FLOWERY BRANCH -- The Falcons came out of Sunday night's game against the Packers with several injured players, among them six starters, but their status was not something coach Mike Smith was willing to discuss in detail on Monday.
“I will have a whole lot more on Wednesday,” Smith said, referring to the first injury report of the week.
The injured included wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring), safety William Moore (shoulder), nickel back Christopher Owens (head) and offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds (ankle). Jones, Moore and Owens left the game and did not return.
Moore said Monday he was awaiting results of an MRI exam.
Reynolds, who returned to the game, said he expected to play Sunday against the Panthers.
“That was a game of attrition,” Smith said. “There is not doubt about it. Those things are going to happen. You can’t make excuses for those. We’ve always said it, [that] one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.”
The Falcons began the game without defensive end John Abraham (hip) and center Todd McClure (knee). Smith hoped both could return to practice this week.
Abraham experienced stiffness in his hip during the week, worked with trainers Sunday in hopes of playing, but the decision was made to hold him out, Smith said.
“We certainly hope with the four or five days that he had nonactivity that he will be able to go this week,” Smith said.
Smith credited the play of ends Lawrence Sidbury, who had a sack, and Kroy Biermann in place of Abraham.
Communication breakdown
One of the Falcons' stalled drives occurred when the communication device between quarterback Matt Ryan and the sideline failed in the third quarter, according to Smith.
Facing a second-and-four from the 26-yard line, Ryan had to call his own play when he couldn't receive orders. He threw incomplete on a long pass to Jones. On the ensuing play he threw incomplete to Harry Douglas, ending the drive.
“Not often, but it does happen,” Smith said of the malfunction.
Bitter words
The Packers felt slighted by the Falcons, even after Sunday night’s 25-14 victory.
Green Bay players haven't forgotten offseason comments made following last year’s playoff game at the Georgia Dome, which the Packers won en route to their Super Bowl championship. The Falcons left the perception that they were the better team last season.
"Now that we abused them, for the second time in a row, at their home, there's nothing really to do," Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following Sunday night's win. "If they want to play us again, tell them to come up to Lambeau [Field]. That's it. That's how we're doing it."
Raji said he didn’t consider the Falcons a rival, despite Atlanta’s regular-season victory last season.
“They have a long way to go,” Raji said. “For it to be a rivalry, you have to win meaningful games. They’re just another opponent. They have a long way to go. I wouldn't talk like this, but when people don’t respect you, I don’t take it lying down. Those people don't respect us, so, in turn, I’m not going to give them any respect.”
No moral victory
Cornerback Dunta Robinson was not impressed that the Falcons limited the high-powered Packers offense to 25 points, which some might consider a successful performance.
“You want to win,” Robinson said Monday. “We don’t say, ‘They only scored 25 points this time.’ A loss is a loss and we play this game to win, no matter who the team is, no matter who the quarterback is. We came into the game totally expecting to win. When we went into halftime [leading] 14-6, that’s what we expected. We know a lot of people didn’t expect it to go that way, but we expected it to as a defense and as a team.”
DeCoud in coverage
Safety Thomas DeCoud was beaten on James Jones' 70-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter that gave the Packers the lead for good, and Smith called the play one of two "back-breakers."
The Falcons blitzed on the play. Jones slipped to the inside and beat DeCoud down the middle.
“It was a blitz where we don’t have very much help on the back end,” DeCoud said. “But I just have to be sound in coverage and make sure that I stay on top of my man.”
DeCoud also was in on a near sack of Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers quarterback was able to slip from his grasp and complete a seven-yard pass to Jordy Nelson on second-and-nine.
“I was coming on a blitz and the Red Sea parted,” DeCoud said. “A back tried to come up and block me and I had to get around him. Aaron stepped up and I just tried to wrap him up and get him on the ground as best that I could.”
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