CHICAGO – The hallmarks of Mike Smith’s three previous Atlanta Falcons’ teams have been their propensity for solid and smart play mixed in with a heavy dose of solid tackling.
In their 2011 debut against the Chicago Bears Sunday, the Falcons didn’t resemble those teams that posted three consecutive winning campaigns and went to the playoffs in two of them.
The Falcons, most everyone’s favorite to repeat as the NFC South champion, looked lethargic on offense and unsure on defense as Bears quarterback Jay Cutler rifled holes in their zone defense.
With nine penalties, several missed tackles and three turnovers, the Falcons were made to look very ordinary, as they were routed 30-12 by the Bears at historic Soldier Field.
“They put a whippin’ on us today,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez said.
Under Smith, the Falcons have rarely been blown out.
There have been just five losses where the margin of defeat was 15 points or more in 49 regular-season games.
The 18-point defeat against the Bears was their worst regular-season defeat with quarterback Matt Ryan at the helm. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Chris Redman-led Falcons 34-7 on Dec. 6, 2009, when Ryan was out with a turf toe injury.
Last season, the Falcons, on their way to a 13-3 record, did not have any really bad losses until they were steamrolled by Green Bay 48-21 in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Against the Bears, things started to unravel late in the first quarter.
With the score tied 3-3, Ryan was intercepted by Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
Three plays later, Cutler threw a simple screen pass to running back Matt Forte, who scored from 56 yards out. During the run, Forte bounced off a shoulder shot from Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Smith was irate and could be seen giving some “instruction” to Weatherspoon on the sideline.
The Bears added two more field goals and led 16-3 at halftime.
The Falcons had a promising drive to start the third quarter.
Fueled by a 53-yard run from Michael Turner, the Falcons drove from their 6 to Chicago’s 7 before the drive stalled. They settled for a 25-yard field from Matt Bryant.
“When you move the ball down the field, you’ve got to finish those drives off with touchdowns,” Smith said.
On Chicago’s ensuing possession, wide receiver Devin Hester broke loose on another screen pass and ran 53 yards to the Falcons’ 1-yard line. On the play, cornerback Dunta Robinson slipped, safety William Moore and middle linebacker Curtis Lofton took bad angles.
A lot of Falcons’ defenders appeared to have traction issues, but they wouldn’t point to the sleek field as the reason.
“No excuses,” Robinson said. “When we tackle, we swarm to the ball. We have to come up and make those tackles. We have to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Cutler tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth on the next play to make it 23-6.
On the Falcons next possession, Ryan fumbled while being chased by Bears defensive end Julius Peppers. Urlacher scooped up the fumble and returned it 12 yards for a touchdown to make it 30-6 with 5:58 left in the third quarter.
“You just have to protect the football better in the pocket,” Ryan said. “We have to do better in the turnover battle.”
Several Falcons noted that they dropped the season-opener last season and went on to win the NFC South title.
“If I sit here or anybody in this organization starts to panic, that means they don’t think we’re a good football team,” Gonzalez said. “I have all of the confidence in the world in our team. I know that we can play a lot better.”
Next up, Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles (1-0), who spent more than $200 million on contracts this offseason, at 8:20 p.m. Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.
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