Tennessee Titans (5-5) at Atlanta Falcons (6-4) Recap and Analysis

Coming off a tough loss in overtime to NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons were taking on the Tennessee Titans, who were trying to compete for an AFC South Division title with the Houston Texans and wanted to earn a win to keep their playoff chances alive. Coming into the game, the Falcons never beat this team in their franchise history and in a must-win game for both teams,Atlanta delivered at a tough point of the NFL season. The Falcons opened the game by kicking off to Tennessee and successfully held the Titans to a three and out. After the Titans punted to the Falcons, the offense took over in their territory and capitalized on a (5) play, 44-yard drive when Matt Ryan threw a (17) yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez to give Atlanta a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Ryan to Gonzalez connection was the 15th touchdown pass by Matt Ryan and his 7th of the season to Tony Gonzalez. On the ensuing Titans possession, their offense was moving the ball until Matt Hasselback threw an rare interception to Dunta Robinson, which was his first of the season and only his second in his career in Atlanta. The Falcons took over at the Titans 44 yard line and would capitalize on a (12) play, 43-yard drive which ended with a Matt Bryant 19-yard field goal to put Atlanta up 10-0 early in the second quarter. After the Titans had yet another three and out, the Falcons capitalized on a (7) play, 63-yard drive which ended with a Matt Bryant 36-yard field goal to extend the Falcons lead to 13-0. After the Falcons and Titans traded three and out possessions, Tennessee finally capitalized on a (7) play, 62-yard drive that ended with a 46-yard field goal from Rob Bironas to cut Atlanta's lead to 13-3 at halftime. On the Falcons opening possession of the third quarter, they capitalized on a (7) play, 80-yard drive that ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner to give the Falcons a commanding 20-3 lead early in the third quarter. The touchdown was Michael Turner's eighth rushing score of the 2011 season. After the Titans had another three and out, Atlanta would score after a (12) play, 49 yards drive that ended with Matt Bryant's third field goal of the game, which was from (24) yards to extend the Falcons lead to 23-3. After the Titans inserted their rookie quarterback Jake Locker, they would capitalize on their next possession with a (40) yard touchdown pass to Nate Washington to cut the Falcons lead to 23-10 late in the third quarter. After the Falcons and Titans both had another three and out possession, the Falcons had the ball and even drove deep into Tennessee territory; unfortunately, inside the redzone, Michael Turner lost a fumble to give the Titans a chance late in the game. After the turnover, Jake Locker and the Titans capitalized on a (14) play, 84-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Nate Washington and put them within six of the Falcons as the score was 23-17. On the next Falcons possession, Matt Ryan completed a crucial third down pass to Harry Douglas and ended the Titans late rally and earned another home win. The Falcons improved to 6-4 on the season and kept themselves alive in the tough NFC playoff race as the Titans would drop to 5-5 and make the road tougher for them and their playoff chances as the season continues. Sunday's victory was the first time in franchise history that the Atlanta Falcons earned a regular season win against the Tennessee Titans and Mike Smith improved to 17-3 in games after his team suffered a loss. Now, I will give my standout players of the win, things we learned from the game, and things that will need to be adjusted for the remainder of the season.




STANDOUT PLAYERS:


1.MICHAEL TURNER

The Falcons had a great game on the ground and their star running back led the Falcons offense to success yesterday as he posted (21) carries for (100) yards rushing and one touchdown. Turner surpassed the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season and when Turner accomplishes this stat, the Falcons are 4-1 this season. He is now ranked (5th) in the NFL in rushing yards with (888) and tied for (4th) in rushing touchdowns with (8) and his efforts will be key for the Falcons on their road to returning to the postseason. Whether many people want to admit it or not, Michael Turner is the engine that gets the Falcons offense going and we need to continue to have huge games out of him in order to win against some of the best teams in the league. The veteran is starting to heat up at the right time for Atlanta and the team must continue to feed their star in order to have a successful attack in the playoff stretch. For the Falcons to continue and have a successful stretch with Turner, they need to balance their attack with Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling to take the pressure off Michael Turner and keep him completely healthy and prepared to help Atlanta make a successful run.




2. MATT RYAN:

Matt Ryan played his best game of the season against the Titans as he went 22-32, posted (319) passing yards and threw one touchdown pass. He ended his day with an outstanding quarterback rating of (110.9) and looked like a confident person on the field yesterday. Another significant part of the win vs Tennessee was for the first time this season, the Falcons allowed Matt Ryan to conduct the Falcons offense majority of the game and was successful in leading Atlanta to a much-needed win. Ryan did a great job calling plays and it showed that the team trusted his ability to make the right calls that will help the Falcons offense produce points. As the season continues, I expect Matt Ryan to improve as a play-caller and allow all of his weapons to give Atlanta a huge boost that will take this offense to another level as the playoff push continues. Matt Ryan is coming along in his fourth season in the NFL and his progression will only continue and this could pay off in the long run for the Falcons.


3. RODDY WHITE:

Yesterday was the best game of the season for the All-Pro receiver as he posted (7) catches for (147) yards, which was his biggest day since last season against the Cincinnati Bengals. This was the vintage Roddy White that played for the Falcons yesterday and when he is producing numbers like these, their offense is unstoppable and becomes very difficult for opposing teams to handle when the Matt Ryan- Roddy White connection is on and they have quickly become one of the best tandems in the NFL. Roddy White posted only his second 100-yard receiving game of the season. After this game, I feel that Roddy White may have gained his confidence and his production could be key towards helping the Falcons offense explode and take it to another level. Despite his struggles, he still leads the team in receiving yards with (710) yards and will probably make another trip to the Pro Bowl. As the season progress, the Falcons will need to receive a consistent effort from their star receiver because in order to take the team towards the next level and deep into the postseason. 




Things We Learned From the Win:


1.Atlanta needs to continue their dominance on the ground:

The Falcons have done a tremendous job getting back to the style of offense that made them a successful team in the 2010 season, which is running the ball. Michael Turner is continuing his dominance on the ground and as we enter December, his efforts will play a major factor in how far the Atlanta Falcons will climb on their road towards the NFL playoffs. Atlanta is ranked (11th) in the NFL in rushing yards per game with (120.6) and they are still one of the best teams in the league with their physical rushing attack. As the season continue, I would love to see Jacquizz Rodgers and Jason Snelling take some pressure off  Michael Turner because we will need him to carry us through December and into the playoffs and you don't want your star player to struggle when the team have big games and crucial moments that could take the Falcons to the top of the NFC. A balanced running game will be a key factor in January and February and the Falcons have the component that can earn a championship for this team. The key to the Falcons offense over the past few years is their success on the ground and this allows their team to have a successful and balanced attack.




2. The Falcons are one of the best rushing defenses in the league:

Atlanta had a decent rushing defense over the past few years; however, this season have shown how great the Falcons are at containing some of the best running backs around the NFL. In a season where the Falcons faced Matt Forte, Legarrette Blount, Lesean Mccoy, Chris Johnson, and Darren Sproles to this point, none of them have surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark against this defense. Atlanta has allowed the second fewest amount of rushing yards with (854), sixth with amount of yards per carry with (6.8), second with rushing yards per game (85.4) and allowed the second fewest amount of runs of more than 20 yards (3). One of the main keys towards having a successful playoff run and winning a championship is your ability to contain the run and the Falcons are doing a great job at containing them. In the next two weeks, the Falcons could encounter a challenge with Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster; however, they are well-prepared to face some of the best running backs in the NFL.


3. The Falcons are a resilient team that don't allow losses to shake their confidence:

After their victory against the Titans, the Falcons have improved to 17-3 after a loss since Mike Smith became head coach and have won 5 of their last 6 games in November as Atlanta continues to remain focused on another run at the playoffs. In Sunday's win, you could see the Falcons returning to their winning ways and that will be a huge advantage as they embark on their final six games of the NFL season. Atlanta now sits at (6-4) and only one game out of the NFC Wild-Card race and trails the New Orleans Saints by a game in the NFC South. Over the next six weeks, the Falcons will play teams with a combined record of (25-35) with New Orleans and Houston as their only teams on the schedule with winning records. The Falcons could run the table and at least win 5 of their next 6 and make a push for a potential home playoff game but this win opened many chances for Atlanta to take their leap and make the playoffs consecutively for the first time in franchise history.




THINGS THAT MUST BE ADJUSTED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON:


1. Red-zone Efficiency on Offense:

Despite the recent success that the Falcons offense have made, they are struggling to turn their possessions in the red-zone to touchdowns. On Sunday, the Falcons drove the ball towards the 1-yard line twice and had to settle for field goals due to their lack of success inches away from the end zone. Atlanta encountered the same problems in their loss to the Saints as Matt Bryant kicked three field goals after the offense failed to score touchdowns against the worst red-zone defense in the league entering that game. On Sunday, the offense also settled for three Matt Bryant field goals after successfully making it to the red-zone.  As the season continues, the Falcons must improve their play-calling and their success inside the opponents 20-yard line because scoring touchdowns will be a key factor against some of the best offenses around the NFL such as Green Bay and New Orleans. For the rest of the season, Atlanta needs to improve their intensity as a team when they are trying to convert long drives into touchdowns because in the playoffs, you must be able to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals because these small things could cost your team a chance at winning a game so the Falcons need to work at improving their decisions inside the red-zone.


2. Falcons defense must apply more pressure to the quarterback and adjust their secondary:

Despite having the second best rushing defense in the NFL, Atlanta is struggling to contain some of the best passing offenses around the league and this must improve in order to have a successful run at the postseason. Currently, the Falcons are ranked (25th) in the NFL in passing yards allowed with (254.1) and  have only earned (16) sacks as a team on defense. Atlanta must get after the quarterback consistently in order to reduce the pressure on their secondary and they have struggled to make that happen and this must improve down the stretch if the Falcons are going to shut down some of the best offenses around the NFL. John Abraham and Ray Edwards must step it up for the Falcons defensive unit because this defense is not far from becoming one of the best 4-3 defenses in the NFL but it will take for them to bring more pressure at opposing quarterbacks. One of the key problems that must be addressed is the secondary. On Sunday, corner back Kelvin Hayden, who is having a great season at nickel for the Falcons suffered an injury and Chris Owens, who was the former nickel back came in the game and we saw Nate Washington score two touchdowns and bring the Titans within striking distance of a comeback and this was a huge problem with our defense before Hayden became the starter at this position. If Kelvin Hayden is going to miss any time from his injury, it's time to give corner back Dominique Franks an opportunity to play the nickel position. Franks, a second year member of the Falcons had a productive pre-season and seemed like he would win the spot before Hayden was signed and now is the time to give him a chance to show his skills in the secondary. Owens have received many opportunities to play the nickel position; however, his production was less than average and coordinator Brian Van Gorder needs to make a change at the position until Hayden is healthy. Another issue is the lack of coverage from Thomas Decoud at free safety. Despite having four interceptions, Decoud has struggled to reduce the production of some of the tight ends and wide receivers that he is matched up against on game days and once William Moore returns, I feel that the Falcons must pressure Decoud to improve his production or changes will occur because James Sanders, the second free agent signing for our defense, is having a good season and should be a starter in the secondary for the rest of the season and I feel that this could wake Decoud up and watch how his production increases when pressure for a starting job is applied to him. In order for our secondary to have an effective impact for the Falcons defense, this will take some adjustments as we continue our playoff push. Finally, many people have felt 50-50 about the production of corner back Dunta Robinson this season and he must take his game to another level in order for the Falcons defense to have a dominant playoff run. Robinson is one of the hardest corner backs to face when you place him in a man to man situation because in Houston, their coordinators gave him the freedom to take on some of the top receivers by playing tight coverage and that is when he is a dominant player on defense and Brian Van Gorder needs to allow him to play that style of football. Over the past two years, Robinson has struggled to be a consistent corner back in the zone defense and it's time for the coordinators to allow him to play the coverage that made him so successful in his six years in Houston. 




PREVIEW OF NEXT WEEK:
After the Falcons earned a win against the Titans, they have a third and final home game against the Minnesota Vikings (2-8) in which they will face Christian Ponder and see their former players Michael Jenkins and former QB coach turned offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. My preview blog will be ready Wednesday. Until then, RISE UP!!!