Falcons corners match up with big wideouts
Christopher Owens knew what he was getting into Sunday. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Atlanta cornerback, playing in place of the injured Dunta Robinson, was going to share duties with 5-10 teammate Brent Grimes and try to stop, or slow, Bengals receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco.
Every time Christopher Owens lined up in front of the other Owens, he gave up six inches and more than 40 pounds to a likely future Hall of Fame wideout.
Ochocinco was the thinner of the two Bengals, but his 6-1 frame was big enough to reach over the top of Owens and Grimes.
Not too many teams have receivers with the size and pedigree of these two, who have 12 Pro Bowls between them. It made for a challenging assignment for the young corners.
"They're big and fast," Christopher Owens said. "We just had to do the best we could, and we got the victory today."
Early on, it looked like a favorable outcome might come more easily than it did.
The Falcons secondary held Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer to just 95 first-half passing yards, with Owens and Ochocinco collectively catching 72 of them. Those were solid defensive numbers that allowed Atlanta to build a 24-3 lead.
In the second half, however, Palmer supplied 317 passing yards, with 133 going to the two big guys on the outside. Both receivers finished with double-digit catches -- Ochocinco had a game-high 16 -- largely coming on quick hook routes that allowed them to get between a corner and the ball.
It was difficult for the Falcons corners to defend, but coach Mike Smith said the two Bengals receivers were going to get their touches.
"Both of those wideouts that were out there today are guys who have had great careers," Smith said. "We knew it was going to be a challenge for us. We knew they were going to make their plays.
"Our biggest thing is that we wanted to keep the ball, with those two guys in front of us, and not let them throw it over our head. I think we had mixed results in that regard."
The longest catch between them was a 19-yard touchdown grab by Owens in the third quarter, which meant the Falcons' game plan of keeping Owens and Ochocinco from getting into the open field was executed reasonably well.
Cincinnati nearly hit a big one that could have been a game-changer. Palmer threw to Owens down the left sideline in the fourth quarter when the Bengals were down seven points. Owens caught the ball at the 6-yard line and spun toward the end zone, but his left foot swung wide and landed out of bounds. The pass was incomplete, and Cedric Benson fumbled it back to the Falcons on the next play, leading to their final score.
Making the sure tackle worked well for the smaller corners. They stuck with that approach all game. While the focus on the two big receivers opened up the field for Jordan Shipley, who had 131 receiving yards and a touchdown, Grimes said the Bengals' passing success in the second half was more Cincinnati playing well than anything the Falcons did or didn't do.
"They just executed," Grimes said. "We did our job."
