Ravens 24 Falcons 10

On Sunday, the Falcons lost their third straight to fall to an even 5-5 on the season. Was it the receivers fault? Did they have the dropsies? No, not this time. Was it Vick's fault? Did he lose the ball carelessly? No again. Was it the defense's fault? Nope. It was the fault of special teams' execution (lack there of), pass protection (or lack there of), and offensive playcalling.

What happened? Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp was right on target in the games against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati where the Falcons put up a total of 70 points. Why? They were throwing the ball early and often, which got the offensive line, the quarterback, and the receivers in a rhythm. This kept the defense off-balance. But in the past three games, the Falcons have regressed back to their old style of football. Why? While the Falcons were successful in their first couple games, they were not consistently putting points on the board and were relying too heavily on their defense. With their defense as injury-ridden as it is, they can't be doing that anymore. They have to score more points! Another stat we have to look at is the fact that running back Warrick Dunn is only averaging 3.5 yards per carry in the Falcons' past five games. That's not going to get it done. Is it due to the guards being injured? Maybe. Whatever the reason, Atlanta must go back to what worked for them. Greg Knapp tries to get cute. The fade route from two yards out on a 3rd and goal to Blakeley? The 4th and 1 call? Atlanta's offensive philosophy was reminiscent of Cleveland's last week. They were playing not to lose! That worked in the first half, being up 7-0. But it bit them in the backside in the second half. If a team plays not to lose in the NFL, they shouldn't be playing professional football or in the coaches' case, coaching professional football. These are professional football players, not 6-7 year-old kids. Every week, you should have the confidence that your team can go out there and beat your opponent. Many associated with the 49ers called Greg Knapp the worst offensive coordinator they've ever had. So why take him to Atlanta with you Jim? I agreed with his playcalling in two of the ten games. Vick was in a bit of a rhythm in the first half, completing 10 of 14 passes, but then what happened? Atlanta played it ultra-conservative, forced into completing 3rd and longs and quarterbacks aren't going to get into any rhythm in those types of situations.

What started the smackdown on Sunday? Special teams. Atlanta has been dominated when it comes to the field position battle the last three games. The Ravens' returnman Sams had three returns of over 40 yards a piece which set the Ravens up in great field position, where they scored 17 of their 24 points. Because the offense was in "not-to-lose" mode, the defense was left out on the field far too long. They just got worn out at game's end. The Falcons offense had the ball for about eight minutes in the second half (eight out of thirty). That's almost a 1:3 ratio right there. When Knapp called the right plays, which occurred on three drives in the game, Atlanta was on the move. The Falcons made it look easy on their touchdown drive. They mixed the pass with the run very nicely and Vick was able to scramble and do something with his feet before he connected with Michael Jenkins for the score. When Baltimore took their first lead of the game at 10-7, Atlanta came right back, Vick running all around for 35 yards on two carries, but Knapp got cute inside the five and Atlanta had to settle for a field goal. But, again, they're points and the Falcons answered to tie the game at ten. Following another easy score by the Ravens to go up 17-10, Vick threw a long pass to Roddy White, but then the drive stalled. On most every other drive, the Falcons played it conservative. Right before halftime, Atlanta had just under two minutes to work with. What did they do? Basically play to run out the clock and it almost burned them. Sams got a nice punt return off and if it wasn't for a mishandled snap by quarterback Steve McNair, the Ravens would have put up at least three on the scoreboard before halftime due to the lack of aggressiveness and urgency on offense. The line didn't help matters any either. Rarely were any holes open for Dunn or Norwood to run through and Vick was sacked five times, hit a dozen times and hurried even more. The line had been playing better in recent weeks, but not this past Sunday. This was the worst they got beat since the seven-sack beatdown against the Giants.

Fortunately for Atlanta, they play in the NFC, where only the Chicago Bears hold a better record than 6-4. The NY Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints are all 6-4. Atlanta, along with Philadelphia and San Francisco are 5-5. Finally, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Green Bay are all 4-6. Atlanta plays the Saints at home on Sunday. This is as close to a must win game for the Falcons as they've had this year, because the Saints have already beat the Falcons once. If they do it again, that would make for a gap of two games between the two in the south and it would inevitably three games because of the two head-to-heead wins. With only five games remaining following this upcoming Sunday's contest, that would be very difficult to overcome. So, is it over? Is having any hope for the playoffs now a lost cause? No, of course not. But the Falcons have to alter and improve upon a few things and fast in order to get back on track. Potential good news for this upcoming week's game. Defensive end John Abraham, guard Matt Lehr, and middle linebacker Ed Hartwell are all potentially coming back. Cornerback Jimmy Williams is less likely to return, but is still questionable.