Live Blog from the Georgia
Dome By Don Stone - Football Atlanta
The Falcons have already won as many games in their first seven as they did
all last year. An indicator of both how good this season has gone and how
bad last season did. And the remaining nine games on the schedule line up
pretty nicely mostly with teams with losing records. Road games at San
Francisco(2-5), Tampa Bay (2-4) and Jacksonville (2-5) look winnable. Home
games with Tampa Bay today followed by a struggling Indianapolis team (3-4)
and a New Orleans rematch (3-4) also look doable. The only games with teams
with winning records might come in a pair of December games with undefeated
Carolina (6-0) and Minnesota (4-2).
Atlanta destroyed the Bucs last year in the Dome. But, the
personnel of both teams has changed dramatically. So, hard to take anything
from that.
Tampa Bay is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Washington where they got
up 24-0 then saw the Redskins mount the largest comeback in franchise
history winning 31-30.
Atlanta returns from a defensive struggle in Nashville and a 10-7 victory
over the Titans.
Once again, its up to Atlanta to salvage a lost weekend for local
football fans with the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets suffering more losses.
This was not exception.
The Falcons started the game at their 26 yard line. A short toss left to
Julio Jones and the WR turned it into nine. A false start made it
third and six from the 30. TE Jacob Tamme got seven and a first at
the 37. Another to an open Jones took it 17 and into TB territory at the 46.
Jones was wide open again for 21 at the 23. Some confusion on the line
forced Matt Ryan to call a time out.
Coming up an inch short on a third and two, Dan Quinn kept the
offense in there and converted on a quarterback sneak. An unnecessary
roughness call on the Bucs made it first and goal at the six. Atlanta had
been very effective in the red zone but had struggled there in recent weeks
including four turnovers.
A Buc defender picked Ryan off in the end zone and ran it back sixty
yards with Jones chasing him down. But, it was called back on an off sides
call for a second and three. The Falcons failed to push it in again and
settled for a 21 yard Matt Bryant field goal to make it 3-0.
Tampa Bay began their first drive at their 20 as we got our first look at
the overall first round draft choice, Jameis Winston. On a third and
four, Winston was almost sacked. But, Atlanta was called for off sides
giving him a new set of downs. They took advantage as Doug Martin
picked up 18 to the 47. Martin broke a few tackles in the backfield avoiding
a loss, gaining five into Falcons territory. But Adrian Clayborn
stopped the drive for a loss forcing a punt to the 12.
Penalties continued to stifle the offense as Jones was call on a hold
moving the ball back to the six. Jones got it back on a 45 yard catch and
run but had it plucked from his hands by Kwon Alexander and run back
to the 21. Winston could do nothing with the gift and went three and out.
Connor Barth at least got three points from the turnover to tie it at
three from 38 yards.
Atlanta started their third drive at their 20. Back again to Jones up the
middle for 17. Devonta Freeman carried it for six. Ryan converted a
third and eight with a completion to Justin Hardy at the TB49. An off
sides call converted another first at the 35. Freeman picked up another
first on a rush for seven to the 23. Tamme picked up 14 to the six. But,
again, a turnover on a bad snap. The Bucs had it at the 22.
A short pass to Charles Sims got 13. Then a pass deep left to
Cameron Brate got another 28. Another Sims carry for four got another
first down at the 12. Tyson Jackson had to be walked off the field
with a rib injury, his return questionable. A third and 12 got it to the
five. And again, a turnover led to Buccaneer points, but again, it was only
three, this time from 23. But, it was enough for the slim 6-3 lead.
Atlanta started at their 20. Freeman broke free for 20 yards. On the next
Ryan was slammed to the ground and slow to get up. An offensive pass
interference call made it first and 20 from the Atl41 at the two minute
warning.
A five yard off sides call made it first and 15. A Tevin Coleman
catch added 10. Again, another Ryan pass was picked off by Alexander giving
the Bucs the ball at midfield with 1:23 to go and all three time outs. TE
Brandon Myers pulled in a catch for a first down at the Atl37. Winston
was sacked at the 46 making it third and 14 from the 41 with 0:41 left.
Mike Evans converted with a catch at the 20. The Bucs
finally got in the end zone on a 20 yard Brate catch to make it 13-3.
All thirteen TB points had come from Falcon turnovers. Atlanta led in
total yards 217-151 and in time of possession 18:25 to 11:35. They were
still in the game and could win just doing what they had been doing, minus
the turnovers.
Tampa Bay began the second half at their 20 and got nothing. On the punt,
Eric Weems took it to the 50. TE Levine Tollolo got seven with
Freeman getting the first with a six yard catch going out of bounds at the
TB37. The back got seven more on the ground. Ryan rolled right and it Tamme
for 17 to the 20. But another drive was snuffed in the red zone as Ryan
fumbled, recovered by Henry Melton at the 24.
Martin carried for nine. An uncharacteristic pass interference call on
Desmond Trufant moved the ball to the 36. Trufant was called again on
the next play all the way down at the AF25. To add insult to injury, Trufant
hurt his hip on the play and limped back to the sideline in obvious pain.
Winston eventually ran it in for another score to put the Bucs up 20-3.
Until the last turnover, there was a general feeling that the Falcons could
still take control of the game. But, after Tampa Bay took the ball 76 yards
in seven plays, that feeling was gone. It began feeling like it did in 2014
when you were just waiting for the next mistake the Falcons would make.
Still plenty of time with six minutes to go in the third quarter but things
had to change quickly.
Atlanta began their turnaround attempt at the 20. A pass to Weems got 11.
Another to Tamme got it to the 46. Ryan avoided a rush and hit Patrick
DiMarco at the 36. Freeman got free for 14 more and a first at the 22.
They were moving the ball just like they had been doing all game. They just
needed to score instead of turn it over.
Hardy grabbed another first down at the 10...back in the dreaded red
zone. Right away, a 15 yard chop block penalty made it first and goal at the
25. Tamme saw no problem with a pair of clutch catches for 18, then seven to
give Atlanta a much needed touchdown and cut the lead in half 20-10.
It was announced that Robert Alford had a groin injury with his
return questionable leaving both starting cornerbacks out. Jalen Collins
and Phillip Adams would substitute.
Tampa had the ball at the 20. The defense needed a stop. Winston hit
Evans for nine as the third quarter came to an end.
Quinn challenged the ruling on the field and won returning the ball
to the 20 and moving time back to nine seconds in the third quarter. A false
start moved it back to the 15. Winston got it all back on a 17 yard pass to
Myers with the third quarter ending for a second time. More mistakes as the
Bucs failed to convert but got a first anyway on an off sides call at the
43. The drive ended there giving Atlanta another shot after the 38 yard punt
at their 17.
On a third and five, Julio dove for nine yards and a first down at the
34. Roddy White got his first catch but saw it called back on a
holding call. First and 20 from the 24. Freeman got 11 back on a catch and
carry. A catch by Terron Ward made it fourth and one from their 43.
With 8:33 to go, Quinn went for it and was rewarded with a Freeman first
down dive to the 45. White got his first catch again into TB territory at
the 36. Tamme got nine. Freeman refused to go down and scrambled to the 16.
A holding call on Mike Person made it third and 11 from the 13 with
just over five minutes left on the clock. They needed 10 and chose to get
three of it from 24 yards on another Bryant field goal.
Tampa Bay still had the lead 20-13 with 4:56 to go. Obviously, the
defense needed a stop with the Buccaneers getting the ball at the 20.
Martin started with a five yard carry then lost a yard for a big third
and six at the 24 with 3:48 to go. As Winston was being pulled down, he
tossed it to Martin for a huge first down at the 31 on one of the biggest
plays of the game. Atlanta took their second time out at 2:41. Quinn took
his third time out at 2:35 with a crucial third and one at the 40. The
defense got the stop as Paul Soliai had to be walked off the field.
The clock ran down to the two minute warning.
Lovie Smith made a gutsy call to go for it on fourth and one
at the 40. The crowd erupted when it came up a foot short. The Falcons had
new life with a new set of downs and plenty of time at 1:52. The comeback
was complete when Jones brought down a touchdown reception to tie the game
at 20. The game went into overtime.
The Bucs methodically moved the ball downfield getting close enough to go
ahead with a Barth 31 yarder giving them a 23-20 lead.
But, Atlanta would get a turn to try to tie it or win it.
Ryan came in with 30 career game winning drives in the fourth quarter or
OT. But that number would stay at 30 as the Falcons could only get to the 42
before they ran out of downs and time. The Buccaneers came into the game as
the biggest underdog in the NFL and pulled off the upset. In reality, the
game was a gift with four turnovers giving them all of their points but the
final three. You can say that it was the defense that caused them. But, with
the exception of the ball stripped from Jones, they were all self inflicted.
Atlanta has to stew on this one for two weeks with a bye coming up before
they had to San Francisco.
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