Falcons celebrate following White's game-winning TD catch (AP Photo/Dave Martin
It wasn't pretty but the Atlanta Falcons got what they wanted Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: a win.
What was expected to be a post-Thanksgiving breeze turned into a struggle as the Falcons had to pull out a last-minute game-winning drive to win 20-17.
"I told our team all week that in this league it’s a battle," Head Coach Mike Smith said following the game. "It’s a battle every single time that you go out and play. This was a typical NFC South football game. We obviously didn’t play our best but the object each and every week is to win the football game, and that’s what we did today."
A battle is an apt description as Atlanta struggled through poor play and the loss of four starters, including starting quarterback Matt Ryan.
But Atlanta backup QB Chris Redman overcame early rust when he came in for Ryan, who went down in the first quarter with a toe injury, and eventually put together the game-winning drive in the final minutes of the game.
For Redman this was his first extensive time on the field since 2007, when he started the final four games of the season, playing well enough for the franchise to bring back the 32-year-old quarterback despite drafting Ryan with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft.
He picked up where he left off, finishing the day with 243 yards, two touchdowns and a QB rating of 89.8. In 2009's preseason, Redman lead a game-winning drive against the San Diego Chargers, throwing the game's final touchdown pass to receiver Eric Weems.
"I am always in the game whether I am in or not," said Redman. "As the backup, you have to be prepared to play at any second in the game. I understand that I am one play away from getting my number called to step in. This approach enabled me to focus in and help the team as much as possible. This organization has believed in me from the beginning and I will forever be thankful. I am fortunate to be a part of this victory – it was a concerted effort.”
Atlanta also lost two starting offensive linemen, guard Harvey Dahl and tackle Sam Baker, and running back Michael Turner, who left in the third quarter, re-injuring the ankle that kept him out of last week's game against the New York Giants. None of the three players returned to the game. Smith would not comment on the health of any player following the game.
“Baker was banged up in a number of areas," Smith said. "You saw he had the brace on and he was not able to continue either. That’s why we had the two other linemen in there. We won’t have any update on Michael Turner right now. We’ll have a lot more information on Wednesday after practice.”
Smith also said Ryan's prognosis would become clearer on Wednesday.
The patchwork offensive line and the loss of Turner caused Atlanta's running game to struggle, which often stalled an offense that ended the day with 297 net yards. Turner was beginning to get going in his return to action on Sunday, running for 18 yards on the play prior to his injury. He still ended the day as Atlanta's leading rusher with 33 of Atlanta's 75 rushing yards.
The offense did receive a spark from the return of running back Jerious Norwood, who's been out for the last five games. He ended with 22 rushing yards on six carries, but added a 22-yard touchdown pass from Redman in the second quarter to give the Falcons a 10-0 lead. The fourth-year running back's game-breaking speed was evident on the play as he caught a short shovel pass and ran up the middle of the field. With two defenders converging on him, he outran them both into the end zone.
Atlanta's defense stepped up when needed in the second half, not allowing a score following Tampa Bay's touchdown on its opening second-half possession. They were particularly stout with Tampa Bay's offense deep in their own territory in the fourth quarter.
On third-and-six, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux registered a sack of quarterback Josh Freeman, forcing a fumble that the Buccaneers recovered for a loss of six yards. An unsportsmanlike penalty by Tampa Bay pushed the offense back to their own 12 with a fourth-and-23 looming.
Atlanta's return man Eric Weems brought the punt back 18 yards to give Atlanta excellent field position at the Tampa Bay 40. Following a drive to the Tampa Bay 25, kicker Jason Elam, whose struggles as of late have been well-documented, missed a 43-yard field goal, his seventh miss of the season. Despite workouts by four kickers earlier in the week, Atlanta decided to stay with Elam. After his miss, he walked off the field to resounding boos from the home crowd. For Elam, the win was bittersweet.
“I’m happy for the guys," the kicker said following the game. "They fought so hard. Looking at my performance, I’ve have to find a way to be more consistent. That’s what this game is all about. In this league, you have to be as consistent as possible. I can’t remember the last time I walked off the field feeling good about my performance, so, it’s very frustrating.”
In spite of everything they had to overcome, Atlanta still managed to find itself with the ball in its offense's hands at the 2:30 mark in the fourth quarter, with an opportunity to win the game. Redman was six-of-14 on the drive, but connected when it mattered most, to Weems on a third-and-two conversion and to tight end Tony Gonzalez on a second-and-10 and third-and-one conversions.
Atlanta got some help from Tampa Bay after a third-and-10 pass to Gonzalez fell incomplete at the Buccaneers' 10-yard line. A defensive holding penalty gave Atlanta five yards, a first down, and new life.
After three straight incomplete passes, Redman connected with receiver Roddy White in tight coverage on fourth-and-five for the game's final touchdown with 23 seconds remaining. In the final moments, White told his coach he wanted the ball.
"We call that play a slant," White said. "I whispered over to coach on the sideline to try to give me the ball on a slant. Once we called the play, Tony (Gonzalez) and I both ran a slant and Chris (Redman) read the inside and the out. Chris threw a good ball, and gave me a good chance to win game.”
White's catch was one of five on the day and he finished with 57 yards. Gonzalez led the team with nine receptions for 83 yards.
It wasn't what they had in mind for the outcome, but they escaped with a win, bringing Atlanta to 6-5 and remaining in the NFC playoff hunt, tied with the Giants at one game behind the 7-4 Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. After a week when they lost in heartbreaking fashion, 33-31 in overtime to New York, they took a game away from an opponent this time.
"It's incredible to think about how close you are to feeling the complete opposite end of the spectrum emotionally," linebacker Coy Wire said after the game. "I can't imagine how they (Tampa Bay) feel. We're very fortunate that we were able to fight and pull off the victory. It says a lot about the guys in this locker room."
It was by far the sloppiest play from Atlanta this season. They allowed six sacks, including the first-quarter sack in which Ryan appeared to sustain his injury, and had a punt blocked on special teams.
Sunday was Atlanta's first game at home in two weeks (only the second in six weeks), where they are 12-1 under the Smith regime. They'll return to the Georgia Dome next Sunday to face the Eagles. Starting on Sunday, the Falcons will play in a string of games that are essentially all playoff games.
Each week the importance will mount and Atlanta knows they have to come out on the positive more times than not to the make the playoffs. The Falcons players knew that playoff stretch really started on Sunday, with what they felt was a must-win against a division opponent.
"If anybody told you any different, I think they'd be lying," center Todd McClure said. "We had to win this game. We found a way to get it done. It wasn't pretty, but we got the win. We've got to play a lot better to make a run and to get into the playoffs. I think everybody knows that."
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