FLOWERY BRANCH -- After reviewing the game film of Sunday's victory over the Vikings, Falcons coach Mike Smith said the play of quarterback Matt Ryan was even better than his statistics indicated.
Ryan completed 27 of 34 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He had a season-best 128.2 quarterback rating.
“He could have easily been 30-for-34 in terms on his percentage, obviously his best day percentage-wise,” Smith said Monday. “He did a real nice job distributing the ball. I think he had a real good feel for how they were going to try to defend us.”
Rookie quarterbacks
The Falcons are scheduled to face rookie quarterbacks in their next three games -- two with local connections. They will play at Houston on Sunday with T.J. Yates, from Pope High, as the starter with Matt Schaub and Matt Leinhart out with injuries. Next is a rematch with the Panthers and Cam Newton. The Falcons won 31-17 at home on Oct. 16 as Newton, from Westlake High, completed 21 of 35 passes for 237 yards. Four days later, the Falcons host the Jaguars and Blaine Gabbert in a Thursday night contest.
No-huddle slowdown
When the Falcons go to their Texas no-huddle offense it doesn’t necessarily speed up the game. The formation is used, in large part, to prevent the opposing defense from making personnel changes.
Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said the Falcons' offensive approach actually slows the down the game.
“It’s not really a true no-huddle offense,” Allen said following the Falcons’ 24-14 victory Sunday. “They just keep you in your stance forever. To be honest, you would think that it is picking the tempo up, but it’s really slowing it down. They make the call, then they make dummy calls, and next thing you know, it’s been 30 seconds. Everything they do is methodical. They either run or have quick passes. They don’t vary much from that.”
Physical game
Smith offered no updates on injured players from Sunday’s game, reiterating his stance to provide an injury report on Wednesday, as per NFL rules.
Cornerback Brent Grimes (knee) and linebacker Stephen Nicholas (thigh) left the game and did not return.
“It was a very physical game,” Smith said. “We’ve got some guys that have some bumps and bruises. On Wednesday, we’ll have a much better idea of where we are.”
Game-saving tackles
Christopher Owens chased down the Vikings' Percy Harvin on his 104-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter to prevent a touchdown on Sunday. Four plays later, the Vikings failed to score when Sean Weatherspoon tackled Toby Gerhart from the 1-yard line.
The Vikings lost two yards on first down when Christian Ponder was flushed from the pocket on a pass play. Harvin then carried up the middle twice for gains of 3 and 1 yard. It wasn't until fourth down that the 231-pound Gerhart took the field.
“With him being in the home position, right behind the quarterback, I thought they were going to get him downhill quicker,” Weatherspoon said. “It worked to our advantage that they ran a counter play. … We knew he would be getting the ball.”
Etc.
The Falcons committed four penalties for 30 yards Sunday. They overcame offensive-line penalties on their first two touchdown drives. The Falcons are tied for 17th in the NFL with 67 penalties. … Roddy White said he suffered a left-shoulder stinger in the third quarter after catching a shovel pass from Ryan that went for nine yards. "I kind of laid there a little bit too long. I should have gotten right up," White said. … The Falcons held the Vikings to 4-for-13 on third downs, with three of the successful conversions coming on their third-quarter touchdown.
About the Author
