Here are the grades after reviewing the film from the Falcons’ 40-14 pasting of the Cardinals in the home finale on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After a slow start, the Falcons handled their business and slayed the Cardinals.
Nothing in this zany season makes much sense. The Cardinals beat the Packers. The Packers beat the Falcons. To complete the circle of life, the Falcons pummeled the Cardinals.
Go figure.
The grades
Run offense: The Falcons rushed 27 times for a season-high 215 yards and a superb 8.0 yards per carry average. The Falcons did a great job of sealing off the Cardinals and hitting the perimeter for big gains. Tevin Coleman rushed for a career-high 145 yards on 11 carries and had a big 65-yard gain. He had a long gainer called back after an ill-advised block in the back by rookie wide receiver Russell Gage. Ito Smith had nine carries for 34 yards in his last game of the season. He suffered a knee injury – not an ACL – that will require surgery. Grade: A-plus
Pass offense: Ryan completed 22 of 36 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 98.3. Wide receiver Julio Jones had six catches for 82 yards and made a spectacular grab on a 21-yard touchdown catch. The steady Justin Hardy has three catches for 29 yards and one touchdown. Tight end Austin Hooper dropped a potential touchdown pass. The pass blocking was solid as Ryan was sacked twice early. Grade: B-plus
Run defense: The Falcons held the Cardinals to 60 yards on 22 carries (2.7 yards per carry). The Cardinals were playing their ninth different offensive line combination. David Johnson had 33 yards on 11 carries. Grade: B
Pass defense: The Falcons had two interceptions and Deion Jones returned his interception 41 yards for a touchdown to jump-start the rout. The Falcons previous season-high was four sacks against the Giants on Oct. 22 and Packers on Dec. 9. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who had two sacks, had a sack-strip that was recovered by nickel back Brian Poole. Defensive end/linebacker Bruce Irvin had 1.5 sacks. Vic Beasley, Steven Means and Poole also had a sack. Linebacker De'Vondre Campbell shared a sack with Irvin. Poole also had an interception. The Cardinals entered the game averaging 242.4 total yards on offense, which was last in the league. The Cardinals, who let quarterback Mike Glennon finish the game, average of 13.7 points per game, which was also last in the league. Grade: A
Special teams: The punt coverage team contained the dangerous Patrick Peterson, who had three returns for 31 yards. His longest return was a 16-yarder. Punter Matt Bosher averaged 39.2 net yards on six punts. He had a long of 55 yards. After a shaky outing in the winds of Green Bay, kicker Matt Bryant made all of his kicks back inside. Grade A
Coaching: The Falcons weren't ready to play and fell behind 7-0 to perhaps the weakest team in the league. Beasley's tipped pass and Deion Jones interception return for a touchdown woke up the team. They dropped 40 unanswered on the Cardinals and appeared to have some fun doing it. There were still some horrid penalties. Gage's blocking in the back was inexcusable that far down the field and the 12-man on the field penalty shouldn't happen in Game 14 of the season. They have to be better organized for the in-game switches. The Falcons were suppose to body-slam the Cardinals and they did. Grade B-plus
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