Falcons-Seahawks Recap and Analysis

The Atlanta Falcons (2-2), coming off a close 16-13 loss in Tampa Bay traveled to Seattle for their last road game against the Seahawks before coming home for two straight games. The Seahawks opened the game with the ball and went three and out and punted to the Falcons who took over at the Seattle 28-yard line. The Falcons capitalized on a (12) play, (72) yard drive which successfully ended with a one-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan to Tony Gonzalez to put the Falcons up 7-0. After both teams traded three and out possessions, Tavaris Jackson made a costly interception to Curtis Lofton, which placed Atlanta into Seahawks territory. On the ensuing drive, the Falcons capitalized on a (4) play, (37) yard drive that ended with a (21) yard touchdown run by Michael Turner to give the Falcons a commanding 14-0 lead early in the second quarter. On the next Seattle drive, the Seahawks responded by connecting on a (52) yard touchdown pass from Tavaris Jackson to Sidney Rice to put the Seattle within seven points of the Falcons. Their drive took (4) plays and (84) yards as Seattle made the score 14-7 in favor of Atlanta. The Falcons responded by taking their next drive, which was (11) plays and (44) yards which ended with Michael Turner scoring his second rushing touchdown of the game and gave the Falcons a 21-7 lead late in the second quarter. After the Seahawks went three and out, the Falcons got the ball before halftime and moved the ball into field goal range as Matt Bryant nailed a (47) yard field goal attempt to give Atlanta a 24-7 lead at the half. In the third quarter, the Falcons opened the half with the football and took the (5) play, (60) yard drive into Seattle territory; but, had to eventually settle for a (50) yard Matt Bryant field goal to put Atlanta up 27-7. However, the Seahawks gained momentum and went on a 14-0 run by scoring on a (6) yard touchdown pass from Tavaris Jackson to Mike Williams, and after the Falcons and Seahawks traded three and out possessions, Seattle trimmed Atlanta's lead to single digits as Marshawn Lynch ran for an (11) yard touchdown to make the score 27-21 headed into the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Atlanta moved the ball on a (13) play, (57) yard drive that ended with another Matt Bryant field goal of (42) yards that made the Falcons lead at 30-21. Once again, the Seahawks refused to give up and took their next drive down the field and ended with a (8) yard touchdown pass from Tavaris Jackson to Ben Obomanu and trimmed the Falcons lead to two points. Unfortunately, on the next Falcons possession, their next drive made it into Seahawks territory but two crucial dropped passes from Roddy White made the Falcons punt the ball to Seattle. The Seahawks drove the ball as far as the Falcons (44) yard line with less than :20 seconds remaining in the game; however, after a missed third down conversion, Seattle sent out their field goal kicker to attempt a (61) yard field goal; but, the attempt was missed and Atlanta earned their first road win of the season.


STANDOUT PLAYERS OF THE GAME:


1.MATT RYAN

After a tough lost last week and taking many shots in the first three weeks of the season, Matt Ryan played his best game of the season as he was (28-41), threw for (291) yards and one touchdown pass. In this game, Ryan made a lot of great decisions on offense and played like the confident quarterback that Falcons fans know of the fourth year quarterback.Another key component the Ryan showed today was his mobile awareness today as he rushed for (4) carries and (26) yards as he made some clutch rushes to keep the Falcons alive on a few possessions during the game. For the first time this season, the Falcons offense did not have a turnover and showed the potential of being a great offense for the rest of the NFL season. Today's game was a tremendous effort by Ryan and he kept the Qwest Field crowd from affecting his game.




2. JULIO JONES:

As I stated earlier this week in my preview blog, one of the key match-ups that would be key to a Falcons victory was the Julio Jones vs Brandon Bowner match and today, this was a huge factor in securing an Atlanta victory. Jones, coming off his first career (100) yard receiving game of his career in the loss against Tampa Bay, impressed fans with (11) catches for (127) yards, including a huge (45) yard reception on a key offensive drive. Today's game showed that Jones could be a huge addition to the Atlanta offense and he makes it tough for opposing defenders to double-team Roddy White or Tony Gonzalez. Jones played a tremendous game and as the season goes on, expect the rookie receiver to become more productive to the Atlanta passing attack.


3.MICHAEL TURNER:

Another key point that was mentioned in my previous blog was in order for the Falcons to get their offense going into full effect, the production of the running game and Michael Turner must have an huge game to secure an Atlanta victory and he did. Turner had (26) carries for (70) yards and (2) rushing touchdowns. He also caught (2) passes for (18) yards and made an impact on the Falcons offense early in the game to spark them to an early, commanding lead. In the second half, Turner was not so productive, but his first half efforts played a key factor to why the Falcons passing offense had a major impact against the Seahawks defense. Turner, whether many Falcons fans wants to admit it or not, is the bread and butter to the success of the Atlanta Falcons and with his production, this is one of the toughest teams to beat in the NFL.


4. FALCONS OFFENSIVE LINE:

Through the first three weeks of their season, this unit have been one of the worst in the NFL. Coming into the game, Atlanta surrendered (13) quarterback sacks and costed many offensive mistakes, but against the Seahawks today, they did not surrender a sack and gave Matt Ryan the time to make a huge impact on the Falcons game and sparked them to a much needed win. Next week, the unit will face a tough Green Bay defense; however, this game was a step in the right direction for the offensive line.




THINGS THAT MUST BE ADJUSTED NEXT WEEK:


1.Defensive Consistency:

In the first half, the Falcons dominated the Seahawks and if it wasn't for a touchdown scored on a offsides penalty, they would have posted a shutout against the offense. Atlanta's defense surrendered a 20 point lead in the second half and Tavaris Jackson, who struggled through most of the regular season to this point, had one of his best games of his career as he was (25/38), threw for (319) yards, and (2) touchdown passes. Also, in the second half, the Seahawks were (6-7) on third downs and kept some crucial drives alive for their team and two of their touchdown passes were due to busted coverage from the Falcons secondary. As a unit, the defense must mentally remain focused for the entire game and once your offense gives you a commanding lead to maintain, you must remain consistent and don't allow your opponent to gain any momentum. Another issue is the conservative defensive plays which allows the secondary to give up short passes and keep their drives alive. Next week against the Packers, the Falcons must bring an aggressive gameplan and limit Aaron Rodgers from having a huge game.

2. Special Teams Decisions:

The Falcons were close to surrendering two special team touchdowns to Leon Washington because the coverage was terrible today and also placed them in position to score some crucial points in the second half. Also, Matt Bosher is the wrong option as our kicker for kickoffs because one of his kicks went out of bounds and gave the Seahawks the field position to trim the lead and on his punts, Bosher is not producing effective punts to limit the opposition from having an opportunity to place themselves in great position on offense. Also, Eric Weems is starting to become an issue for the Atlanta special teams unit. Through his first four games, Weems, the former Pro Bowl kick returner, have been ineffective towards helping the Falcons gain better field position in each game and as a returner, your job is to put your team in the best field position and he is having a huge problem of doing that for the Falcons.


3. Dropped Passes:

In the past two weeks, some of the Falcons wide receivers, in particular, all-pro Roddy White have dropped some key passes in the fourth quarter of the game. Today, White had a good first half posting (6) receptions for (78) yards; however, on the final two possessions, his ball control started to slip away as he couldn't complete two catches on the final Falcons possession which forced them to punt the ball and give Seattle another offensive drive and a chance to complete the comeback. The dropped passes from White makes it the second week in a row that he had a tough time making clutch receptions in the fourth quarter as he dropped two potential touchdown receptions in the loss against the Buccaneers last week. Against Green Bay, White must return to his form of being one of the best receivers in the NFL and avoid making silly mistakes that could cost an offensive drive to stall for the Falcons or the opportunity to win the game.


4. Conservative Play Calling:

After having a great first half on offense, the Falcons only scored six points in the second half and most of their plays were a bit too conservative and allowed the Seahawks defense to gain momentum. Also, the Falcons were (3-7) on third down percentage in the second half after having a great first half of offense. Another problem is some of the calls that offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey used against Seattle prevented the weapons of the Atlanta offense to continue their dominance in the football game and the momentum as a team slipped away after the very conservative approach to the game. The Falcons did a great job by not committing one offensive turnover; however, you still want to make the necessary plays in order to prevent the opponents from having a chance to rally. Against Green Bay, the conservative gameplan must be adjusted and they should allow themselves to balance their offensive attack in order to earn a home win.


FINAL THOUGHTS:

This was one of your typical Atlanta Falcons nailbiter games; however, they can not depend on blowing huge leads and trying to force a stop in the later parts of a football game. As a team, the Falcons are still searching for their identity as a football team and they are going to improve as the season continues and the playoff stretch starts appearing. The Falcons earned a very ugly victory today; however, they came through in a much needed win and will return home for two games against the Packers and the Panthers. On Thursday, I will post the preview to the Packers-Falcons game. Until then, FALCONS RISE UP!!!