FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons defense continued its solid play into the third quarter of the season, providing answers for the Saints' high-flying passing attack and going on the road and slowing All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson. Atlanta finished the four-game stretch 3-1 and found itself in the mix for an NFC South title as the season entered its final month.
Atlanta Falcons 34, New Orleans Saints 20
The Georgia Dome
Week 10
Members of the Falcons secondary heard talk about the potency of the Saints passing game. That doesn't mean it affected them.
The Birds met the challenges presented by the Saints top-ranked offense and came away with a 34-20 victory.
Safety Erik Coleman intercepted Saints quarterback Drew Brees on his first attempt of the afternoon to set the tone for one of the best defensive performances of the year. Nine Falcons finished with at least one pass defensed and Brees was held to his lowest completion rate of the season (53.4 percent). The Birds also recorded two second-half interceptions, one returned 95 yards for a touchdown by rookie Chevis Jackson. Cornerback Domonique Foxworth knocked away three passes in the first quarter, including a shot to the end zone intended for Marques Coleston with 3:42 left in the opening quarter.
Quarterback Matt Ryan finished 16-of-23 for 248 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the game, his first going to wide receiver Roddy White with 9:12 remaining in the first quarter. He also led the Falcons on an 80-yard drive into the second quarter that ended with a Michael Turner touchdown run.
The Saints managed a pair of field goals in the first half after scoring 107 first-half points in the previous eight games. They struggled because each time the Falcons defense took the field a new face made plays.
Defensive end John Abraham picked up his 11th sack of the season on a key third-down stop in the first half. Chris Houston recorded an interception in the end zone that put down a fourth-quarter scoring threat. Linebacker Michael Boley had two pass breakups in one second-half series that further took wind out of the Saints' sails.
Brees threw a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a Hail Mary at the end of the game, but the stars of the day were still members of the Falcons' much-examined pass defense, which forced turnovers and slowed down one of the league's best despite getting just one sack from the defensive line.
QUOTABLE: “They are the best passing offense in the league," Foxworth said. "We knew coming into this game that the pressure was going to be on us. We believe in our secondary and we have been playing really well the past several weeks. We are proud to put it on display in front of the world against the best passing offense. More than anything, I’m proud of the young guys for stepping up.”
FROM THE BLOG: "Sunday the Falcons fed off crowd energy to put down the league's top passing offense. Sure, the Saints got a late touchdown to make the score 34-20 -- a bit more respectable -- but, in many ways, the game was never in doubt."
MORE ON THE FALCONS-SAINTS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more in the NFL.com Game Center
- GAME RECAP: Birds deflate Saints passing game in division win
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Georgia Dome press box
Denver Broncos 24, Atlanta Falcons 20
The Georgia Dome
Week 11
Running back Michael Turner rushed for two touchdowns, including a 28-yard score to give the Falcons a fourth-quarter lead, but it wasn't enough as the Denver Broncos left the Georgia Dome with a 24-20 win.
Turner's last score of the day put the Falcons up 20-17 with 10:41 remaining. That brought a sold-out crowd to life but they could do nothing but watch as Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler piloted his team on a 10-play, 86-yard drive into the red zone.
Cutler hit tight end Daniel Graham with a 9-yard pass for a touchdown with 5:35 remaining. The Falcons moved the ball to the Denver 45 and took a shot to the end zone, but Matt Ryan's last-chance pass on fourth-and-18 flew over the head of wide receiver Michael Jenkins.
Atlanta trailed twice in the game but fought back with gritty running from Turner, who finished with 81 rushing yards, and clutch plays from Ryan and his receivers. The team was 11-of-18 on third down (61 percent) but didn't stay on the field when it mattered most. The defense also played well in spurts, closing out the first half by forcing four-straight three-and-outs.
The Broncos converted every third down they faced in the final period as momentum shifted. Cutler threw for 70 yards in the fourth quarter and wrapped up the game with 216 yards through the air, a touchdown and a 106.4 passer rating.
QUOTABLE: “We can’t afford to waste time thinking about this loss," said wide receiver Brian Finneran, who had four catches (all for first downs). "We have to go right back to work. You have to have a short-term memory playing in the NFL. You just have to keep fighting in this league. We have a lot of good players on this squad and I know we’ll do that. We have to watch film tomorrow, make the necessary adjustments and figure out how to attack Carolina. Hopefully, we’ll bounce back, and get a win next week.”
FROM THE BLOG: "At the risk of being labeled the biggest drum-beater since Ringo Star, I'll stand up for the positives in this game and say the remnants of today's emotional explosion can be harnessed into something special for next week's game against the first-place Panthers."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-BRONCOS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Turner's touchdowns aren't enough to carry Falcons
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Georgia Dome press box
Atlanta Falcons 45, Carolina Panthers 28
The Georgia Dome
Week 12
Michael Turner isn't one for flamboyant end zone celebrations. But the mild-mannered running back couldn't help celebrate a bit after a fourth-down touchdown run with 7:13 remaining in Sunday's victory over the Panthers. An approving Georgia Dome crowd roared as the running back scored his third touchdown of the day. The gutsy play gave the Falcons a 10-point, fourth-quarter lead and sparked an exciting close to a 45-28 victory.
Atlanta scored 28 fourth-quarter points in the win.
Attitude was everything for the Falcons, who got off to an early ,17-0 lead, withstood a Panthers surge and put the game away when it counted. It mattered most after Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme rushed for a 12-yard touchdown with 10:57 left in the game. Carolina pulled within three, 24-21, with a two-point conversion.
Matt Ryan and the offense faced a quick third down on the next possession, but the quarterback found rookie wide receiver Harry Douglas on a 69-yard pass play to the Panthers 6. Four plays later Turner got his key, fourth-down touchdown.
The Panthers faced an energized defense and a raucous crowd on the next possession. Defensive end Chauncey Davis recorded his second sack of the day and back-to-back false start penalties backed Carolina into the shadow of its own goal line. The Panthers punted from the end zone, giving Douglas a chance for a big return. The rookie brought the kick back up the middle 61 yards for a touchdown.
Carolina scored 10-straight points in the third quarter negating some of the work the Falcons did in the opening half. But, when it mattered most, the team found a way to hit the accelerator.
QUOTABLE: “We stayed strong and we really set the tone at the beginning of the game," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "We came out in the second half and were a little bit slow. It’s frustrating, but you have to give those guys (Carolina) credit. But at the end of the day, when they (Carolina) had a little momentum we were able to get it back. That says a lot about this football team and the character of these guys.”
FROM THE BLOG: "After giving up 10 points to open the second half the Falcons needed some relief. More accurately, they needed to answer an emergency call for momentum. The team responded... With a 28-point fourth quarter."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-PANTHERS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Falcons use big plays to send Panthers home with loss
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes directly from the Georgia Dome press box
Atlanta Falcons 22, San Diego Chargers 16
Qualcomm Stadium
Week 13
The Falcons defeated the Chargers 22-16 Sunday in a game filled with emotional plays on both sides of the ball.
Three turnovers led to Chargers scores but a solid effort by the Falcons defense turned back the Chargers on multiple occasions. The unit also forced a key score just before halftime.
Atlanta took an early 3-0 lead off a Jason Elam field goal but fell behind after a fumbled punt by Harry Douglas inside Falcons territory. Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson got in for a touchdown four plays later, but that would be some of the only success the All Pro had in the afternoon. Tomlinson was held to the second-lowest rushing total of his career (24 yards) and the Chargers didn't have an offensive play of more than 18 yards in the game.
Michael Turner, who backed up Tomlinson for the first four years of his career before joining the Falcons, rushed for 120 yards on 31 careers.
Atlanta got another Elam field goal in the first quarter, scored with a Matt Ryan to Justin Peelle touchdown pass and then opened the game up off a defensive play. In the process, the Falcons got their first win of the season when not leading after the first quarter.
The Falcons defense worked tirelessly to get in the face of Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and was rewarded for the effort with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter.
A special teams tackle on a kickoff return by David Irons gave San Diego first-and-10 inside its own 10-yard line. The defense took over from there, dropping Tomlinson for a loss and forcing Rivers to throw from his own end zone on third down. Defensive end John Abraham bull rushed over the left side and got his left arm on Rivers. The quarterback escaped but threw the ball to an empty space just over the line of scrimmage. The subsequent intentional grounding penalty resulted in a safety and an additional two points for the Falcons.
Atlanta got the ball to open the third quarter and again moved down the field but a rare Brian Finneran fumble was recovered by safety Eric Weddle and returned 86 yards for a Chargers touchdown. Smith challenged the play but there wasn't enough to overturn the original call. San Diego missed on a two-point conversion attempt, however, and the Falcons retained a thin, two-point lead, 15-13.
Ryan finished the game with a solid 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He found Roddy White six times for 112 yards as the receiver went over the 1,000 yard mark for the second-straight season.
QUOTABLE: “In this league you have to win games like this, when things don’t always go your way… I felt like our guys fought very hard for 60 minutes," Head Coach Mike Smith said. “This is a group of men that enjoy being around each other. They've fought hard every single day since we’ve been together."
FROM THE BLOG: "Eight wins. Eight wins that guarantee a .500 season and act as a spring board for more in the 'W' column. Eight wins."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-CHARGERS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Falcons get 22-16 victory over Chargers in San Diego
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Qualcomm Stadium press box
