JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Falcons entered Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Sunday facing high humidity and hot, Florida temperatures.
But it was the Jaguars defense that really turned up the heat.
Quarterback Joey Harrington was sacked seven times Sunday as the Falcons fell, 13-7. The defeat moves the team to 0-2 on the young season with division-rival Carolina set to visit the Georgia Dome Sept. 23.
Much like a Week 1 defeat at Minnesota, the Falcons remained in the game into the final quarter. But Jacksonville (1-1) used a 13-play, 50-yard drive to set up a game-clinching field goal by John Carney with less than four minutes to play. Quarterback David Garrard found Reggie Williams in the back of the end zone earlier in the quarter for a 10-7 Jaguars lead.
The Falcons offense drove into the red zone twice in the game, but managed just seven points. Kicker Matt Prater missed two field goals.
“I’m proud of our players on how hard they competed and got themselves ready for the game knowing that it was going to be a hot, hard-fought game," Head Coach Bobby Petrino said. "There was good excitement on the sidelines and the guys felt like we were going to win the game. We thought we got ourselves in a position to win the game and it just did not happen. Our defense played hard; our offense moved the ball but we can not have the negative plays that get you out of your drive and, certainly, the field goals that we missed killed us.”
Carney's first field goal gave the home team a 3-0 lead with with 13:30 remaining in the second quarter. That broke open what was, and continued to be, a defensive affair. His kick was the only score in the half until the Falcons put together a 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive to take a 7-3 lead into the locker room.
Atlanta's offense erased previous errors on the drive, which Harrington managed primarily out of the shotgun set. The Falcons converted all four of their third down attempts on the series, which ended with a 4-yard touchdown run by veteran running back Warrick Dunn.
Earlier in the half, Dunn moved into sole possession of third place on the Falcons all-time rushing list. He now sits behind Gerald Riggs (6,631 yards) and Williams Andrews (5,986 yards).
Playing without veteran tackle Wayne Gandy, who pulled his left hamstring in the first quarter, the offensive line opened the door for 82 rushing yards and, early in the game, gave Harrington a chance to connect with a new favorite target -- wide receiver Roddy White.
White finished the day with four catches for 81 yards.
“I’m pleased with our effort, but disappointed with the way we executed down the stretch," tight end Alge Crumpler said. "We definitely had some things we could have done better. However, the front four for Jacksonville that showed up today was not necessarily the front that showed up last week when we watched the Tennessee film. That’s what happens when you have Pro Bowlers like (John) Henderson and (Marcus) Stroud. They have so much pride in the way that they play. They stepped up and made plays today and feasted on the opportunity that they had.”
Sacks also proved costly.
"It's not discouraging. It's frustrating," said Harrington, who finished the game 12-of-20 for 200 yards. "Discouraging is implying we don't believe in what we're doing and we don't believe in ourselves... We know we can move the ball. We've shown it. Now it's a matter of finishing off some of those drives."
“It was a combination of times not getting the blocks and times of holding the ball too long," Petrino said about the Jaguars pressure. "It is definitely a concern of mine. Again, it happens when we have to throw the ball and we have a long way to go.”
When it comes to missed field goals, Prater accepted responsibility.
"I saw both defenses were playing well and I just didn’t do my job," he said. "Hopefully, I’ll bounce back and do my job next week. This is really tough. I put it all on my shoulders. I felt like I let the team down. I didn’t do my part and I feel pretty bad about it.”
On defense, the Falcons were led by defensive end John Abraham, who picked up his first sack of the season. Defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux, playing for an injured Rod Coleman, recorded two sacks.
Abraham also made noise in pass coverage, twice becoming an open-field defender.
The Pro Bowler knocked away a fourth-down pass to Maurice Jones-Drew that gave the Falcons the ball at their own 34 with just more than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. That offensive drive ended in a missed field goal.
Abraham would meet Jones-Drew again early in the fourth quarter, running through a block and forcing Garrard to scramble out of the pocket, but the Jaguars managed enough moves on offense to play keep-away in the fourth quarter and close out the game.
Jacksonville won despite converting just 36 percent of their third down attempts (the Falcons converted 50 percent for a second-straight week). Garrard and Co. did, however hold the ball for more than 34 minutes and put up 364 yards of offense.
“I’ve never been 0-2 in anything so we have to turn it around fast," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. "We’re going home next week and have to protect our house. We can watch the film and make corrections, but we’re going back to our dome at home. Our fans will be behind us and we have to try to win for them.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-JAGUARS GAME:
- GAMEDAY: Everything you need to know from before and after the Jaguars game
- STATS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY: NFL.com Game Center
- GAME NOTES: Updates and injury news from the Jacksnoville Municipal Stadium
- INACTIVES: Inactives from Week 2
- QUOTABLE: Thoughts on the game from Falcons players and coaches
- VIDEO: Head Coach Bobby Petrino
- VIDEO: Quarterback Joey Harrington
- HIGHLIGHTS: Game highlights from NFL Network
