The Falcons’ frustration from the losing spilled over into practice last week.
“We were competing against one another in practice,” wide receiver Julio Jones said after the Falcons’ 34-29 victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday. “We got into it a little bit with some of the guys. It’s got chippy. We are just trying to make each other better all around the board.”
Jones credited those practices with the victory.
“It starts with the preparation,” said Jones, who caught 10 passes for 143 yards to power the offense. “We have to figure out how we wanted to practice and that carried over and helped us in the game.”
The defense needed to hold Tampa Bay out of the end in the final minute after Matt Bryant’s 57-yard field put them up by five points.
Defensive players also acknowledged the practices, which are closed to the media after the first 30 minutes of stretching and special teams work.
“I wouldn’t say chippy, but there was an increased sense of urgency,” linebacker DeVondre Campbell said.
The Falcons were elated.
“We knew adversity was going to hit us,” cornerback Robert Alford said. “Just to get this victory, it’s going to push us to even greater things. All we have to do is keep our heads on straight and keep going.”
Free safety Damontae Kazee and Brian Poole came up with key interceptions for the defense.
“Those were real big,” cornerback Robert Alford said. “If they get into the red zone we wanted to make sure they came away with a field goal or a takeaway. The guys on our defense took that to heart.”
On a scramble play in the game’s final sequence, Jones, playing defense, forced Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston to attempt to lateral the ball.
“Find the ball,” linebacker Duke Riley said. “Go get the ball. Smell blood and go get it. That’s what was going through my mind, go get the ball.”
The Falcons are hoping to build on the victory.
“We’ve got the right guys in the room and the right coaches and we’ve got the right attitude,” Riley said.
The Falcons raced out to a 21-6 lead and led 24-13 at halftime.
The Bucs added a field goal and a touchdown to close within two points, 24-22, early in the fourth quarter. Their two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
“They slowed us down a little bit in the third quarter,” Jones said.
With the Falcons losing key players, Calvin Ridley (ankle) and Mohamed Sanu (hip), to injury, the offense needed a score.
Ryan had a big scramble on third-and-9 to pick up the first down. He also connected with rookie wide receiver Russell Gage for a 9-yard gain and backup running back Ito Smith picked up a first down.
Ryan found running back Tevin Coleman for a 6-yard touchdown catch to make it 31-22 with 6:28 to play.
“We got the win, but we have to do better,” Jones said. “We still have to continue to keep working.
“Russell Gage, a couple of guys made some plays. (Tight end Austin) Hooper. Everybody just stepped up and made some plays.”
The scramble by Ryan energized the offense.
“That was a great play by Matt,” Jones said. “I thought he was going to float it to me. I went in. I had a slant and went back out. It was a heck of a play by Matt. He lowered his shoulder and got the ball down the field.”
The Falcons are now 2-4 and will play the New York Giants on Monday Night Football on Oct. 22.
“You always have to start somewhere,” Jones said. “First of all, it was a great win. We have to get in there (Monday) and there are going to be some things we have to clean up. Everybody is patting you on the back saying ‘good job. Good job.’ But we have some things we have to fix, too.”
Jones was asked to explain the practice scraps.
“We were just competing,” Jones said. “It was one of those things where I can give you a look or I can really give you a look. That’s what we needed for the game.
“The thing about where we are now, we are always into the Brotherhood. When I’m tired, I’m not going to the sidelines because I need to be in there for everybody else. We got to that point today and we just have to keep building on it.”
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