Rise Up!!……Falcons Rise Up! – NFC Championship Game – Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers

The Atlanta Falcons had a great run during the regular season. Who can complain? Thirteen wins and only three losses. An outstanding performance from many players on the team, but a great overall effort from the team as a whole. Here are some of the players accomplishments:

Matt Bryant kicked his longest field goal this season …62 yards.
Julio Jones with a total 10 touchdowns. He caught a total 79 passes for 1,198 yards. And received his first Pro Bowl nomination

Matt Ryan threw for 32 touchdowns during the regular season. He had a total of 4719 passing yards.

Toni Gonzalez became the first Tight End to score 100 touchdowns.

So as you can see, the Falcons definitely have the talent. Let’s see if they gave their best effort in the NFC championship game.

Qtr 1:
Julio Jones catches a 46yd pass from Matt Ryan for a touchdown. Matt Bryant kicks a 35yd field goal.

Qtr 2:
Julio Jones gets another touchdown off of a 20yd pass from Matt Ryan.
San Francisco’s LaMichael James runs 15yds for a touchdown. Vernon Davis catches a 4yd pass from Colin Kaepernick. Tony Gonzalez catches a 10yd pass from Matt Ryan for another Falcon’s touchdown and for the last touchdown of his career (I think….Will he really retire??).

Qtr 3:
Frank Gore scores a touchdown on a 5yd run.

Qtr 4:
Frank Gore scores a 9yd rushing touchdown to seal the deal for the NFC Championship game win. The San Francisco 49ers will go on to play the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Sunday, February 3, 2013.

The San Francisco 49ers took advantage of the Falcon’s late mishaps and turnovers and they came out on top in the end. 28-24 San Francisco. Congratulations to the San Francisco 49ers on becoming the NFC Champions. They will play the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl.

Win or Lose …..Now Is The Time – Playoff Game #1 – Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks

The pressure was on to win. They had to win. The Atlanta Falcons had to prove that they could actually win a playoff game. They hadn’t won a playoff game since 2004. I think it was more important for them to prove to themselves that they could actually win more so than proving to the media or fans. So, after escaping the first week of the playoffs, the Falcons enjoyed an extra week of no game. But, the time came to prove to the NFL world that the team that won 13 games this season could not only advance to the playoffs, but to actually win a game in the playoffs. Here is how the playoff game against the Seatte Seahawks played out:

Qtr 1:
Matt Bryant kicks a 39yd field goal to put Atlanta on the scoreboard first. Tony Gonzalez catches a 1yd pass from Matt Ryan to score a touchdown.

Qtr 2:
With 9 minutes left in the second quarter, Matt Bryant kicks another field goal to put the Falcons up 13-0. As the quarter comes close to an end, Roddy White catches a 47yd pass from Matt Ryan to scores Atlanta’s second touchdown for the 1st half. The first half was all Atlanta.

Qtr 3:
Golden Tate catches a 29yd pass from Russell Wilson for a touchdown. Jason Snelling of the Falcons receives a 5yd pass from Matt Ryan for a touchdown.

Qtr 4:
Seattle faces reality and realizes that the score is 27-7 in the Falcons’ favor. They have to make a move if they want to advance to the next round of the playoffs. The fourth quarter was all Seattle, until the last 31 seconds. Russell Wilson, Zach Miller, and Marshawn Lynch all scored in the forth quarter. Seattle was ready to celebrate. The Falcons realized that they had 31 seconds left and that was all the time they needed to get into field goal range. And that’s exactly what they did. With 8 seconds left in the game, Matt Bryant kicks the winning field goal to lead the Falcons into the next round (NFC Championship round) of the playoffs. Go Falcons!!

I don’t know, but I think the San Francisco 49ers will have their hands full. The Falcons want to be NFC Champions and advance to the Super Bowl.

Finally Here……Week 17 Recap – Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 17 is finally here.  I don’t know about anyone else, but this season seemed very long this year.  I’m not complaining because I love football and could actually stand to watch another 16 weeks.  But the regular season has finally come to an end.  Now here is where things get exciting and pretty interesting.  Regardless of regular season records, the Playoffs is where you find out which teams are really championship caliber teams.  The Atlanta Falcons have definitely proved that they have what it takes to go all the way.  Let’s just hope they can manage to win that first playoff game.  That would be a great start.  Now that the season is over, the Falcons have the best record in the NFL and home field advantage in the Playoffs.  They have everything going their way.  That’s the exciting part.   The interesting part of all of this is if they go all the way to the Super Bowl, they just may have to play an AFC team that they haven’t played before ….like the New England Patriots.  Wouldn’t that be fun?!!  NO, not really!  I’m actually hoping the Falcons would meet the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl this year.  How fun would that be?!!  Now that sounds exciting.  Before I get ahead of myself, let’s recap the Falcons loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Qtr 1:

Both The Falcons and the Bucs kick field goals.  Connor Barth kicks a 48yd field goal for the Bucs while Matt Bryant kicks a 28yd field goal for the Falcons.

Qtr 2:

Mike Williams scores on an 8yd pass from Josh Freeman  and Connor Barth kicks a 22yd field goal to score the only points scored in the 2nd quarter. (13-3 Tampa Bay)

Qtr 3:

Connor Barth kicks a 42yd field goal and Doug Martin runs the ball for 40yds for a touchdown for Tampa Bay, but their 2pt pass from Josh Freeman was unsuccessful.   Michael Turner runs for 17yds to score Atlanta’s first touchdown. (22-10 Tampa Bay)

Qtr 4:

Harry Douglas scores on a 7yd pass from Matt Ryan.  (22-17 Tampa Bay)

The Falcons just couldn’t keep up in this game.  They were out played by the Buccaneers.  Fans and players both were upset with this loss.  I get it, but there was no need.  Again, the Falcons are in the playoffs with home field advantage with the best record.  What more can you ask for at this point?  I know ….. a playoff win!!!!

 

Things Are Looking Up……..Week 16 Recap – Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions

Things are really looking up for the Atlanta Falcons.  Although they have a few losses, they are still the best team in the NFL with the best record.  They are a week away from playing the last game of the regular season.  Check out my quick recap of the Falcons game with the Detroit Lions.

Qtr 1:

Matt Ryan connects with Roddy White for a 44yd pass to score Atlanta’s first touchdown of the game.

Jason Hanson kicks a 34yd field goal for the Lions.

Qtr 2:

Roddy White scores again on a 39yd pass from Matt Ryan to score Atlanta’s second touchdown.  Julio Jones gets his turn on a 16yd pass from Matt Ryan and scores.

Jason Hanson kicks a 38yd field goal for the Lions.

Qtr 3:

Michael Leshoure runs the ball for a 1yd touchdown to score Detroit’s first touchdown

Qtr 4:

Jason Hanson kicks a 20yd field goal.

Michael Palmer catches a 1yd pass from Matt Ryan to score a touchdown.

With 3:05 left in the game, Matt Bryant kicks a 20yd field goal.

Kyle Vanden Bosch scores a safety for Detroit with 1:21 left in the game.

Check out an episode of D-Block : http://www.atlantafalcons.com/media-lounge/videos/Shopping_with_DBlock/4549d828-6cd5-4038-9d28-4b809ece43b8

Are They The BEST? …… Recap Week 15 – Atlanta Falcons vs. New York Giants

Are they the best?  What do the Atlanta Falcons have to do to prove to the NFL, football fans, analysts, and other NFL teams that they are the best team in the NFL as of week 15?  Win!  With only two losses you wouldn’t think any thing else was needed.  With the offensive package (their ability to score) that the Falcons have along with their discipline and determination, the Falcons are the best team in the NFL.  The are the best of the regular season at least.   Being the best during the regular season doesn’t count.  Again, let’s see what happens on their playoff journey.  Meanwhile, let’s take a peak at what happened when the Falcons played the defending Super Bowl Champs.

The score was a little ridiculous from this game.  34-0 Falcons.  I’m wondering if I should stick to my normal quarter by quarter recap or simply just tell you what the New York Giants did and didn’t do in the game.  One thing we know for sure, they didn’t score.    The Giants only completed 10 1st downs compared to the Falcons’ 22.  The Giants had a total of 97 rushing yards compared to the Falcons’ 129yds.  The Giants had only 159 passing yards compared to the Falcons’ 265.   New York fumbled the ball once for a loss and only possessed the ball for a total of 21:03 as opposed to the Falcons’ zero fumbles and 38:57 time of possession.  Should I continue or have you had enough? ………..

Qtr 1:

Michael Turner scores a 1yd touchdown run while Tony Gonzalez scores on a 12yd pass from Matt Ryan.  Falcons 14-0

Qtr 2:

Matt Bryant kicks a 38yd field goal.  Falcons 17-0

Qtr 3:

Julio Jones scores on a 40yd pass from Matt Ryan and Matt Bryant kicks a 19yd field goal.  Falcons 27-0

Qtr 4:

Julio Jones scores the last touch down of the game with a 3yd pass from Matt Ryan.  Falcons win.  34-0

As of week 15, there is no one better in the NFL than the Atlanta Falcons.

 

 

What An Amazing Run………..Week 14 Recap – Atlanta Falcons vs. Carolina Panthers

What an amazing run this has been for the Atlanta Falcons this season.  They are celebrating along with their fans one of their best seasons in years.  Regardless of what happens this season, the Falcons organization and the Falcons fans should feel proud of the teams’ success this year.  Many fans that I’ve talked to have really enjoyed this season and looking forward to the playoffs.  The Falcons consider themselves to be the best team in the NFL (at least with the best record).   Let’s take a look at how the best team in the NFL played against the Carolina Panthers.

1st & 2nd Qtr:

The Atlanta Falcons didn’t bother to show up (at least not to score) until after halftime.  Meanwhile, Greg Olsen receives a 25yd pass from Cam Newton to score Carolina’s first touchdown of the game in the 1st quarter.   Graham Gano kicks 3 consecutive field goals (24yds, 41yds, and 31yds)  in the 2nd quarter to put the Panthers up 16-0 at the half.

3rd Qtr:

Cam Newton runs the ball for an impressive 72yds for a Carolina touchdown.  Later in the quarter with four minutes left, Roddy White receives a 4yd pass from Matt Ryan to finally score Atlanta’s first points of any kind.  23-7 Carolina Panthers

4th Qtr:

The Falcons pick up the pace a bit in the fourth quarter, but not enough to win the game. Julio Jones scores on an 11yd pass from Matt Ryan, but failed to score on the 2pt conversion pass.  23-13 Panthers.

With four minutes left in the game, the Carolina Panthers seal the deal by scoring on a 53yd pass from Cam Newton to DeAngelo Williams.  The Falcons score on a 1yd rushing touchdown by Michael Turner with :53 seconds left in the game.   The Carolina Panthers defeat the Atlanta Falcons 30-20.  The Falcons fell for the 2nd time this season, but its week 14 and that’s still the best record in the NFL.   Nothing to worry about.   Falcons ‘Rise Up’ and go get ‘em next week.

Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking? …….Week 13 Recap – Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?  The Atlanta Falcons look good enough to go to the playoffs and win a few games.  That’s right, a few games.  I think they can actually do it this time.  Their chances of winning a playoff game are looking pretty great.  The team is playing well both offensively and defensively and they simply have the will to win.  They back that will up with simple effort and hard work.  Although its never nice when the Falcons and the Saints play,but the Falcons played hard in this game and came away victorious.  Here is a look at how they scored.

1st Qtr:

The first quarter was all Falcons.  Michael Turner ran for a 3yd touchdown.

2nd Qtr:

Mark Ingram scored a 1yd touchdown for New Orleans, while Tony Gonzalez catches a 17yd pass from Matt Ryan to score a touchdown.  Matt Bryant also kicked a 45yd field goal to put the Falcons up 17-7 at halftime.

3rd Qtr:

Garrett Hartley kicked both a 21yd and a 52yd (wowzers) field goal for New Orleans.  The Falcons’ defense did a great job holding the Saints to only 2 field goals and not 2 touchdowns.

4th Qtr:

This game was a real defensive battle for sure.  The Saints did not give up a touchdown in the 4th quarter.  They held the Falcons to two field goals.  Two field goals that put Atlanta up by enough points just in case New Orleans scored a touchdown.

I am curious as to how the amazing season of the Falcons will play out.  They are definitely going back to the playoffs and I believe they will win a playoff game.  The question is, “How many?”