a football game Sunday, or at least some strange facsimile thereof. Genetic test results are still pending.
There were nine turnovers. There were five fumbles by one team, the Redskins, none of which coach Mike Shanahan could blame on Robert Griffin III, who was inactive (lucky him). There were enough broken coverages by the Falcons’ secondary (“Land of Opportunity”) that backup quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns (after the Falcons made heroes of Geno Smith, Mike Glennon and Matt Flynn, it’s all a blur).
There was a point in the second quarter Sunday when one was moved to search the Georgia Dome field, looking for the elephants, the clowns and the overstuffed Volkswagen with feet dangling out the windows.
In the center ring: Two teams combined for three turnovers in three plays in 19 seconds.
“I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Roddy White said.
“Never saw that before,” Tony Gonzalez said. “On the sideline, we were saying, ‘What is going on?’ But when you win, it makes it easier to palate.”
Maybe.
A little.
The Falcons won 27-26. They barely beat another 3-10 team by a point, despite receiving seven gift possessions off Washington turnovers (two of the Redskins’ five fumbles were considered “unforced”: a muffed punt return and another when a running back ran into the rump of his offensive lineman). They secured win No. 4 only when Washington coach Mike Shanahan, dead man walking, decided to go for a two-point conversion after a touchdown with 18 seconds left and Cousins’ pass intended for Pierre Garcon in the back of the end zone was knocked down by Falcons rookie Desmond Trufant.
Some folks may have had a problem with the decision, believing this was all part of Shanahan’s continuing efforts to goad Redskins owner Dan Snyder into firing him. But why wouldn’t a 3-10 team try to win a game in regulation instead of kicking a PAT and going to overtime?
“Why wouldn’t you [go for two],” Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora said. “If I was them, I would’ve went for it. It’s not like they’re playing to get into the playoffs.”
Agreement from White: “They have the same record as us. If you win, great. If you lose, oh well.”
If nothing else, the Falcons and Redskins gave us entertainment. And, really, there was nothing else.
Notwithstanding part of coach Mike Smith’s postgame analysis — “We played with a lot of energy, heart and determination” – the Falcons just stunk a little less than the Redskins (who’ve now lost six straight).
The Falcons won. But games like this are further confirmation of how bad things really are. They led 14-0 after 11 minutes but trailed 17-14 at halftime despite four Washington turnovers. They were stopped on downs in the third quarter after having a first-and-goal at the Redskins' eight. They totaled only 243 yards in offense against a defense that ranked 23rd (372 per game) coming in, and 20 of their 27 points came on short fields following turnovers.
“You take every win in this league,” White said. “But we have to learn from this. We have to play better. We’re too inconsistent. We’re playing sloppy football.”
Slapstick took over in the second quarter. The Redskins’ Santana Moss muffed a punt after he appeared to trip over the Falcons’ Drew Davis. (Shanahan argued, seemingly with some merit, that it was Davis’ fault. But officials disagreed and that’s a judgment call, not reviewable). That led to an Atlanta field goal and a 17-7 lead.
The next time the Redskins’ got the ball back, running back Alfred Morris fumbled when he inadvertently ran into his tackle Tom Compton (unofficial NFL term: a “butt” fumble).
Falcons’ ball. First play: Matt Ryan was sacked and fumbled.
Redskins’ ball. First play: Moss fumbled again after a reception.
Falcons’ ball. Three plays and a punt. Wait, all that for a punt finish? What a letdown.
It was a three-play, 19-second crying for a laugh track, or sound effects — maybe cymbals, a snare drum or that funny “boing” sound.
If you were a football purist Sunday, the room never really stopped spinning.
But it was to be expected. None of the seeming 60,000 fans who used their tickets, nor the some 10,000 who opted out, could’ve expected art. More like Comedy Central.
It was like watching a T-ball game between 6-year-olds. A ball barely gets hit and rolls five feet. An infielder overruns the ball. Another little guy picks it up and throws it the wrong. Five throws, two tumbles and 37 minutes later, one kid crosses the plate with a “home run” and five kids are on the hillside collecting rocks, obvious to the whole thing.
It was cartoon-like. But one team had to win and the Falcons have had only four of these so they’ll take it and run. And try not to fall.
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