The final score was certainly a good bit closer than Mike Smith & Co. would've liked, but all that counts today is that the Falcons won and remain in contention for a wild card berth. Outside of a frighteningly impressive showing by Jake Locker late in this ball game, the Falcons were great on defense.
Chris Johnson had 13 yards on 12 carries, and outside of a couple big plays in the passing game the Falcons largely held a pretty stagnant Tennessee offense in check (or at least, you know, until Jake Locker came in to the game). I'd like to ignore the fact that Locker had surprising success, so we'll save that blemish for another discussion.
On offense, there were some very solid performances by air and on the ground. Matt Ryan topped 300 yards for the second week in a row, and found Roddy White seven times for 147 yards in a very 2010-esque performance. Tony Gonzalez was also his usual self, snagging five passes for 74 yards and a TD catch, and Michael Turner hit the century mark on 21 carries.
Despite a few miscues on offense- a rare fumble by Turner and the occasional penalty here or there- the Falcons showed military discipline compared to the Titans, who committed 10 penalties for a whopping 86 yards, including ones that kept Falcons drives alive.
So I think it's safe to say that the Titans certainly aren't a football team that should scare you on paper, and today the Falcons managed not to be upset by a pretty average team by all accounts. There were some questionable decisions (see: not kicking the field goal late in the fourth quarter) and a few lapses in the secondary (see: Thomas DeCoud getting manhandled by Nate Washington).
But the Falcons won, and right now that's what matters. Thankfully, this is the first among a string of softball games that should help pad their current record of 6-4. Keyword: should.
For more insights about the Titans, check out the SB Nation blog Music City Miracles. For more insights about the Falcons, check out the SB Nation blog The Falcoholic.