Maybe the much-maligned Atlanta Falcon defense won’t be so bad after all. A disastrous preseason led many to believe the unit would be the Falcons’ Achilles heel this season. But the D stepped up in a big way today, shutting out the Miami Dolphins for the vast majority of four quarters, while forcing four turnovers in a 19-7 opening day victory at the Georgia Dome.
“I really think the defense attacked that football with the four turnovers,” said head coach Mike Smith. “Anytime you can create four turnovers in a ball game you’re going to enhance your chances of getting what you want.”
In the end, the visitors managed just 259 total yards and 16 first downs, and were 4-of-11 on third-down conversions.
Surprisingly, it was the offense that missed a multitude of chances. But Jason Elam kept his cool, and put the game away by connecting on a 50-yard field goal to give Atlanta a 19-0 lead midway through the fourth.
All game long, it was the defense that stole the show. It took over the game in the third quarter, forcing turnovers on the Dolphins final two possessions of the stanza to give the home team plenty of momentum.
Curtis Lofton forced the fourth and final of those turnovers late in third, knocking the ball loose from tight end Anthony Fasano.
An interception of Pennington by Mike Peterson helped squash another Miami drive earlier in the third, as he read the signal-caller’s eyes and stepped in front of a pass, returning it deep into Dolphin territory.
“Mike had a good game,” Smith said. “He was in on some of the crucial plays in the ball game.”
Tony Gonzalez made his presence felt two plays later, shaking off a tackle in the flat on third-and-10 and racing to the end-zone for a 20-yard score. But Jason Elam missed the PAT as Atlanta led 16-0 late in the third.
“He [Gonzalez] makes things easier,” said Ryan. “He’s a mismatch nightmare for defenses.”
The Falcon defense was all over the field in the first two quarters as well, and debutants Peterson and Brian Williams combined to make the biggest play of the half late in the second quarter.
With the Fins inside the Atlanta 20, Peterson lit up Fasano to force a fumble, Williams recovered the loose ball and returned it 53 yards to the Miami 31.
“They [the defense] gave us great field position a number of different times,” Ryan said. “It was an incredible effort.”
That would lead to a 36-yard field goal from Elam to give Atlanta a 10-0 lead going into the break.
The deficit could have been much larger at halftime. Elam missed on a 42-yard field goal attempt and Ryan missed several long passes that could have gone for touchdowns.
“That was very uncharacteristic of Jason,” Smith said. “His numbers speak for themselves.”
The high point of the day for Ryan and company came on a methodical 14-play, 89-yard march in the second quarter. The drive included two conversions on third-and-long completions to Gonzalez and Roddy White.
Ryan capped off the possession with a 1-yard strike to Ovie Mughelli, giving Atlanta a 7-0 lead with 8:41 left in the half.
For Miami, A 9-yard touchdown pass from Chad Pennington to Ricky Williams got Miami on the board, but was merely academic with just 3:21 remaining in the game.
Linebackers Lofton, Peterson and Stephen Nicholas wreaked havoc all game long, combining for 17 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble in the day.
Kroy Biermann also keyed the defensive efforts, notching the first multi-sack game of his career and forcing a fumble. John Abraham joined him with a pair of sacks.
Offensively, Ryan was fairly inconsistent, missing open wideouts on several potential big plays. Still he finished with solid numbers, completing 22 of 36 passes for 229 yards and two scores. Michael Turner was held in check all day, getting just 65 yards on 22 carries. Meanwhile, Gonzalez wowed the fans in his first game as a Falcon, catching five balls for 73 yards and a score.
For Miami, Pennington was a solid but unspectacular 21-of-29 for 176 yards and a score to go with two turnovers. Yereimiah Bell led the defense with eight tackles on the afternoon.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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