Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 20 of 66)

      While everyone focuses on Patriots, Falcons quietly make it eight straight

      December 19, 2010 /
      CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 12: Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers during their game at Bank of America Stadium on December 12, 2010 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

      Ask the casual fan who the best team is in the NFC and you’ll probably hear a response similar to this: “Well, I know the Falcons have the best record, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut…”

      People would rather spend a naked night in Alaska then definitively say the Falcons are the best team in their conference. They don’t blow anyone out, they don’t rack up big passing numbers and they don’t have that nasty Baltimore/Chicago/Pittsburgh-style defense that holds opponents to 13 points every game.

      They’re boring. They’re the anti-Philadelphia Eagle (which is ironic when you think about it). They’re simple. They’re plain-Jane.

      And if they win one more game they’re going to have home field advantage throughout the rest of the playoffs.

      Does anyone realize this team has the longest active winning streak in the NFL? With their 34-18 win over the Seahawks on Sunday, they improved to 12-2 on the year and have now won eight straight. That’s three more than everyone’s beloved Patriots (who, as of this writing have not played the Packers yet on Sunday night football) and five more than the thrilling Philadelphia Eagles.

      They also just went on the road three-straight weeks and finished 3-0, all while averaging 31 points per game and holding opponents to just 17.3 PPG.

      Granted, their last two wins came against the Panthers and Seahawks, but 1) it’s never easy to beat the Hawks in Seattle and 2) it’s never easy to fly cross-country and win after two-straight road wins the previous two weeks. But the Falcons did it and now have the chance to prove to a national audience that they deserve to be mentioned with the Patriots in terms of elite.

      That’s because they’ll host the Saints in Atlanta next Monday night. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot thanks to their win over the Seahawks, but the Falcons still don’t have the top seed wrapped up in the NFC. A win against New Orleans would allow them to accomplish that feat and don’t think for a second the Falcons wouldn’t love to make a statement on national television against the defending champs.

      Of course, even if they win, chances are they’ll still be a forgotten team in the NFC. And with the way things have gone this season, why would they want it any other way?

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 14 COY power rankings

      December 18, 2010 /

      Getting down to the wire, like when talking heads on NFL Network, etc. actually start pontificating about what we’ve been writing all season…..

      1. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—Now we’ve seen everything. Running the score up against the Bears during a Chicago blizzard, while holding them to one special teams TD? Did this team actually lose to the Browns a month ago?

      2. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles—Won a critical division game in Dallas, and the Eagles can make a statement against the Giants Sunday. What happens may determine if Reid stays right here or drops a few notches, but he’s still brilliant for how he handled the whole QB situation this year.

      3. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—He’s running a well-oiled machine, but that doesn’t happen by accident.

      4. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—Nobody is complaining that his Rams lost to the Saints, but they my get a rematch, in St. Louis, in the playoffs.

      5. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—Now the Chargers are breathing down his neck; but hey, he probably feels good that Josh McDaniels is watching games from his couch now.

      6. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—From the hot seat to the cold seat to the warm seat and back to the cold seat. And now the Giants have shot to take over the NFC East, while at times conjuring up visions of the 2007 team that won it all.

      7. Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars—Winning the AFC South when many thought they’d finish last could turn out to be a top storyline this year. But there are still three games left, including a big one this Sunday in Indy.

      8. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—What a great season this has turned out to be for the Steelers, and look no further than the guy in charge for much of that.

      9. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—No matter how they finish, the Bucs have well exceeded expectations this season.

      10. Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears—Big hiccup at home against New England, and now they get to play OUTDOORS on Monday night in Minneapolis. Yikes.

      Honorable mention: Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Did you know the Saints were 10-3? Neither did anyone else, but Mike Smith has reason to worry.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 14 MVP power rankings

      December 18, 2010 /

      Now, I feel like I knew what I was talking about by moving Tom Brady up to #1. The man is simply a man possessed this year to win a title. I mean, it’s been, what? Five years since his Pats did win. Yep. Those guys are in a zone. Here are the weekly power rankings…..

      1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—In a blizzard, Brady completed 27 of 40 passes (67.5%) for 369 yards, 2 TDs and zero picks. Against the Bears’ defense. Someone needs to check to see if Brady actually IS human.

      2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—He’s only played 10 full games, but his overall numbers are sick—averaging 251 yards per game passing, and another 48 yards per game rushing, with 17 passing TDs and 7 more rushing, with only 4 interceptions.

      3. Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs—The fact that the Chiefs didn’t have Cassel available last Sunday and got blown out in San Diego is the pure definition of MVP.

      4. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—At what point do we start paying attention to Brees and his Saints?

      5. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—Here come the Chargers. Sorry, Todd Haley, they are gonna find a way to spoil your postseason aspirations.

      6. Matt Ryan/Roddy White/Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons—Sure, they have the best record in the NFC, but Ryan’s numbers aren’t quite backing up MVP vote consideration, so I thought it made sense to group these three together for now.

      7. Arian Foster, Houston Texans—Leads in rushing yards (1330), rushing scores (13), and is right behind LeSean McCoy in receiving yards for running backs (504) with 2 more TDs. Just sick, and it’s only too bad the Texans can’t play defense.

      8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—He leaves the game, the Packers lose to the Lions. See # 3—Cassel, Matt. Same situation.

      9. Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles—Leads all DE’s in solo tackles (46) and has 9 sacks, but for some reason he doesn’t get much love.

      10. Justin Tuck/Osi Umenyiora, New York Giants—Tuck leads all DE’s with 46 total tackles and has 9 sacks; Osi has 40 tackles and 10 sacks. No wonder these guys have been knocking quarterbacks silly.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 13 MVP power rankings

      December 11, 2010 /

      There was a bit of a Peyton Manning sighting last night, as well as a Chris Johnson sighting. But not enough to jump on board here.

      1. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—With all due respect to Michael Vick, the dude with the long hair made a mockery out of one of the league’s top defenses on Monday night and has a 109.5 QB rating through 12 games.

      2. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—With two games against an improved Dallas team, one against the Giants and one against Minnesota, it will determine both Philly’s season and Vick’s MVP status.

      3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons—His numbers don’t rank him near Brady, Rivers or Manning, but he is Matty Ice for a reason, and his team is 10-2 for a reason.

      4. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons—A mini scoring drought has dropped Mr. White a few spots

      5. Arian Foster, Houston Texans—He’s got MJD, CJ2K, JMC and AP chasing him. What is this, Star Wars? No worries, AF1 will hang on for the rushing title these next few weeks.

      6. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Lately, you get the feeling the Saints can just score at will when they need to. They did it late against the Cowboys and the Bengals, led by this guy.

      7. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—Something’s afoot in San Diego, dude.

      8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—3243 yards, 23 TDs, 9 picks. If the Pack was better than 8-4, Rodgers would be up higher on this list.

      9. Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs—The “other” Matty Ice

      10. Trent Cole, Philadelphia Eagles—Leads all DE’s in solo tackles (46) and has 9 sacks, but for some reason he doesn’t get much love.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 13 COY power rankings

      December 11, 2010 /

      Four weeks to go….who will stay on this list and who will drop off. Also, who will be the first coach to get fired? Maybe that’s for another list. For now, here are the best coaches/biggest surprises for 2010 thus far….

      1. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—A two-game lead on the Chargers is nice when you face them in December. Let’s see where this dude sits next week.

      2. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—6-6 looks much better than 5-6, doesn’t it? At least it makes the Packers (8-4) and Bucs (7-5) feel better that they’re currently out of the playoffs based on standings.

      3. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles—A tough schedule to finish, but that has never scared Big Andy before, and it shouldn’t when Michael Vick is at the helm.

      4. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—If you put up 39 points on the Steelers and 45 on the Jets, you’re doing something right.

      5. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—The best record in the NFL should be good for something

      6. Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears—9-3, and everyone is STILL waiting for the other shoe to drop.

      7. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers—Let’s not forget the current AFC North leaders started the first quarter of the season without Big Ben

      8. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—Since being on the hot seat, Coughlin’s Giants have gone 7-2 and have won the last two games despite not having Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, and more than half of their starting O-line.

      9. Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars—Still in the lead for the AFC South in a year when most expected him to be fired

      10. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—Much improved despite having trouble beating some of the better teams

      Honorable mention: Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders—Bonus points for beating the Chargers so soundly in San Diego last Sunday

      External Sports, NFL

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