I don’t think that anybody is surprised by the outcome of the Falcons-Eagles game, as the men in green defeated the dirty birds 27-14. But what is disappointing is that Matt Ryan and the offense were robbed of a chance to win after a blown call by the officials late in the game. As a result, the Eagles were able to ice the game with a Brian Westbrook 39-yard touchdown run. It must be especially tough for Ryan, considering he had just thrown an 8-yard touchdown pass to Roddy White to cut the Eagles’ lead to six with 3:55 left in the game.
It has been well documented that Ryan wanted to play well in the contest due to the fact he grew up in suburban Philadelphia. In the battle between Ryan and Donovan McNabb, Ryan held his own, completing 23 of 44 passes with 277 yards, two touchdown and two interceptions. As for McNabb, he finished 19-for-34 with 253 yards and one rushing touchdown. The second interception for Ryan proved to be costly, as he tried to lob the pass to Roddy White in the end zone and was picked off by Lito Sheppard. Ryan was also hit all game long. The Eagle pressure was led by outside linebacker Chris Gocong, who had one of the two sacks against the rookie out of Boston College.
There were some positives to take away from the game. The Ryan-White connection looked as solid as ever, as White ended the day with eight catches, 113 yards and two touchdowns. He was also able to utilize Jerious Norwood, who pulled down five receptions for 55 yards, out of the backfield. And despite the fact he was hit quite a bit by the Eagles defensive line, he never seemed rattled and was able to keep the Falcons in the game. He did throw the interception that caused the offense a potential touchdown, but keep in mind that it was just his seventh NFL start. Ryan was able to learn from it and bounced back with the TD pass to White late in the fourth. Another NFL rookie quarterback may not have recovered as well as Ryan did.
So what’s next for Ryan? He will travel to the “Black Hole” in Oakland to face the Raiders, who got whipped by Baltimore on Sunday. He should be able to make plays against a defense that is ranked near the bottom of the league. The key for Ryan to be successful is the return of Sam Baker, who missed the game against the Eagles due to a hip injury. The Falcons are undefeated when Baker plays a game from start to finish. If Baker is back, expect Ryan to have a big day against the Raiders. A win in Oakland will set up a great matchup against the Saints at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 9.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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