The Falcons are still in playoff contention after their convincing 36 – 17 win over the Saints. As a result of the win, Atlanta is only one game behind NFC South division leaders Carolina and Tampa Bay. The Falcons will play the Panthers and the Buc one more time before the season concludes, and the Panthers and the Bucs have to play each other again. The NFC South crown is still in the air.
One NFC South team the Falcons don’t have to worry about is the New Orleans Saints. We’ve beat them earlier in the season, and I we looked impressive beating them last night. The final score may not suggest a close game, but New Orleans played the Falcons tough for 2 ½ quarters. Going into halftime, Aaron Brooks, the Saints’ quarterback had curved up some good numbers, and the Saints defense returned an interception back for a touchdown.
But as soon as the Saints started gaining momentum, Michael “Mr. Monday Night” Vick took control offensively and the dirty birds began to fly. The precise momentum shift occurred when Vick scrambled left and then soared through the air for the touchdown, with the ball in his left hand and his right hand actually crossing the goal line. The fans at the Dome went nuts, I went nuts, and the team seemed to be inspired by Vicks’ gutsy move. Vick finished the night 12 of 23 for 231 yards and 1 touchdown. He added 38 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Warrick Dunn had 73 rushing yards and T.J. “Mountain Man” Duckett had 13 rushing yards and a touchdown. Although the Dunn and Duckett finished the game strong, they both started out slow. As much as I love Michael Vicks’ play, the heart and soul of the dirty birds rest with the rushing game. If the Falcons want to make the playoffs, then these two are going to have to establish the rushing game from the jump off, so Vick won’t have to carrier so much offensive responsibility.
The Falcons wide receiver corps continues to impress me. Tight end Alge Crumper did his thing: 3 catches for 94 yards. Rookie “Rowdy” Roddy White is developing into a valuable option. He had 65 receiving yards. Michael Jenkins made some key grabs and Brian Finneran continued to show his big play potential.
John Madden named cornerback DeAngelo Hall Player of the Game. Is it me, or is Hall one cocky SOB. I say that in a good way. He talks the talk and walks the walk. We’ll need him to bring his A-game down the home stretch. The remainder of the defense played well, holding New Orleans to 332 total yards. We still need to strength our secondary.
I think the outcome of next week’s game will determine whether we have a legit chance at the playoffs and will forecast how we will do if we back the playoffs. The Falcons travel to the winter wonderland of Chicago to take on the Bears. The game will be played outdoors against a team with an outstanding defense. An Atlanta win strengths our playoff hopes and it shows opposing teams that we can win in cold conditions.
* The original “Mr. Monday Night” is WWE superstar Rob Van Dam. He coined the nickname after winning his debut match on Raw is War.
2 comments:
the game was a good one and its not you D'lo is a very confident person. if you ever hear him on any of the sport shows you will pick up on that very quickly. he can make plays but sometimes relys on his speed too much and gets burned. The Falcons have to keep hope alive on Sunday in the freezing cold agianst "Da Bears" i have faith that we will pull it out.
Confidence is good. I have to agree with you - he does rely on his speed too much. He's still young thoug. When he does interviews, does he refer to himself in the 3rd person?
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