The Falcons ended the exhibition season with another loss.
With several key starters watching in street clothes, the Falcons final tune-up for the regular season resulted in a 21-7 loss to the Ravens Thursday night at the sparsely attended Georgia Dome. It dropped the Falcons to 0-4 during the preseason. The last time the Falcons failed to win an exhibition game was 2003, the season quarterback Michael Vick broke his leg.
“We have a saying, if they play it, it’s worth winning,” coach Mike Smith said. “… At the same time during the preseason, and at certain times in the preseason, there are things you have to look at and you want to try to get accomplished. That sometimes overrides some of the other decisions that you would normally make in a ball game. To say I’m disappointed? Yeah, I’m disappointed. To say am I concerned? No, I’m not concerned. This football team is a very mature football team and we have a plan in place in terms of things that we had to get accomplished. Looking at that, I think we were able to do that through the preseason.”
This one wasn’t pretty.
The Falcons first venture of more than seven yards into Ravens territory didn’t come until 9:29 remained in the third quarter when running back Antone Smith ran 46 yards for a touchdown. It capped a five-play, 97-yard drive on the Falcons first possession of the second half. Smith also had carries for 6 and 16 yards on the drive, which was aided by a 15-yard horse collar tackle penalty against the Ravens.
Prior to the touchdown drive, the Falcons had several offensive miscues in the first half. Quarterback Chris Redman was sacked twice in the first quarter. The first sack came on the Falcons’ opening drive when they had advanced to the Ravens’ 43-yard line. It was their deepest venture on the other side of the 50-yard line until Smith’s touchdown run. Redman fumbled on the play and it was recovered by the Ravens. The second sack of Redman was initially ruled a fumble and recovery by the Ravens, but overturned on a challenge.
Redman was relieved by John Parker Wilson on the second drive of the second quarter. Wilson who threw an interception deep in Falcons territory that led to a 32-yard Ravens field goal with 1:05 remaining in the half.
Wilson had his second interception returned 65 yards for a touchdown by Chykie Brown with 1:59 remaining in the third quarter. It gave the Ravens a 10-7 Ravens lead. He nearly threw another pick-six on the next drive but the Ravens defender dropped the ball. Wilson also fumbled deep in Falcons territory, which was recovered by the Ravens, with less than three minutes left. It led to a Damien Berry 5-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play.
In all, the Falcons had four turnovers, two fumbles and two interceptions, that led to 18 of the Ravens’ 21 points.
Matt Bryant missed a 54-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, snapping his streak of 23 straight dating back to last season. He had made his eight previous exhibition attempts.
“Obviously, offensively we didn’t perform like we want to perform,” Redman said. “We try to take some positives out of it. We will watch the film and make corrections. But I think everybody is ready to get to the season and get things started. It’s all even once the [regular] season starts.”
The Falcons did have some positive moments.
Smith, on the bubble to make the team, rushed for 114 yards on 11 carries. He accounted for 61 percent of the Falcons total yards on the ground.
“I’m always nervous,” Smith said of his prospects to make it through the weekend of final cuts. “I’m a guy who has one foot in and one foot out. I’m always nervous. I’m just going to go out there and show what I can show. I’m nervous right now just talking to you all.”
Kroy Biermann had a first quarter sack of Tyrod Taylor after free-agent signee Ray Edwards flushed the Ravens quarterback from the pocket. Cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Kamaal McIlwain had interceptions. Linebacker Robert James and defensive tackle Carlton Powell combined on a sack and Trey Lewis had another. Rookie wide receiver Julio Jones broke off a 14-yard run on a reverse.
But this game was more about evaluating players before the final roster cuts are due Saturday. Falcons coaches have plenty of game film to dissect.
The Falcons did not dress Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Michael Turner, Tony Gonzalez, Tyson Clabo, John Abraham and Jonathan Babineaux. Starting cornerback Dunta Robinson (hamstring) was also out.
“I think execution is what the coach is going to say,” said fullback Ovie Mughelli on what went wrong Thursday. “I would say as a player, we just didn’t get it done. We didn’t fight enough. We didn’t claw enough. We didn’t do what we need to do. The coaches can call plays all day and give us schemes, but if we don’t implement that and play football it’s not going to happen. Today wasn’t a good showing by out 2s and 3s, or our 1s. We expect to at least score when we are out there.”
The Falcons open the regular season on Sept. 11 at the Bears.
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