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Falcons vs. Chiefs: The good, the bad and the ugly from week 3
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The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Plain old boring football
Most NFL fans find watching an aerial shootout between two teams with good quarterbacks and fast, sure-handed wide-outs the ideal Sunday afternoon.
Few people would enjoy watching nine minutes worth of 3-and-out offensive impotence separated only by six punts. A game that coaches call “field position,” a game that the Falcons were slowly losing due to the 50+ yard punts the KC punter was ripping off. Then the inevitable special teams penalty that backed the Falcons up to their 8-yard line. The Falcon’s only saving grace at this point in the game was that the Atlanta defense looked better than the Chief’s defense; or possibly, the Chief’s offense was just worse than the Falcon’s offense.
I was fearful of a repeat from last week where the coaches abandoned the run and opted to put the ball in the air 33 times. Watching and waiting the ball was snapped and Turner got through the line dragging a defender like a sled behind him before turning what should have been a 3-yard gain into a 38-yard run. A handoff to Norwood, a direct snap to Norwood and a short pass to Norwood brought the Falcons 89 yards downfield to the 9-yard line. From there, two runs by Turner resulted in six points on the board for the Falcons.
After punting on the first three possessions of the game, Atlanta would only punt three more times the rest of the game. Matt Ryan would only put the ball in the air 18 times completing two-thirds of those passes for a measly 192 yards, complimented by 194 yards rushing. The Falcons are playing plain old football: Run the ball until you have to pass or you decide to take a shot downfield.
Not very exciting for the typical NFL fan. But for me, for me it was plain old football. The kind of football I like and I like it a lot! Good, bad or ugly, I’ll take a win any way it comes.
The Good:
Identity – Despite putting the ball in the air 33 times last week, the Falcons are establishing an identity of a team that is going to run the ball, then run it some more and when you’re tired of seeing us run the ball, they put in Norwood and he runs the ball some more. Oh, and the Falcons are sure to take a few shots deep each game.
Human Resources – It reinforces my confidence in mankind when I see a coaching staff in Atlanta that is able to effectively manage the utilization of two talented running backs throughout the game. “Hey look, Norwood is in the game. Now Turner is in the game. Wow, now Turner is lined up at fullback and Norwood is lined up at tailback.” Simply Amazing!
Consistency – The Falcons ran the ball UNTIL it worked. The Falcons put points on the board in every quarter of the game. Just because we had a lead, our offense didn’t shut down, they remained aggressive. The Falcons played four full quarters of football.
Adjustments – The Falcons made adjustment on offense that allowed them to gash the same Chief’s defense that stuffed Atlanta’s offense the first three series of the game. Later when the Chief’s offense found a soft spot in our defense, adjustments were made to at least minimize those soft spots.
Smart Play – Only four penalties, no interceptions, good play calling, downfield blocking and I didn’t see anybody let up throughout the game.
The Bad:
Soft Spot – Tampa found it and so did Kansas City. I can guarantee every team we play from here on out will give the left side of our defense an opportunity to prove if they are man or mouse. Yes, Jamaal Anderson has been discovered by offensive coordinators. On the series where Larry Johnson was gashing our defense, JA was getting crushed down and inside creating a huge opening for any running back, much less Larry Johnson. After half-time, I noticed Biermann was playing DE and while Johnson was getting yards against our left side, he wasn’t getting 9+ a pop.
My Perception – Having watched Ryan since he arrived in Atlanta, I was convinced he could not throw the deep ball or a deep out for that matter. It seemed he would be an effective and accurate short game passer, but I was sure I wouldn’t see him put one up and drop it on the money 56 yards later. He did. He proved me wrong and I couldn’t be happier about being wrong.
MLB C. Lofton – This guy can play. Taking on Larry Johnson one-on-one at the goal line and denying him a TD is always a good start for a middle linebacker.
The Ugly:
Return Teams – Penalties, fumbles, loss of yards. These things are unacceptable for a young team like the Falcons who need to be solid in every aspect of the game to be competitive going forward. Coach Smith needs to set the priorities and ensure there is focus put on special teams so that it doesn’t cause us to lose a game.
Our Schedule – Looking forward, we have a tough schedule. By this time next week we’ll be either 2-2 or 3-1 and the surprise of the NFC south.
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