Falcons 32 Cardinals 10

The Falcons went back home yesterday after their emotional loss to the Saints at the Superdome on Monday night. Cardinals' head coach Dennis Green had thought about starting Matt Leinart at quarterback in this game, but following the Falcons' loss on Monday night, he decided against that notion, for the simple fact that he didn't want his rookie to start his first game on the road against a solid club who was playing angry due to their loss against the Saints.

Green was right. Right from the opening kickoff, the Falcons, especially their defense, were pumped up. They held the Cards to a quick three and out on their first possession and directly following, returnman Allen Rossum took a punt back 41 yards to set Atlanta up inside the Cardinals' 30 for their first possession. Things didn't improve much from there for the Cardinals. Their only successful offensive drive of the game came on the very next possession, after quarterback Kurt Warner hooked up with wideout Larry Fitzgerald for a long pass before they had to settle on a field goal.

Offensively, the rushing game was key for both clubs, but in different ways. Arizona finished the game with 31 yards rushing. Star halfback Edgerrin James ran the ball eight times in the first half for a combined 3 yards. Meanwhile, for the third time in four outings, the Falcons rushed for over 250 yards, running for 262 on Sunday, including 106 by rookie Jerious Norwood and 101 by Michael Vick. Warrick Dunn had 41 in the first half, but was limited in the second half, finishing with 55 yards.

The only positive for the Cardinals in the game came in the second quarter when Andre Wilson picked off Michael Vick at the 1-yard line and ran it back 99 yards for a touchdown. That was it for the Cards, as for the third time in four games, Atlanta's defense didn't allow a touchdown. The only touchdown they have allowed was against the Saints on a double reverse.

As always, there were things to get excited about if you're a Falcon fan and things to cringe about. First off, veteran (elder) Morten Andersen kicked five field goals for the Falcons and Michael Koenen kicked one from 51-yards out to provide the Falcons with 18 points by themselves, going 6 for 6 on the afternoon. Before Sunday, Atlanta had gone a pathetic 3 for 10, with four of those kicks being blocked. They also had one punt blocked. Head coach Jim Mora and company must've worked on kick block protection this past week and it paid off. The rest of the special teams played very well. Koenen punted the ball well and the coverage teams were all over the Cardinals' returnmen. Rarely did the Cardinals start a possession past their own 20-yard line. The returnmen played a factor as well. As mentioned, Allen Rossum took the opening punt back 41 yards to set the offense up inside the thirty. On the next punt, Arizona attempted to kick the ball so far away from Rossum that it was shanked out of bounds in Cardinals' territory at the 45. On their next kickoff, Arizona kicked it short and fullback Fred McCrary took it up to the 33-yard line. The special teams were just that, special. The defense, even without stars John Abraham and Ed Hartwell, has been superb. They've dominated three out of four weeks and played well enough against the Saints to keep the Falcons in it. Outside of the one long pass play to Fitzgerald, the secondary played great. The front seven outdid the secondary, though, limited the Cardinals to 31 yards rushing. The three studs of the day were: defensive end Patrick Kerney and outside linebackers Michael Boley and DeMorrio Williams. This doesn't take away what cornerback DeAngelo Hall did with his interception return for a touchdown, but Kerney, Boley, and Williams were all over the place. Kerney finished with three sacks. Boley and Williams accumulated about twenty tackles by themselves to go along with a forced fumble and an interception.

What's been most unnerving thus far about the Falcons' season? Red zone efficiency or in their case, lack there of efficiency. They've scored only three touchdowns in the red zone so far this year and have had to settle on field goal attempts far too often. Fortunately, it appears that with the focus on preventing the penetration that got through the line in the first three games along with the steadier veteran foot of Morten Anderson, the Falcons should be much more consistent from here on out with their kicking, but they can't keep this up. The Falcons scored on seven offensive possessions yesterday, with one drive going for naught, as Vick was picked off at the one-yard line. Atlanta drove the football almost every time they had it. But, they scored only one touchdown and that came on a 78-yard touchdown burst by Jerious Norwood. So, whose fault is it? The quarterback's? The tailbacks'? The receivers'? The line's? The offensive coordinator's? I can't point to just one guy and say that they're solely responsible. The responsibility falls on all of these people's shoulders. But, the people I fault the most are the receivers, the tailbacks, and the offensive coordinator. Vick has made one bonehead decision this year while in the red zone and that was yesterday's interception. He forced the ball where he shouldn't have and he paid the price for it. The line has played in the red zone as they play at any area of the field. So, I lay some responsibility on them, because Vick made that bonehead decision and the line allow penetration at the same rate on pass plays inside the 20 as they do anywhere else on the field. While the line is great in run blocking with their zone-blocking schemes and the fact that they're smaller than the average line and thereby quicker. That also works against them when it comes to pass blocking. While they may be quicker to get to a blitzing lineman or linebacker, it's difficult for them to hold their ground and not allow some penetration on the quarterback, in this case, Vick. But, the receivers have not shown the kind of effort necessary to get open and create some space for Vick to throw to. Also, they are having problems catching the ball when they have their hands on it. The usually sure-handed tight end Alge Crumpler dropped a ball that hit him right in the hands last Monday against the Saints. Yesterday, wideout Michael Jenkins dropped a ball in the end zone. The tailbacks have not been as effective in the red zone. Veteran Warrick Dunn was usually taken out of the game in previous years in favor of the bigger T.J. Duckett when inside the 5-yard line. That bothered Dunn some, but maybe the coaches knew what they were doing, as Dunn seems to be very effective inside the 20's (from 20 to 20), but not as effective in the red zone. Even though he's third in the league in rushing, he has yet to score a touchdown this year. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp receives the most responsibility for this inefficiency. He has shown little to no faith in the running game inside the five-yard line, when the team leads the league (by a large chunk) in rushing. Last Monday against the Saints, Atlanta had a first and goal from the 2-yard line. What'd Knapp decide to do? A play action pass, where Vick faked the hand-off and right when he looked ahead, a defender was in his face for a sack. That made it second and goal from the seven. While Dunn has not been as effective in the red zone as he has been on the rest of the field, I can't understand why Knapp would show so little faith in the guy on a first and goal from the two. Knapp seems to be in love with those plays down around the goalline and he's working with one of the best run-blocking lines and the best rushing team in football. The Falcons can't keep relying on field goals or else they're going to find themselves in a situation where they've dominated a football game from start to finish as they did against Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Arizona, but are in a position to lose for the simple fact that they settled for three on their drives and their opposition put the ball in the end zone.

I would like to see a couple changes, especially on offense. Receiver Ashley Lelie has impressed me more in his limited playing time than Michael Jenkins or Roddy White have. I'd really like to see Lelie start and perhaps even be the #1 guy in Atlanta. He gives Vick a vertical threat which has been displayed the past couple weeks and has not shied down from catching the ball over the middle which some of his critics claimed he wouldn't do. He also has fought for the ball and shown effort to get to and catch every ball thrown his way. I have yet to see that same kind of effort and determination out of Jenkins or White. Lelie wanted out of Denver after they signed Javon Walker, because he wanted to be the #1 guy. He's obviously determined to do that in Atlanta the way he's playing and the guy should be rewarded. When inside the 10-yard line, why not try the fade route to Michael Jenkins? The guy is 6'4". I have yet to see that attempted this year thus far. Also, why not play rookie tailback Jerious Norwood in the red zone? He's bigger, quicker, and tougher than Dunn. Why not use him in the red zone in attempt to score more touchdowns? I really believe those are some things to think about. Overall, one has to be happy with Atlanta's 3-1 start (2-1 in the division, 3-1 in the conference). The Falcons have an off week coming up followed by two home games, against the Giants and the Steelers. Defensive end John Abraham and middle linebacker Ed Hartwell should be healthy and ready to go by the Giants game, which is great news, although, I must admit, with how well Michael Boley and DeMorrio Williams have been playing, I can't say I'm as excited about Hartwell's return as I am about Abraham's.