SB Nation Atlanta - Falcons Vs. Panthers: Atlanta Steadies With 31-17 Win In Cam Newton's Return

VIDEO: Deion Sanders Receives Hall Of Fame Ring At Falcons-Panthers

2011-10-18T12:30:23Z

Former Atlanta Falcons conerback Deion Sanders received his Hall of Fame ring in the town he called "home" on Sunday at halftime of the Atlanta Falcons-Carolina Panthers game. Sanders played the first five seasons of his career in Atlanta and becomes the first Falcons player to be enshrined in the hall.

Falcons Vs. Panthers: Mike Smith On Michael Turner 'He Was In A Groove'

2011-10-17T23:45:22Z

The Atlanta Falcons rallied to beat the Carolina Panthers 31-17 in the homecoming game of former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. The homecoming celebration was derailed by a Falcons defense that forced three interceptions and two sacks on Newton, while Michael Turner handled the scoring load with two touchdowns on 139 yards rushing.

During Monday's Atlanta Falcons' press conference, head coach Mike Smith was effusive with his praise of Turner and the results from the running game on Sunday:

We felt like the way they were going to defend us was going to give us an opportunity. I don't know that we basically came out and said how many carries Michael was going to have but Michael got the ball rolling early and we kept feeding him because we felt that he was in a groove.

Smith on getting Turner outside on the edge versus the Panthers:

When people try to defend us, they're going to basically tell us where we're going to be able to run the football and that's the premise of, again, I say it over and over, of our offense and we felt that we were going to be able to get him to the second level and get him to the second level there on the perimeter. Of course, when you've got Michael coming around the corner at 245 pounds, there's some guys that might not necessarily want to take a clean shot at him.

You might remember that here on SB Nation Atlanta we noted that the Falcons success is deeply rooted to how many carries Turner gets a game. Turner hit the magical number of 20 again on Sunday, giving Atlanta three wins in three games when Turner gets 20+ carries.

Falcons Vs. Panthers Post-Game Quotes: Back To The Good Old Days

2011-10-17T16:02:46Z

Hurry-up offense? Explosive passing game? Julio Jones? What's all that fuss worth when Atlanta can grind out a two-touchdown win over a division opponent? Sunday's 31-17 win over the Panthers was vintage 2010 Atlanta Falcons, when Ryan took to the air with reserve and hit just enough key third down passes to keep defenses honest against workhorse Michael Turner. It might be regression in terms of this team's offensive evolution, but it was undoubtedly a win.

Fullback Ovie Mughelli, who caught a touchdown pass:

"This is what we do. This is what we enjoy doing. We practice running the ball hard. We practice moving guys off the line, and scoring.

Turner was impressed with the play of the offensive line, and obviously has no problems "reverting" back to a run-heavy offense:

"I saw a lot of green as a running back today. The offensive line provided huge running lanes to make big runs. We wanted to give the team a big spark by producing a good amount of yards on the ground, and controlling the clock. We wanted to play hard for the team and I am very pleased with the performance.

"I believe [running more than 20 times a game] wears defenses out. It also plays to one of our biggest strengths as an offense. There is no question the rushing attack is a big part of our team identity. That said, we do understand the importance of having a strong passing game and being multi-dimensional.

Head coach Mike Smith admitted that run-first was the game plan all along:

"We wanted to run the football and control the line of scrimmage, and that was what we wanted to do in the ballgame. It was our game plan, and that allowed us to control the clock."

Falcons Vs. Panthers Highlights: Michael Turner The Workhorse, Corey Peters The Defensive Back

2011-10-17T16:01:19Z

'Twas a good win for the Falcons yesterday. After the Falcons' chances of victory seemed to be heading south during the third quarter of this game, all of a sudden something clicked and the offense put up 17 unanswered points to end the ball game.

Lots of big plays in this one. Cam Newton was throwing everywhere, the big man Corey Peters made a one-handed interception, and of course the workhorse Michael Turner was absolutely plowing through that Carolina run defense all day long in this big 31-17 divisional win.

Falcons vs Panthers Week 6 2011 Highlights (via erikboi777)

Also worth noting are the two pass interferences called on throws intended for Roddy White in the end zone. That could very well be why he had such a quiet day, and why Matt Ryan didn't exactly rack up the yardage in this one. Though Ryan still misfired on a few deep passes, hemade every throw he needed to, and even got Harry Douglas involved for a couple of nice catches

Outside of a few running plays where the offensive line imploded, that group did much better as well. Charles Johnson was more or less held in check, and Ryan was kept upright (mostly).

And while that zone coverage on defense allowed Cam Newton to make a few big plays, they limited the damage done and forced three turnovers- all interceptions- that were ultimately the difference in this one. Corey Peters' pick on a screen pass was probably the play of the game.

All in all, this was the first complete game I've seen all season. Let's hope this momentum carries over into next week when the Falcons face the Lions on the road, in which Detroit will likely be favored. It feels absolutely weird saying that.

For more Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For the Panthers, head to Cat Scratch Reader.

Falcons Vs. Panthers: A Plea To End All Mentions Of 'Super Bowl Favorites'

2011-10-17T14:46:24Z

So this is why everyone hates Peter King so much.

The SI's columnist's clout is so far-reaching that, even when he's nowhere to be found, his impact can be felt: the AJC's Mark Bradley let loose a snarky fart of a post-game column after Atlanta put together its best second half of the season in yesterday's 31-17 win over the Panthers. Bradley's smarminess, like so many other criticisms of Atlanta, was anchored by King's notable preseason prediction that the Falcons would play in the Super Bowl. That one aside has been the source of much derision and parody after a slow 3-3 start.

No one's wearing fan blinders: We don't have issues with Bradley's assessment of the Falcons on the field. He's accurate and unbiased in highlighting a slow-starting offense orchestrated by an often infuriating offensive coordinator and an at-times horrific secondary.

The unnecessary bit is the seemingly mandatory framework of the failed "would-be Super Bowl contender" nonsense. King's certainly a titan of industry among NFL writers (why and how is for another time), but there's no journalist's law that says Atlanta was indeed a Super Bowl contender, or that writers like Bradley who focus solely on this one franchise can't counter and/or outright dismiss that claim.

One guy, ableit however powerful and connected, deemed the Falcons a favorite for Indy. It's perfectly suitable to ignore that sole prediction outright, and evaluate this team by what we know for certain: an overachieving club that should've been closer to 10-6 last season with a tougher schedule, thinner offensive line and unresolved development issues on defense this year.

Falcons Vs. Panthers Final Score: Michael Turner Powers Falcons To 31-17 Victory

2011-10-16T19:58:14Z

What a final quarter! At the beginning of the quarter, the Falcons actually couldn't come through where they usually do: the red zone. On third and goal at the Carolina two, Ryan couldn't commit to a receiver and the Falcons were forced to settle for a 24-yard Matt Bryant field goal. That would, however, tie things up at 17 points apiece with 14:15 left in this ball game.

On the other side, a holding penalty gave the defense an opportunity to force another punt. On third and fifteen, the Falcons forced Cam Newton to throw underneath- well short of the first down- and in turn a Carolina punt. A decent eight-yard return by Eric Weems had the Falcons in business at their own 40-yard line.

And then the Ryan-led no huddle offense was executed to perfection. While the Panthers finally started stuffing Michael Turner, Ryan made two excellent plays on third down- including a beautiful 34-yard completion to Harry Douglas with pressure coming from all directions- to keep the drive alive. Finally, on second and goal from one yard out, Ryan took it in himself on a QB sneak to put the Falcons up 24-17.

And then the defense came through. After giving up a big first down run to DeAngelo Williams, Corey Peters read a screen pass perfectly and intercepted the short pass by Newton. In a game where turnovers have been the difference, the Falcons have had two huge ones. Peters just made a big-time play that could very well seal this one for the Falcons, as they now are threatening to score inside the Carolina 30.

Once again, it would be Turner to break the Panthers defense. On the ensuing drive, he would carry the ball six times for 29 yards, including his second TD of the game that would seal the Falcons win. On the day, Turner the Burner had 27 carries for 139 yards. His success opened up the passing lanes, and the offense looked much better than last week.

The defense, while not fantastic, made enough plays to limit a red-hot Cam Newton. Brent Grimes did an excellent job on Steve Smith as well. All in all, the Falcons move to 3-3 having played their most complete game of this season. Finally, it would seem all the talk of "improvement" has come to fruition.

For more on this game, visit Atlanta Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Carolina Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader.

VIDEO: Corey Peters Picks Off Cam Newton With One Hand

2011-10-16T19:47:27Z

A couple weeks ago, Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Corey Peters made a critical error that may have cost the Birds a chance at a comeback NFC South win. Sunday, he made a play that all but sealed a victory against another division rival.

Here's Peters reaching up and snaring a Cam Newton screen pass in the fourth quarter:

Watch the way he calls off his pressure as soon as he realizes there's screen pass traffic passing through his area. All the rest is just pure big man athleticism. A stiff arm and everything. #COREYPETERS4TIGHTEND

For more on this game, visit Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader and Falcons blog The Falcoholic.

Falcons Vs. Panthers Update: Defense Finally Gets Pressure, But Panthers Lead 17-14

2011-10-16T19:14:05Z

The Panthers started this half on offense, and really there's not much I can say that you haven't heard already. The Falcons got very little pressure from their defensive line, and when they did (this time John Abraham) Cam Newton broke out of a would-be sack and turned it into a gain. The defense broke down on yet another third-down play, and Abe's inability to wrap up allowed Newton to rush for the 14-yard score.

The only adjustments on defense that I saw (if you wanted to call them that) were more blitzing and looser coverage. Neither really made any impact. The Panthers were still able to score, only this time it was more painful to watch because the drive was longer.

On offense, the second-half stagnation continued. Outside of a 13-yard completion to Tony Gonzalez, not much happened. On the second third-down of the drive, Ryan threw into double coverage and it fell incomplete. Though he's had a good game thus far, the Ice Man just seems way too locked in on Roddy White at times. You look at quarterbacks like Rodgers and Brees, and you see they use all of their weapons. Just something to consider.

Matt Bosher, however, has finally shown some improvement: he booted a 46-yard punt that landed inside the Carolina 20. The punt team definitely gets a gold star for improvement thus far.

On the defense's second round of the half however, the pass rush finally came through. John Abraham broke into the backfield and forced and incompletion on first down, and then Ray Edwards notched the second sack of the game on third down. That forced the Panthers to punt out of their own end zone, and the offense took over at midfield. Nice to see Edwards show that he's getting healthier by the week.

And the offense did what we'd been expecting all week: leaning on Michael Turner and the ground game. Ovie Mughelli has had a great game blocking for Turner, as has the offensive line (for the most part). Three straight carries by Turner went for 41 total yards and put the Falcons in a first and goal situation as the third quarter came to a close.

So, you could call that third-quarter "improvement," although really it's more a case of "well, it wasn't as bad as before." Still, the Falcons haven't let this game slip away yet, which sadly has me in a good mood. If the Falcons can score and put together a good last quarter, however, they'll be sitting at .500. Let's go!

For more on this game, visit Atlanta Falcons blog The Falcoholic and Carolina Panthers blog Cat Scratch Reader.