EDITOR'S NOTE: AtlantaFalcons.com is reviewing the Falcons 2008 four games at a time. Today, we look at the final games of the season, including the playoff loss at Arizona. Click here to recap the Falcons season.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The 2008 season didn't end the way the Falcons hoped. A playoff loss at Arizona was a bittersweet ending to a year that included an 11-5 record, multiple individual awards and the reemergence of a franchise. Atlanta capped off the regular season with a three-game winning streak -- the first of the year -- and finished second in the NFC South.
New Orleans Saints 29, Atlanta Falcons 25
The Louisiana Superdome
Week 14
Wide receiver Roddy White notched a new career in receiving yards and Matt Ryan showed some moxie down the stretch but a surprising Saints running game proved too much as the Falcons fell in New Orleans, 29-25.
The Falcons held a 25-22 lead with eight minutes to play, but an 88-yard kickoff return by Saints running back Pierre Thomas led to the go-ahead score. Falcons linebacker Michael Boley nearly intercepted a Drew Brees pass on third-and-1 at the Atlanta 7, but the Saints stayed on the field and converted the fourth down. Thomas went in for thekey touchdown on the following play.
It was a rough day for the Falcons defense, which faced a Saints team that stepped away from its dominance in the passing game to run the ball up the middle with Thomas and Reggie Bush. The pair combined for 182 yards on the ground and each caught touchdown passes from Brees inside the red zone. The teams both had 414 yards of total offense in this back-and-forth game but New Orleans held the advantage in rushing yards, 184-99.
Falcons running back Michael Turner had a big, 26-yard run on the team's first possession, but finished the day with just 61 yards on a touchdown (3.4 yards per carry). Ryan bounced back after an early interception to throw for a career-high 315 yards. He also rushed for his first career touchdown and had a toss to wide receiver Brian Finneran to cap a 14-point second quarter for the Birds. His favorite target, White, caught 10 passes for a career-high 164 yards.
QUOTABLE: “It was definitely a tough loss to a very good division opponent today," Head Coach Mike Smith said. "As you know, as the record indicates, playing on the road is very, very tough here in the NFC South. We weren’t hitting on all cylinders."
FROM THE BLOG: "The Birds have something to be proud of today despite the loss. They have a quarterback who shows no signs of slowing down or stumbling in the hot lights of stardom. It will be a while before cameras stop following Matt Ryan."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-SAINTS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Offense puts up numbers but late score lifts Saints
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Superdome press box
Atlanta Falcons 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 (OT)
The Georgia Dome
Week 15
In a game defined by wild momentum swings, the Falcons had the ball last. And that made all the difference.
Jason Elam's 34-yard field goal with 4:08 remaining in overtime lifted Atlanta to a 13-10 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Running back Michael Turner picked up 34 of his game-high 152 rushing yards on the game-winning drive, setting up Elam for his second game-winning kick in the Georgia Dome. Tampa Bay won the coin toss to start the overtime period and took the ball, but John Abraham sacked quarterback Brian Griese on third-and-8 with 11:07 left to force a punt.
Abraham notched three sacks in the game to move his career-high sack total to 15.5 for the season.
Turner rushed for more than 100-yards in a game for the seventh time this season. His first-quarter touchdown run (15) also broke the Falcons single-season record set by Jamal Anderson in 1998. No. 33 carried a Falcons offense that jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead but stalled in the second half. Quarterback Matt Ryan threw a pair of interceptions. A third-quarter drive collapsed when tight end Jason Rader fumbled at the goal line. Another possession ended with a blocked punt that set up the Bucs game-tying field goal.
Cornerback Domonique Foxworth intercepted his first pass as a Falcon on the drive following Rader's fumble. He would later knock the ball away from tight end Alex Smith and tip a pass intended for Antonio Bryant on consecutive plays. That forced one of nine Buccaneer punts.
Bryant finished with eight catches for 108 yards and touchdown. Griese, playing in place of an injured Jeff Garcia, helped engineer that scoring drive just before halftime and cut into the Falcons lead, 10-7. But the Falcons re-directed that momentum swing as well, holding the Bucs No. 1 receiver to just one catch the rest of the game.
QUOTABLE: "It was just one of those days," Abraham said. "We worked hard this week. We tried to come out and play well as a team and I think we did a good job."
FROM THE BLOG: "It's been a while since my eyes have taken in a game filled with so many emotional momentum shifts. So many big plays. So many highs and lows. It's also been a while since the Falcons had the guarantee of a winning season."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-BUCS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more on the game from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Turner, defensive stops key in overtime victory
- GAME NOTES: Falcons and Bucs game notes straight from the Georgia Dome press box
Atlanta Falcons 24, Minnesota Vikings 17
The Metrodome
Week 16
In a matter a week the Falcons went from being controllers of their own playoff destiny to a team that needed help from multiple teams to make the postseason. In just more than 24 hours in Week 16 the Birds regained control and played themselves into the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Atlanta held off a fourth-quarter charge and defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 24-17. The win, coupled with Tampa Bay and Dallas losses clinched at least a Wild Card spot in the playoffs for Atlanta.
The Falcons turned four Vikings turnovers into 10 points in the game, taking advantage of an offense that found ways to put the breaks on itself for much of the game. Running back Adrian Peterson fumbled twice and quarterback Tarvaris Jackson fumbled off a Kindal Moorehead sack in the third quarter. Wide receiver Eric Weems also forced a Bernard Berrian fumble on a first-quarter punt.
The Vikings fumbled thrice more in the game but managed to recover the ball.
In a matchup that featured the league's best rushing offense (Atlanta) going against the top run defense, the running game did just enough out on top. Michael Turner rushed for 70 yards and a score on the first drive of the game, setting the bar for an offense that was balanced, consistent and protective of the football. That precision helped the Falcons, who trailed in almost every category including total yards and time of possession.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan led a 64-yard scoring drive off the opening kick and got the Falcons in the end zone with a shovel pass to Jerious Norwood on the first play of the second quarter to put the Birds up 14-7. Atlanta added a 22-yard Jason Elam field goal to go up 17-7 at halftime. The Falcons defense forced a punt with 6:20 left, setting the stage for one of the more dramatic moments of the season.
Later a Ryan fumble was recovered by offensive lineman Justin Blalock for a touchdown. The second-year player became the first lineman to score a touchdown since 1996 (Robbie Tobeck) and put the Falcons up 24-7 with just more than 17 minutes to play in the game.
Ryan finished with 134 passing yards on 13 completions. His favorite target was wide receiver Michael Jenkins, who caught four passes for 61 yards. Minnesota was led by tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, who led all pass catchers with seven grabs for 136 yards (two touchdowns). Besides fumbling three times, Peterson rushed for 76 yards. The defense was led again by John Abraham, who got one sack and set a new franchise record (16.5).
QUOTABLE: "I really can’t tell you how proud I am of this football team," Head Coach Mike Smith said. "They went out and played extremely hard. We have talked about from the very beginning that this is a process that we are going through. The guys really have done a great job. Now we have secured a playoff spot. I told them early today that it doesn’t mean we are done with the process. We are going to continue to work.
FROM THE BLOG: "The Falcons are in the playoffs -- no worse than the No. 6 seed and possibly as good as the No. 2 -- and equal parts belief, inspiration, dedication and luck has 2007 all but completely erased."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-VIKINGS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more from NFL.com
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Metrodome press box
- GAME RECAP: Falcons lock up playoff berth with victory
Atlanta Falcons 31, St. Louis Rams 27
The Georgia Dome
Week 17
Running back Jerious Norwood took his time entering the Georgia Dome before Sunday's game against the Rams. He greeted security personnel and cruised to his parking space and into the locker room at a steady pace.
He was saving his quickness for the game.
The speedy running back rushed for a pair of touchdowns, including a 45-yard game-winner, in a 31-27 victory over St. Louis. Norwood also rushed for an 8-yard score off a direct snap just before halftime, which was set up by his 92-yard kickoff return with 20 seconds to go in the second quarter.
Norwood split time with Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner (208 yards and a score). He touched the ball just four times on offense but made every play count in a game that secured a No. 5 seed in the NFC Playoffs.
The Rams did not back away from the playoff-bound Falcons, pulling out a fake punt and an onside kick in the game. St. Louis led three times, including a 27-24 advantage with 6:39 left in the ball game. Steven Jackson rushed for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns and quarterback Marc Bulger added to a 91.9 rating with a 16-yard touchdown to Donnie Avery with less than a minute to play in the first half.
Atlanta scored three-straight touchdowns to take a 10-point lead in the third quarter but the Rams stormed back, running 24 plays in the fourth period before the Falcons defense closed out the game by forcing a turnover on downs.
Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan threw a pair of interceptions, one leading to a St. Louis score, and Turner had a 70-yard run nullified with a fumble at the Rams 4-yard line. That play was reviewed, but upheld. Still the Birds combined to rush for 263 rushing yards -- the second-highest total of the season. Wide receiver Roddy White (three catches for 48 yards) also set the team single-season record for receiving yards (1,382).
QUOTABLE: "Regardless of the circumstances, our guys fight to the end," linebacker Keith Brooking said. "It’s great to put the regular season behind us. We’re 11-5. As a veteran, I’ve been in this situation before. As a team, we’ll look at some game film, make the corrections and we’re on a four-game mission.”
FROM THE BLOG: "As a runner grows stronger by pushing the limits, the Falcons grow tougher with each test of will. Maybe it was a test from karma when Michael Turner fumbled after a 70-yard run and the second of two Matt Ryan interceptions led to a nerve-rattling go-ahead score. If it was a test, the Falcons passed with flying colors."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-RAMS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more on the game from NFL.com
- GAME RECAP: Falcons get past Rams, secure No. 5 seed in the playoffs
- GAME NOTES: Official game notes from the Georgia Dome press box
Arizona Cardinals 30, Atlanta Falcons 24
University of Phoenix Stadium
Wild Card Playoffs
The Falcons wrote the final chapter in a storybook season Saturday afternoon, losing 30-24 to the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta rebounded from a disastrous 2007 to grab second place in the NFC South but the clock struck midnight after a series of blunders, turnovers and bizarre plays at University of Phoenix Stadium.
But, as they did all season, the Birds refused to give up without a fight.
The defense gave up touchdown passes of 42 and 71 yards in the first half as the team fell behind 14-3 in the second quarter. But the unit settled in to allow just four first-half first downs and give the offense a chance at the field.
A Jason Elam field goal got the Falcons on the board with 7:31 remaining in the second quarter to start a Falcons rally. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan began the game 1-of-4 with an interception but rebounded to pilot a 14-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a Michael Turner touchdown run. Ryan completed 17 of his next 21 pass attempts after the shaky start.
The offense held the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half and successfully flipped the momentum put in play by the Cardinals offense. Cornerback Chevis Jackson picked off quarterback Kurt Warner on the next series, giving the ball back to the Falcons in Cardinals territory with 2:03 to play. Ryan completed three passes on the ensuing possession, the last a 2-yard throw to tight end Justin Peelle in the back of the end zone.
The Falcons took a 17-14 halftime lead off that play and stood ready to take the ball to open the third quarter. But a bizarre play sent the Birds back on their heels for nearly the rest of the game. A muffed handoff on the second play of the third quarter was recovered by Cardinals defensive back Antrel Rolle and returned 27 yards for a touchdown.
Arizona defenders swarmed around Ryan the entire afternoon and added a fourth-quarter safety for their efforts. The Falcons did not get a sack on Warner the entire day, allowing the Pro Bowler to survey the field and find nine receivers for 271 yards.The Falcons strong running game was held in check, especially as the team tried to piece together a comeback. Turner rushed for 42 yards on 18 carries but was held to just three carries -- zero yards -- in the final two periods.
Warner took a knee on the final three snaps as Cardinal fans celebrated just the second playoff win since the team's move to Arizona. The Falcons could only watch but left the field with reason to hold their heads high.
Ryan was named Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. Turner rushed for a record 17 touchdowns, 1,699 yards and finished second in league MVP voting. Roddy White set a new single-season record for receiving yards and will join Turner at the Pro Bowlin February -- the first trip for both players. The offensive line allowed just 17 sacks in the regular season (down from 47 in 2007) and led the way for the league's No. 2 rushing offense.
QUOTABLE: "I'm proud of the way these guys fought today," Head Coach Mike Smith said. "We just didn't get it done. They made the plays when they had to. It's tough to win when you're minus on the turnover ratio. The three turnovers I thought were very, very big. I really thought the guys fought extremely well and hard and they showed their resiliency there."
FROM THE BLOG: "In more than 20 years of watching football I've never witnessed anything like what I saw this season from the Atlanta Falcons."
MORE FROM THE FALCONS-CARDINALS GAME:
- GAME CENTER: Stats and more in the NFL.com Game Center
- GAME NOTES: Track some of the milestones from the playoff game
- GAME RECAP: Playoff loss in Arizona ends Falcon season
