GKS Contributor
Strong second half efforts propelled the Falcons to relatively easy opening week victories over Miami and Carolina. But Sunday in New England was a much different story.
Playing on the road for the first time in the 2009 regular season, the Falcons gave up 16 unanswered points, 13 of them coming in the second half, to be defeated by the Patriots 26-10.
Atlanta (2-1) dropped into second place in the NFC South, trailing the Saints by a game. New England (2-1) took sole possession of second in the AFC, one game behind the New York Jets.
Perhaps over their heads in playing the 2007 AFC Champions to a relative draw in the first half, the Falcons came unglued in the third quarter, thanks in part to an uncharacteristic flurry of inaccurate passes from quarterback Matt Ryan.
Running back Michael Turner didn’t help matters either, losing his second fumble in as many weeks.
Ryan ended the game without throwing for a touchdown, and was limited to just 199 yards on 17 completions. The Falcons were outgained by New England 445-227, and the Patriots held a 2 to 1 advantage in the all-important time of possession statistic.
Perhaps most distressing for the Falcons, for the second time in three weeks, they were unable to run the football. Partially accounting for that major time of possession disparity was the fact that Atlanta managed only 58 yards rushing. This, from a team that head coach Mike Smith repeatedly touts as a run first, pass second offense.
Atlanta also struggled to establish a ground game in their Week One victory over Miami, but was able to overcome that problem with a near-shutout on defense and a accurate day by Ryan.
It’s possible the Patriots may have given the rest of the NFC South a playbook on how to slow the Falcons offense. Tight End Tony Gonzalez, who has been Ryan’s favorite target in the early season, was stuck in press coverage all day and managed only one reception on the afternoon, and it came long after the issue had been decided.
The upcoming bye week comes at a good time for the Falcons, who are hopeful banged up reserve running back Jerrious Norwood will soon return to the lineup. For the second week, reserve fullback Jason Snelling played in Norwood’s place, managing 44 all purpose yards.
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