Although the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) came out with the win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-10) on Sunday, they ended the day with two big losses.  Quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner both left the game due to injuries.  Ryan injured his toe early in the game, while Turner re-injured an ankle sprain he has been battling back from.  The good news for the Falcons is that backup quarterback Chris Redman played very well in Ryan’s absence.  Redman went 23/41 for 2 touchdowns and 243 yards, including a game winning pass with only 23 seconds left.  Turner left early in the 3rd quarter, but was still the leading rusher with 33 yards on 12 carries.

The Falcons defense did not play very well against the Bucs’ young quarterback Josh Freeman.  Freeman had his best game, throwing for 2 touchdowns and 250 yards on 20/29 passes.  They did do a good job slowing their running game down, holding them to 73 yards as a team, but they are one of the worst teams in the league so it’s nothing to be too proud about.  The Falcons’ also gave up a blocked punt, which led to an easy score for their offense.  That score gave the Bucs the lead and almost ended up being the go-ahead score.  Redman was able to lead the Bucs to a comeback though with his 5 yard touchdown pass to Roddy White with only 23 seconds left.  The Falcons should be happy to escape with a win in this one, but they need Ryan and Turner to get healthy if they want to keep their season alive.

The offense played well for the Falcons today especially in the 4th quarter but the defense cost them again.  Matt Ryan was very solid for the Falcons in this game as he completed 26 of 46 passes for 268 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Both of his TD passes were thrown in the 4th quarter with one of them coming with only 28 seconds left in the game to send it to O.T.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 14 yards (2.8 ypc) today.  Jason Snelling did a solid job of filling in for the injured Michael Turner.  He carried the ball 25 times for 76 yards (3.0 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 3 passes for 13 yards (4.3 avg).  TE Tony Gonzalez led the way for the Falcons today in the passing game with 8 grabs for 82 yards (10.3 avg) with a TD grab.  Michael Jenkins pitched in with 6 catches for 76 yards (12.7 avg) today.  The Falcons finished up with 352 total yards on offense in this game (90 rushing, 262 passing). 

The defense was led by LBs Curtis Lofton (11 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss) and Mike Peterson (11 tackles).  Cb Brent Grimes pitched in with 10 tackles, 2 passes defensed and a INT.  The Giants finished up with 456 total yards in this game (88 rushing, 368 passing) today.  The Falcons are now 5-5 on the season.

Turnovers and injuries cost the Atlanta Falcons (5-4) the game on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers (4-5).  They lost their star running back, Michal Turner, who left in the second quarter with an ankle injury.  Turner was on his way to having a monster game, and had already rushed for 111 yards before leaving the game.  Quarterback Matt Ryan was very inaccurate all game and he was the main reason the Falcons found themselves down 21-10 at halftime.  Ryan had two costly interceptions too and finished the game with 224 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 22/41 attempts.  Ryan’s lone touchdown came early in the 4th quarter when he hit tight end Justin Peele with a 3-yard touchdown pass on 4th and one.  Ryan and the offense would fail to put any more points on the board though and the Falcons defense could not do enough to stop the Panthers.  Ryan really needs to pick it up and has now thrown at least one interception in six straight games.

Panthers’ quarterback Jake Delhomme has been having a pretty terrible season, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from this game.  The Panthers went with the no-huddle offense often, and it seemed to put the Falcons’ defense on their heels.  They didn’t give up a ton of yards in the passing game (only 195 yards) but they let Delhomme go 15/24 for two touchdowns and failed to get any turnovers.  They were horrible at stopping the run, letting DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart run all over them.  They combined for 174 yards and 2 touchdowns on 30 carries.  The Falcons are a better football team than what they showed on Sunday, but they missed Michael Turner in the second half.  Jason Snelling did a good job filling in for him, finishing with 61 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but he is no Turner.  The Falcons are going to really miss him if he is out, but Matt Ryan needs to get back on track either way.

The Falcons rushed out to a 24-3 lead at halftime before cruising to victory.  Matt Ryan just managed this game completing 17 of 24 passes for 135 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Michael Turner was the workhorse on offense for the Falcons in this game as he carried the ball 18 times for 166 yards (9.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 2 passes for 14 yards today.  TE Tony Gonzalez led the way in the passing game for the Falcons with 5 catches for 41 yards (8.2 avg) with a TD grab.  The Falcons finished up with 306 total yards on offense (181 rushing, 125 passing). 

The defense was led by a superhuman effort out of DT Jonathan Babineaux who led the Falcons with 10 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 3 QB hits.  CB Tye Hill made a huge play in the first half of the game for the Falcons when he returned a interception 62 yards for a TD to set the tone in this game.  The Redskins finished up with 312 total yards in this game (136 rushing, 176 passing).  The Falcons are now 5-3 on the season.

The Falcons put up a good fight last night against the Saints but they just feel a tad short.  Matt Ryan completed 19 of 42 passes for 289 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions (one of them was returned 48 yards for a TD by Saints’ CB Jabari Greer).  Ryan certainly did not have his best game of the season but he did help keep the Falcons in striking range.  Michael Turner led the way in the running game for the Falcons with 151 yards on 20 carries (7.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Roddy White led the way in the passing game for the Falcons with 108 yards receiving on 4 catches (27.0 avg) with a TD grab.  Tony Gonzalez also had a solid game with 6 catches for 89 yards (14.8 avg).  Michael Jenkins had a few key drops but he still caught 4 passes for 66 yards (16.5 avg) last night.  The Falcons finished up with 448 total yards on offense (161 rushing, 281 passing).

LB Curtis Lofton (14 tackles) and S Erik Coleman (10 tackles) led the way for the Falcons on D last night.  CB Brent Grimes was also busy for the Falcons with 8 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  DE Kroy Biermann only had 2 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss, but he recovered a Drew Brees fumble and returned it 4 yards for a TD.  The Saints finished up with 437 total yards (146 rushing, 291 passing) on offense in this game.  The Falcons are now 4-3 on the season.