Not on this day!!!! A day that had so much promise for the Falcons, and their fans, turned ugly from the opening kickoff. The Falcons suffered one of their worst defeats as the Chicago Bears downed the Atlanta Falcons 30-12 in the season opener for both teams at Soldier Field. The stats for both teams would indicate that it would have been a close game, but not so. QB Matt Ryan was 31-47 for 319 yards, but no TD's and one pick. A key play was when Ryan was scrambling for get away from a sack and just lost control of the ball and the ball came out and a Bear defensive player picked the ball up and just walked into the endzone for a Bears TD.
Special Teams have hurt the Falcons all preseason and it showed in the opener as well. The Bears started their drives close to midfield all game on. Missed takles on ST and just seeming to give up on plays way to early. Takling on defense, or lack thereof haunted the Falcons all game. Instead of wrapping the players up and bringing them to the ground, the Falcons seemed to just tacle air. And if that wasn't bad enough, they would just seem to try to push the Bears players, which didn't work at all. Prime example, LB Sean Weatherspoon tried to just push Bears RB Forte down without wrapping him up. The result, six more points for the Bears as Forte rumbled in for a TD.
The offense couldn't get it all together where everything was clicking. There were no explosive plays downfield, like we all heard would happen in the offseason. Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularky said that they were not forcing plays down field. Why not? You let players make plays, and take chances. All game Ryan was throwing underneath to the Falcons WR, and the Bears D were ready and waiting. Their were two promising plays during the game, one of offense and the other on defense. The offensive play came where RB Michael Turner barreled up the field to paydirt, nothing but endzone ahead of him, only to be takled short on the endzone, and settling for a FG. Turner seems to have lost a step. If it was 2008, that would have been a TD. The defensive play was the only TD of the game for the Falcons. The Falcons sacked Bears QB Jay Culter and he lost control of the ball, and the beer man, defensive end Kroy Bierrmann scouped the ball up and ran it into the endzone for the Falcons first TD of the season that counts.
Every season the last few years, the Falcons seem to start off very slow, and then pick it up later in the season. Heres hoping that is exactly what's going to happen. I hope Sports Illustrated writer Peter King didn't put a scare on the team by picking them to go to the Super Bowl. The good thing about week was was the New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, all in the Falcons division, all lost.
Upcoming game this week is a showdown at the Georgia Dome as the Falcons host the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night on national TV. Heres hoping the Falcons turn up the volume and earn their first W of the season
Special Teams have hurt the Falcons all preseason and it showed in the opener as well. The Bears started their drives close to midfield all game on. Missed takles on ST and just seeming to give up on plays way to early. Takling on defense, or lack thereof haunted the Falcons all game. Instead of wrapping the players up and bringing them to the ground, the Falcons seemed to just tacle air. And if that wasn't bad enough, they would just seem to try to push the Bears players, which didn't work at all. Prime example, LB Sean Weatherspoon tried to just push Bears RB Forte down without wrapping him up. The result, six more points for the Bears as Forte rumbled in for a TD.
The offense couldn't get it all together where everything was clicking. There were no explosive plays downfield, like we all heard would happen in the offseason. Offensive Coordinator Mike Mularky said that they were not forcing plays down field. Why not? You let players make plays, and take chances. All game Ryan was throwing underneath to the Falcons WR, and the Bears D were ready and waiting. Their were two promising plays during the game, one of offense and the other on defense. The offensive play came where RB Michael Turner barreled up the field to paydirt, nothing but endzone ahead of him, only to be takled short on the endzone, and settling for a FG. Turner seems to have lost a step. If it was 2008, that would have been a TD. The defensive play was the only TD of the game for the Falcons. The Falcons sacked Bears QB Jay Culter and he lost control of the ball, and the beer man, defensive end Kroy Bierrmann scouped the ball up and ran it into the endzone for the Falcons first TD of the season that counts.
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| DE Kroy Biermann runs to paydirt after INT: Photo by AP |
Every season the last few years, the Falcons seem to start off very slow, and then pick it up later in the season. Heres hoping that is exactly what's going to happen. I hope Sports Illustrated writer Peter King didn't put a scare on the team by picking them to go to the Super Bowl. The good thing about week was was the New Orleans, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, all in the Falcons division, all lost.
Upcoming game this week is a showdown at the Georgia Dome as the Falcons host the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night on national TV. Heres hoping the Falcons turn up the volume and earn their first W of the season
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