Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon made an alert play and wound up with a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Packers on Sunday.
Green Bay’s Matt Flynn attempted a pass to fullback John Kuhn, but Falcons defensive tackle Peria Jerry was able to tip the ball.
From there, the ball then dropped to hit linebacker Paul Worrilow’s right foot, bouncing back up into Weatherspoon’s hands and he took off down the left sideline. At the 22-yard line, he cut back inside on Green Bay lineman T. J. Lang on his way to the end zone.
Weatherspoon hadn’t been sure if the ball had hit the ground or not.
“You always want to sell it,” Weatherspoon said. “Even if it hits the ground, you still have to take that chance.”
The touchdown put the Falcons up 21-10 with 23 seconds left in the half.
“Robert Alford got a great block,” Weatherspoon said. “I had to cut back, but that was fine. I had to time it up.”
Weatherspoon became the second Falcons defender to return an interception for a touchdown this season. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora had a 68-yard interception return for a score against St. Louis on Sept. 15.
Weatherspoon’s touchdown was the longest since cornerback Asante Samuel returned an interception 79 yards against Oakland last season.
“That was a unique play,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “The ball was tipped and kicked up in the air. Sean made a great run after the catch. We had some guys doing a nice job blocking down field.”
Weatherspoon had left the game earlier with a shoulder injury, but returned. In addition to the touchdown, he had seven tackles and one pass defensed.
“It was awesome,” Weatherspoon said. “I thanked Worrilow for the nice kick. … We came in with a lot of confidence off of that, but we just didn’t make the plays that we needed to make to secure the win.”
Stopping Lacy: The Falcons did a decent job against Green Bay rookie running back Eddie Lacy, who was held to 65 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown.
“He is good,” Weatherspoon said. “I like Eddie Lacy. He is definitely a big guy and he runs tough behind his pads. I am not sure what the numbers were today, but I felt like we kept the run game down.”
Lacy’s backup, John Starks, had seven rushes for just 19 yards.
But the Packers, due to six scrambles by Flynn for 28 yards, became the 10th straight team to rush for more than 100 yards against the Falcons. The Pack finished with 112 yards on 33 carries.
Davis' big catch: Wide receiver Drew Davis pulled double-duty on his 36-yard yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
Before getting out into his route, he stayed in to put a chip block on a Green Bay defender.
“I saw Matt (Ryan) looking for me and once I got the ball, their guys missed a tackle and I looked around for the safety and I just walked into the end zone,” Davis said. “I was just supposed to protect a little bit and then leak out late. Once I got my job done, I was able to get into my route and get the touchdown.”
Tough homecoming: Right guard Peter Konz, a native of nearby Neehan, Wis., had plenty of family and friends on hand.
“It was a hard fought game,” said Konz, who played collegiately at Wisconsin. “The weather was a factor. It was just a battle for field position and at the end, we came up short. It was just a hard one, but it’s one that we have to learn from.”
Rushing attack: The Falcons rushed for 83 yards on 23 carries. Running back Steven Jackson had 15 carries for 71 yards.
“You have to give people confidence in you,” Konz said. “You really want to get four yards on that first one to give them confidence that you can run the ball again. We need to get better at starting faster. That’s going to be an emphasis point for us.”
Sack exchange: The Falcons tied a season-high with five sacks against the Packers. They also had five sacks against Miami on Sept. 22.
Defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi (1.5), Worrilow (1.5), safety William Moore (1) and defensive tackle Corey Peters (1) had the sacks. The Falcons also had five quarterback hits on Flynn.
Injury report: Falcons free safety Thomas DeCoud left the game at the end of the first quarter with what was likely an concussion, but was announced as a "head injury."
Running back Antone Smith left with a knee injury, but was walking without assistance after the game.
Etc.: Worrilow had a game-high 12 tackles. … Wide receiver Roddy White caught eight passes for 74 yards. In his last two games, White has 18 catches for 217 yards. … Punter Matt Bosher averaged 44.5 yards on four punts and placed two punts inside the Packers' 20-yard line.
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