When you’ve gone five weeks without winning, even an eight-point victory over a winless opponent with a clueless coach and a new quarterback and a recurring staph infection in its training facility is cause to smile. But not to laugh out loud. The Atlanta Falcons are 2-4, which isn’t where they wanted to be, but it beats the heck out of 1-5.
“We’re not in a position where we can get to a good spot overnight,” right guard Justin Blalock said. “But this was a step.”
In recent seasons, the Falcons have had a maddening knack of making easy games seem hard. On this given Sunday, they turned what loomed as a difficult game — when you’re missing your No. 1 tailback and your No. 1 left tackle and your two best wide receivers, even foundering Tampa Bay is cause for concern — into something rudimentary. The Falcons had Matt Ryan. End of discussion.
He threw 26 passes, completing 20 for 273 yards and three touchdowns. He wasn’t sacked. He threw no interceptions. His passer rating was 148.4, which marked a career zenith, and it arrived on a day when the Falcons needed their best player to be at his considerable best.
Said Blalock: “He did a great job. He’s obviously a great player, very smart. Today’s performance showed he ranks up there with the really good ones. I looked up once and he had almost a perfect quarterback rating (which, for the record, would be 158.3).”
What Tom Brady has been doing with garden-variety receivers in New England? This was akin to that. Harry Douglas, who’s usually the fourth option, looked like an All-Pro (seven catches for 149 yards). Darius Johnson, who was pulled off the practice squad Saturday, caught two passes. Drew Davis, who’d had no catches this season, shook loose on the sideline and made a key one-handed grab that was, coach Mike Smith allowed, “Julio-like.”
Not being completely brainless, the Bucs locked up Tony Gonzalez, who managed two catches and would occasionally see the estimable cornerback Darrelle Revis aligned against him. Their stout front seven limited the Falcons to 18 yards rushing. No matter. Ryan was so precise he made a depleted and one-dimensional offense appear in full-bodied 3D.
The Falcons’ defense, for a change, held up its end. It staked Ryan to a 7-0 lead when William Moore, the strong safety, sacked Mike Glennon on Tampa Bay’s third snap, inducing a fumble that was gathered up by Thomas DeCoud, the free safety, and returned for a touchdown. Yes, the Falcons were determined to blitz the composure out of the rookie who replaced the since-canned Josh Freeman, and yes, that really was defensive coordinator Mike Nolan working from the sideline.
“We thought it would be in our best interest to bring Mike down (from his usual perch in the coaches’ box),” Smith said, and why not? The Falcons entered with the 31st-ranked defense, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA (defensive-adjusted value over average) ratings.
The sack-and-score gave the Falcons a lead they wouldn’t lose. Their advantage would grow to 24-7 before the half. The Bucs drew within 24-17 late in the third quarter, but a deft middle screen, which Ryan appeared to deliver under the armpits of defenders, became Jacquizz Rodgers’ second touchdown of the day. The game wound down with the Bucs, who entered the final five minutes 14 points behind, kicking one field goal and then another, which presumably made sense to the overmatched Greg Schiano, if no one else.
“We finally finished a game out,” DeCoud said, and he actually applied — apologies in advance — the DeCoud de grace, falling on Michael Koenen’s onside kick with 1:55 remaining. The three-game losing skid, the worst in five-plus seasons under Smith, was put to rest. The climb back toward .500 can begin in earnest.
Said Ryan: “We need to focus on having one good day in practice and then put a second one on top of that and focus on the small details. … If we do that, I think we’ll be fine.”
Nobody suggested that beating the Bucs means the Falcons have returned to health. With so many injuries, that’s never going to happen. But they still believe there’s something to be made of this season, and maybe there is.
Asked about the absence of turnovers, which were an issue in the earlier losses, Smith offered a response that was, by cautious Smitty standards, rather revealing. “It’s a start,” he said. “That’s how we’ll sell it.”
When you’ve gone five weeks without winning, a splash of salesmanship never hurts.
About the Author
