FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Lawyer Milloy's goal-line stop that led to a 49ers field goal proved to be a major moment in the Falcons 20-16 victory over San Francisco Sunday afternoon.
But there were multiple defensive plays that had Head Coach Bobby Petrino smiling during his regular Monday press conference.
"Our defense played extremely fast," he said. "When you play fast like that it means (you) understand what we are trying to do and what they are trying to do. Our veterans stepped up and made big plays. We got interceptions, Lawyer Milloy and Chris Crocker made some tackles and Chris got a couple of pass breakups that were critical."
Milloy was credited with six solo tackles in the game and picked up his first interception since signing with the Falcons before last season. He also had a key quarterback pressure in the game. Safety Jimmy Williams also got his first career interception late in the game. Pro Bowl cornerback DeAngelo Hall got his third pick of the year after linebacker Keith Brooking backed the 49ers up to the goal line with a late sack of quarterback Alex Smith.
Defensive end John Abraham, who notched his sixth sack of 2007 Sunday, said veterans regularly discuss their role on the team and came to a conclusion they must carry the load late in the 49ers game.
"That's just showing heart and showing you can win," he said. "I think the last few games we haven't been showing that... At the end of the game the leaders made the plays."
The Falcons defense allowed just one touchdown, which came on the 49ers opening drive, and held San Francisco to drives of less than 5 yards six different times. The 49ers averaged less than four yards per play and were just 3-of-13 on third downs (23 percent).
Petrino was also pleased with his team's offense after reviewing the film. It was easy to see an improved running game as the team rushed for a season-high 155 yards and consistently put the ball in the hands of Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood.
"Offensively, we established the run in the first half and I was very happy about that," Petrino said Monday. "Warrick ran very well. We stayed with it and kept calling runs. Joey (Harrington) did a good job of managing the game and made sure we did not make a lot of mistakes."
Both the Falcons touchdowns -- a 9-yard run by Dunn and a 1-yard plunge by fullback Ovie Mughelli came on the ground. It's the first time this season the Falcons have recorded multiple rushing touchdowns in a game.
The coach is confident the team can build on the running success.
"I thought our offensive line played extremely hard," he said. "We didn't do everything right. It's a new group again in there and they played with great effort. I thought Ovie Mughelli gave us an extra punch in there. We ran a little bit more with two tight end sets with Dwayne Blakley and Martrez Milner.
"We were a little more bull-headed about doing it and Warrick certainly made some great runs and broke some tackles."
Norwood, too, showed flashes of speed and change-of-pace to Dunn's between-the-tackle work, but had to leave the game with an ankle injury. As of midday Monday, Petrino didn't have an update on the second-year players' condition. He also had no news on quarterback Byron Leftwich (ankle) or tight end Alge Crumpler (ankle/knee), who missed the game.
Petrino said the pair will be evaluated through the week to see if they'd be ready for the team's trip to Carolina, where the team will look to build on such a solid performance.
"It's important to us because everyone has been working hard," the coach said. "We've been keeping a good attitude and have had a good attitude with our preparation. You need to see that pay off and we need to build off of it. we need to come back this week and do it again. We need to get ready for the game and perform well."
FIRST STARTS: Petrino offered praise for defensive tackle Trey Lewis and offensive tackle Quinn Ojinnaka. Both made their first professional starts against San Francisco.
“Trey did a good job," he said. "I watched a lot of him (on film) this morning to see how he was holding up. He did a good job controlling the center. That’s a tough job and a lot of times you are trying to keep the linebackers free while doing your assignment. He played hard, ran to the ball and I think Montavious Stanley only played 16 plays, so Trey played a lot of snaps. He did a nice job.”
As for Ojinnaka...
“Quinn battled hard and gave us great effort. He probably did a better job in the run game than the pass game. I was happy with the way he battled and performed. Obviously, up front, we would like to have better protection. I never felt like we had complete rhythm in our passing game, but you have to give credit to San Francisco. They were attacking some of the things that we were doing well.”
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-NINERS GAME:
- GAMEDAY: All the coverage from the 49ers-Falcons game
- STATS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY: NFL.com Game Center
- GAME NOTES: Updates and injury news from the Georgia Dome press box
- INACTIVES AND STARTERS: Inactives and starters from Week 9
- QUOTABLE: Thoughts on the game from Falcons players and coaches
- VIDEO: Head Coach Bobby Petrino
- VIDEO: Safety Lawyer Milloy
- VIDEO: Defensive end John Abraham
- VIDEO: Running back Warrick Dunn
- VIDEO: Touring the Tailgates with Falcon Al
