'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.