Back in August, the Falcons defeated the San Diego Chargers in a preseason game, thanks to Chris Redman’s go-ahead-touchdown pass to Eric Weems with just seconds left in the fourth quarter. Fast forward to November, and the situation looks similar, as Redman threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White with 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give the Falcons an important 20-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ”We had double slants on,” said Redman talking about the winning touchdown pass to White. “You have Roddy White out there one-on-one, a Pro Bowl receiver and I like my chances.”
The drive started at the Falcons 41-yard line with 2:30 left and Redman was able to move the offense effectively, throwing short passes to Tony Gonzalez, who ended the day with 12 catches for 83 yards. Four of those catches came on that drive and each one was important as it kept the Falcons seasons alive.
“They were shutting us down,” Gonzalez said about Tampa’s defense throughout the game. “We had so many opportunities and we couldn’t capitalize on them. But when we had to, we made it count and we went out there and got the job done.
The Bucs blocked a punt which led to a Freeman 8-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Williams for the 17-10 lead in the third quarter, and a Jason Snelling fumble which led to no points for Tampa but stalled a solid dive for the Falcons.
The other reason is the injury bug hit the Falcons like it has never hit them before. As mentioned, Ryan went down with a toe injury and did not return. Lineman Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl had to leave the game with injuries and Michael Turner, who missed last week’s game against the New York Giants due to an ankle sprain, reinjured the same ankle and left the game in the third quarter.
When asked about the prognosis on Ryan’s injury, head coach Mike Smith only knew as much as everyone else.
“Guys, I really wish I could tell you,” Smith said. “I know that he’s in the training room, he’s been looked at. I know it’s a toe injury. Until we get to Wednesday and see where he’s at, we’ll have a little better prognosis.”
Redman was extremely effective filling in for Ryan, as he ended the day 23-of-41 passing with 243 yards and two touchdowns. The first touchdown pass was a shovel pass to Jerious Norwood to give the Falcons a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. His counterpart, rookie Josh Freeman, also was solid under center, completing 20-of-29 of his passes with 250 yards and two touchdowns including a 42-yard touchdown pass to Antoino Bryant to cut the lead to three in the second quarter. The running game was ineffective for the Falcons as Tuner led the team with only 30 rushing yards. Kicker Jason Elam, who has missed six field goals coming into this game, was 2-for-3 and the miss was 43-yard attempt in the fourth quarter where he kicked the ball wide to the left.
“We’ll evaluate that each and every week,” Smith said concerning the kicking situation. “It is an operation. There is a snap, there is a hold and there is a kick. I’ll let you guys observe that and make your observations.
Next Sunday, the Falcons have another home game against the Philadelphia Eagles and the winner will have a inside track of a wild card spot. Also, it marks the return of Michael Vick who has not played a game in the Dome since December 2006.
“It will probably be a circus,” said Roddy White. “There will be a lot of people here and it’s a good game for us.”
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