FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons’ opening drive against Tennessee was a thing of football beauty.
After the defense held the Titans to a three-and-out series, quarterback Matt Ryan called plays from the line of scrimmage in the no-huddle attack.
On the first play, running back Michael Turner couldn’t handle a swing pass.
On the second play, Turner rumbled for 15 yards.
Following a holding call on left tackle Will Svitek, Ryan tossed a pass to Tony Gonzalez for nine yards.
When Tennessee did not adjust, Ryan completed passes of 13 and 17 yards to Gonzalez, the latter going for a touchdown.
The operation went so smooth the Falcons elected to stay in the no-huddle and handed the game over to Ryan, a fourth-year starter. He called 45 to 50 plays out of the no-huddle attack.
“I think Matt continues to show his [maturity] in terms of what he’s able to handle,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “I thought he did a very good job running the no-huddle offense.”
The quick start out of the no-huddle was infectious.
“Right off the bat, we were having some success early,” left guard Justin Blalock said. “We were getting into plays that were the best for a given situation. From a certain look, we were able to take advantage of a couple of things.”
While operating from the no-huddle, Ryan got All-Pro wide receiver Roddy White more involved in the offense. White had seven catches for a season-high 147 yards.
Ryan, who passed for 316 yards, completed passes to seven different receivers. After throwing for a career-high 351 yards against New Orleans, it was the first time he's had consecutive 300-yard passing games.
“We did a great job,” Ryan said. “I think what often goes unnoticed in those situations is how much communication there is and how good of a job all 11 guys on the offense did, and really more than that when guys come in as substitutes.”
The Falcons have fared well on their first offensive possessions this season: They've scored 34 points on four touchdowns and two field goals.
They have also punted twice and committed two turnovers to open games.
“Matt is great at running the offense,” Svitek said. “He always puts us in the right situation. He knows how to read defenses and make the right play call.”
Ryan’s touchdown pass to Gonzalez was his 15th of the season. He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in eight consecutive games, and in 24 of his last 25 games.
"I thought he was spot on in getting us into the right plays," Smith said.
In that first drive, the Titans elected to play a cover-two zone against the four-receiver formation. That left Gonzalez free to run seam routes behind the linebacker and in front of the safety.
The Titans had to adjust, but Ryan continued to find holes in the defense.
“Tennessee mixed it up, did some different things,” Ryan said. “Early on, we had some looks to throw the football on that first drive and went right down the field. Then they kind of changed out of that and did some different things. Then, we had some looks to run the ball.”
Turner went on to rush for 100 yards on 21 carries.
When the Titans had to focus on Gonzalez and Turner, White was left in favorable matchups.
“Roddy had an unbelievable game,” Ryan said. “He made some really good plays for us.”
While the Falcons moved the ball and amassed 432 yards, the offensive performance was tempered because of some struggles in the red zone. The Falcons scored just two touchdowns on six trips inside of Tennessee’s 20-yard line.
Over the last two games, the Falcons are 2 of 9 on red-zone trips.
“We had a number of chances down there [Sunday] in the red zone and when you get the ball in that place, you need to score a touchdown,” Ryan said. “That’s something we’ll work on and try to get better this week and hopefully be more efficient at throughout the remainder of the year.”
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