For Falcons fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. Atlanta simply dominated a hapless Raiders squad from the opening kickoff, beating them 24-0 to move to 5-3 on the season. The very first drive was a sign of things to come. Atlanta immediately had the opposing defense on its heels, showing a variety of different formations and manhandling Oakland up front. On the 10th play of the opening drive, Michael Jenkins beat former Falcon DeAngelo Hall deep, and Matt Ryan hit him in stride for a 27-yard touchdown pass.
Then after a Raiders three-and-out, Atlanta drove down the field once again, this time closing out the drive when Jerious Norwood waltzed unchallenged into the end zone for a 12-yard score to extend the lead to 14.
Atlanta scored twice more in the second quarter, first on Jenkins’ second touchdown of the game on a 37-yard catch, and then on Jason Elam’s 48-yard field goal.
The second half didn’t feature the fireworks of the first 30 minutes, as the Falcons pounded the football via the run game while the Raiders’ offense continued to sputter.
The final score could have been worse. Ryan fumbled on the Oakland 19-yard line with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, and two more Falcon drives stalled deep in Oakland territory in the second half. Atlanta failed to convert on a fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 9 in the third, and Jason Elam missed a 51-yard field goal early in the fourt.
Ryan was on his game, missing on just five of his 22 passes and finishing with 220 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Turner had plenty of room to run behind a dominant offensive line, and he made use of that dominance by running for 139 yards on 31 carries. Jenkins led Atlanta in receiving, catching both of his passes for touchdowns and finishing with 67 yards receiving on the day. Meanwhile, John Abraham sacked Jamarcus Russell three times to raise his total to 10 on the season.
The game likely represented two teams going in different directions. The Raiders are now 2-6 on the season and look poised for another high draft pick. As for the Falcons, their record now sits at 5-3 and they open up a three-game homestand next week against the New Orleans Saints.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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