In a rematch with the Green Bay Packers, the Falcons played well in spurts before falling 25-14.
What we learned
1. The sack attack worked: The Falcons had some free rushers at Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and registered four sacks and eight quarterback hits. It was their second-best showing of the season; they had five sacks and 11 quarterback hits in the season opener against the Bears. They were able to get pressure without All-Pro defensive end John Abraham, who missed the game with a stiff hip. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, defensive tackle Corey Peters, and defensive ends Lawrence Sidbury and Ray Edwards each had sacks. Safety Thomas DeCoud and cornerback Brent Grimes also reached Rodgers but couldn't get him to the ground on two other blitzes.
2. The offense went into self-destruction mode: Falcons coach Mike Smith gave a very detailed analysis of what happened to the offense after the first two drives. He cited penalties that wiped away a 47-yard gain (holding on Tyson Clabo) and a 15-yard gain (illegal formation) and hindered drives. The Falcons were in field-goal range twice but a penalty (illegal hands to the face on Clabo) and a sack knocked them out of it. Another drive was hindered by a communications breakdown. "If you keep those drives going you feel like you're going to have an opportunity to accomplish some things," Smith said.
3. The Falcons can run a screen pass: The Falcons have been working on their screen attack in order to combat frequent blitzing. In their second touchdown drive, on second-and-13 from their 37, they set up a screen to the right to Jacquizz Rodgers and had a late developing screen to the left for Jason Snelling. After faking a pass to Rodgers, quarterback Matt Ryan turned and tossed it to Snelling who rambled for 17 yards. On another screen, wide receiver Roddy White turned the play inside when he had Clabo out in front of him to the outside. If the Falcons can perfect their screen attack, that would help the offensive line in pass protection.
Injury report
Wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring), safety William Moore (shoulder) and cornerback Christopher Owens (head) left the game and did not return. Moore had a MRI taken of his shoulder. Right guard Garrett Reynolds (ankle) left the game twice, but returned each time. Abraham battled stiffness in his hip before it was determined during pre-game warm-ups that he couldn’t play. Center Todd McClure (knee) didn’t play. Smith is hopeful that Abraham and McClure will be available to play against Carolina.
The numbers game
5
The Falcons have forced at least one turnover in all five games. They have scored 34 points on nine takeaways this season.
43
Running back Michael Turner scored on a 1-yard run, his 43rd touchdown since joining the Falcons in 2008. His 43 rushing touchdowns rank second in the NFL behind Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson, who has 46 touchdowns over that period.
11
Weatherspoon led the defense with a team-high 11 tackles with six solo.
12,748
With a 23-yard reception in the fourth quarter, tight end Tony Gonzalez moved past wide receiver Art Monk into 14th place on the NFL’s all-time receiving list with 12,748 yards. Gonzalez finished the game with six catches for 60 yards, giving him 1,096 career receptions, and moved him past wide receiver Tim Brown into fifth place on the NFL’s all-time receptions list. He currently sits five catches shy of tying wide receiver Cris Carter (1,101) for third in league history.
Sound bite
“After the first two drives, we basically had situations where we self-destructed."
-- Falcons coach Mike Smith on the offense
Loose ends
Since 2008, the Falcons are 28-7 when scoring first and have posted 139 points on their first offensive possessions, including touchdowns on their opening drives in each of the last two games. ... White’s 5-yard scoring reception was his 39th career touchdown. ... The defense improved its NFL-best streak of consecutive regular-season games with a turnover to 24, when Grimes forced Packers running back Ryan Grant to fumble on Green Bay’s first possession. Defensive tackle Vance Walker recovered the ball for his first career fumble recovery.
What’s next
Atlanta (2-3) hosts Cam Newton and the upstart Carolina Panthers (1-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons swept the Panthers last season, winning 31-10 at home and 31-10 on the road.
