Dominance is a word rarely heard in the Georgia Dome, but the Falcons can walk away from a 34-21 drubbing of the Detroit Lions with that description aptly used to sum up their play. On both sides of the ball, the Lions were helpless. The first two touches of the game from Michael Turner went for 35 and 38 yards before Matt Ryan nearly brought down the Georgia Dome roof with a 62-yard touchdown strike to Michael Jenkins. It seemed too easy and, despite what Ryan said in the postgame press conference, it was – the Lions were overmatched from the first snap, subdued by a Falcons’ intensity that was felt through every red and black seat.
The only semblance of a threat from Detroit came in the third quarter when the Lions marched down the field on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was lengthened by a Chris Houston pass interference penalty. Upon scoring on a 1-yard touchdown throw, the score was 31-21. Gulp! Here comes the collapse.
The Falcons, however, kept their composure and started the fourth quarter with a long drive of their own. This drive was the one most indicative that it would be the Falcons’ day. Flushed out of the pocket, Ryan connected with seldom-used tight end Ben Hartsock for a first down in the red zone. Even the least likely source of offense was an option for the Falcons on a day when everything went their way. Tipped passes hit the ground … 5-foot-9 cornerback Brent Grimes played David to 6-foot-4 Calvin Johnson’s Goliath … a botched flea-flicker play morphed into a 17-yard gain for Jerious Norwood … a near fumble went for a first down for Michael Turner, the highest flying Falcon with a franchise-record 220 yards rushing. An elated Gerald Riggs, holder of the previous Falcon record of 202 rushing yards, waved a white towel at the announcement of his benchmark being laid to waste by “The Burner.” The torch was passed with aplomb.
In all of the redemptive glory of the Falcons win, the joy, coupled with humility, was indicative of a team that knows it has a long way to go in its NFL journey back to relevance. With an away game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the horizon, the players’ postgame demeanor showed a team that will not buy too much into an offensive display that shamed a Lions’ front seven that ranked dead last in the league in run defense last season. For the time being, the Falcons can take solace in the statistics: they are the owners of (so far) the most prolific running tandem in the NFL in Turner and Jerious Norwood, who quietly pitched in with 93 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own on Sunday. Ryan was near perfect in his first game that mattered (9-for-13, 161 yards, one touchdown, zero turnovers), and, most importantly, two front lines that were thought of as weak links have turned into strengths. The Falcons have won the battle on the offensive and defensive lines for four consecutive games from Week 2 of the preseason. John Abraham harassed Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna for three sacks and the Falcons only conceded one. The lines don’t lie.
The reaction of owner Arthur Blank in the postgame press conference room summarized the climate of the Falcons after Week 1. Blank was seen chumming it up with reporters, but spoke humbly of what is to come for the Birds.
“We’re excited to win, but now we have to focus on Tampa. We understand we still have 15 more games to play.”
The Falcons have 15 more chances to be competitive, something utterly unthinkable before their rousing debut.
Horne can be reached at ehorne@scoreatl.com.
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