Tag: Atlanta Falcons (Page 22 of 66)

      NFL Week 11.1 MVP power rankings

      November 28, 2010 /

      Let’s face it, it’s hard not to include Thanksgiving Day games in this, so we will. And again, things change from week to week; and some things do not. Eli Manning fumbled himself off this list, and Philip Rivers continues to amaze on a consistent basis.

      1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—Not as dominating against tough Giants’ D (though two of his receivers dropped passes in the end zone), but led his team to what counts—a W.

      2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—His team is 9-2, and to show he’s made it all the way back from 2008 knee surgery, Brady needs a big game against the Jets a week from Monday.

      3. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—On pace for 5083 yards, 37 TDs and 14 picks, without Vincent Jackson (who comes back today) and with a gimpy Gates.

      4. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons—Not reaching 100 yards against the Rams will ding you a couple spots here.

      5. Arian Foster, Houston Texans—Regardless of what his team does, Foster keeps putting up numbers.

      6. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons—253 and 2 TDs against Rams, which isn’t huge, but the fact that Falcons only have two losses so far is.

      7. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—On pace for 21 sacks, but he’ll have to get to the guy right above him on this list today if he wants to remain here.

      8. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Don’t look now, here come the defending champs led by #9.

      9. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Putting up 301/4/0 in Minnesota against his former mentor Brett Favre was a thing of beauty. And in case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Packers have three losses, all by 3 points and two in OT. Look out.

      10. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Put up almost 400 yards against New England last week with 4 TDs, but the three picks, including one at the end of the game, are hard to ignore.

      External Sports, NFL

      Are the Falcons becoming a pass-first team under Matt Ryan?

      November 21, 2010 /
      NEW ORLEANS - NOVEMBER 2: Quarterback Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons throws a pass against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter of the game at the Louisiana Superdome on November 2, 2009 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

      For the past two years the Falcons have largely been known as a run-first team, which makes sense because they are.

      Or were.

      For the past two weeks the Falcons have gotten away from their mantra of allowing Michael Turner and the running game to set up Matt Ryan and the passing game. In their 26-21 win over the Ravens last Thursday night, seven of their first nine plays were passes and for the most part, they stuck with the pass even after they built a two-score lead.

      In their 34-17 win over the Rams on Sunday, Turner racked up 131 yards on 28 carries but 39 of those yards came on one touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Truth be told, Atlanta had issues running the ball with consistency for much of the game and relied mostly on Ryan’s arm to earn their NFC-best eighth win.

      Ryan was outstanding. He completed 26-of-39 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions (although he was nearly picked off in the end zone in the second half). Whenever the Falcons needed a big play, it was Ryan finding Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins through the air – not Turner churning out first downs on the ground. That’s not to say Turner was ineffective or wasn’t a part of the game plan because he was (on both accounts). But it’s becoming clear that offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey is putting the game more on Ryan’s shoulders, which is good seeing as how well the third-year quarterback has handled the pressure.

      That said, a balanced offense remains the key to the Falcons’ success. Ryan has looked great running the no-huddle and has done his most damage when he can read the defense and to check to plays at the line of scrimmage. But Atlanta found some balance late in the third quarter against St. Louis and that’s when the Falcons were at their best offensively. There was little the Rams could do as Atlanta marched up the field methodically and dominated time of possession. The Falcons are dangerous right now because they have so many weapons that they can throw at a defense. But balance is everything.

      Next week should be fun. The Falcons host the Packers in what could be a potential playoff showdown in the Georgia Dome.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 10 COY power rankings

      November 21, 2010 /

      Definitely a balance of power shift here. But that’s why the NFL is so great.

      1. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—Look at the standings in the AFC South (Falcons 7-2, Saints and Bucs 6-3). And ask yourself, “Did I see this coming?”

      2. Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders—Tied for first in the AFC West with the Chiefs. Really?

      3. Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs—A bad showing in Denver, but still exceeding expectations in a big way.

      4. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—Seriously, no one expected 4-5 at this point and real contention, much less with a rookie quarterback.

      5. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles—Does anyone else think the plan all along was to run Donovan McNabb out of town and then eventually start Michael Vick?

      6. Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks—Is anyone going to give the Seahawks’ new coach credit for having them in first place on November 21?

      7. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots—Follows up a crushing loss to Cleveland with a thumping of the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

      8. Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears—After they started 3-0 and then Jay Cutler was assaulted by the Giants, a tailspin ensued. But now it’s all bright and sunny in the Windy City.

      9. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—Okay, so after five wins in a row, the crap hit the fan last Sunday against Dallas. But Coughlin has this way of making his team look Super Bowl bound most of the time.

      10. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—It’s almost like no one is paying attention to this team, but they are serious contenders.

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 10 MVP power rankings

      November 21, 2010 /

      Well, this sure got interesting, didn’t it? Michael Vick had an MVP type game, maybe the greatest game statistically for a quarterback in NFL history on Monday night against Washington. There is no argument here — Michael Vick is the MVP, and he’s going to have to have a total collapse in the next few games for anyone to claim that perch. Injury? Even if he’s injured Sunday and misses the rest of the season, Vick is still the MVP, because of this past game and because of his entire body of work this year, which is absolutely sick.

      1. Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles—In just six games, Vick has thrown for 1350 yards with 11 TDs, 0 interceptions; and 44 carries for 341 yards rushing with 4 more rushing scores. Most of all, he makes the Eagles a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

      2. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons—He hasn’t played a game since we last did this, so why penalize him except to let Vick take the top spot?

      3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots—Did you see Brady screaming at his offensive linemen in the middle of a rout of Pittsburgh on the road? Dude is not messing around.

      4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—Quietly has his team contending again, despite guys off the street to throw to.

      5. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—Like Rivers, Manning is getting it done without a strong receiving corps.

      6. Eli Manning, New York Giants—Little brother deserves love too. Why? The Giants are 6-3 and he has 19 TD passes. And half of his 13 picks were not his fault.

      7. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons—Yeah, we’re QB heavy, but aren’t the real voters?

      8. Arian Foster, Houston Texans—On pace for 2202 all-purpose yards and 20 touchdowns.

      9. Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers—Off last week, so we’ll let Matthews and his 11 sacks hang out here some more.

      10. Brandon Lloyd, Denver Broncos—Really? 48 catches for 968 yards? That’s a ridiculous 20.2 yards per catch

      External Sports, NFL

      NFL Week 9 COY power rankings

      November 14, 2010 /

      This is another list that keeps evolving from week to week, because every week there is at least one upset, and usually more like three upsets.

      1. Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay Bucs—Let’s be honest, the Bucs were maybe the worst team in football a year ago. This season, Morris has them believing they could be Super Bowl bound.

      2. Todd Haley, Kansas City—Another fantastic turnaround job, especially on defense.

      3. Tom Cable, Oakland Raiders—The Raiders haven’t been this relevant since 2002. Remember when this dude was on the hot seat for about a year?

      4. Steve Spagnuolo, St. Louis Rams—More wins this year (4) than in the previous two seasons combined (3) and with a good chance to actually win the division.

      5. Tom Coughlin, New York Giants—The G-men began 1-2 and looked like bumbling idiots. Then the players and fans rallied around their coach and won five straight.

      6. Jeff Fisher, Tennessee Titans—In a small market, you lose players to free agency a lot, but this dude keeps getting the most out of his roster.

      7. Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles—Everyone knows the Eagles are better with Mike Vick at QB and Big Andy is a common sense dude.

      8. Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh—It’s like he had you, me, Ryan Leaf and Tim Couch start the first four games; and came out 3-1 before getting Big Ben back.

      9. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay—The Packers were hemorrhaging players, but McCarthy never gave up on the season. Now they’re on top in the NFC North.

      10. Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons—His team is rock solid on offense and defense, and just pulled out a huge win against a tough Baltimore team.

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑