The Giants and Eli Manning were happy to just be able to celebrate a win once again. The last six weeks have been frustrating, not like anyone is counting or anything like that.

Manning said, it’s been a very long time. Our last win came 42 days ago. It did feel that long.

With 3:54 elapsed in overtime, Lawrence Tynes booted through a field goal from 36 yards, making up for a miss earlier in the game to give the Giants a 34-31 win on Sunday over Atlanta. The victory snapped the Giants’ four game losing streak and came after New York’s defense blew a lead of 14 points during the fourth quarter.

Tom Coughlin, Giants coach said, it’ just nice to get a win. For a month we’ve been really miserable around here.

Manning passed for 384 yards, his career high. He also threw three touchdowns, with two going to Kevin Boss. The Giants were able to keep up with Dallas, who leads the NFC East. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins to maintain their one game lead in the division.

However, New York won’t be able to savor their win for long. On Thanksgiving they play in Denver.

Manning said, there isn’t a better feeling than being in the locker room following a win. It’s great seeing the smiles and high fives, especially after you haven’t felt that in a while.

It was the first game passing for 300 yards in Giants Stadium for Manning. He was able to set up the winning field goal by Tynes when he connected on a pass of 29 yards with Mario Manningham to take New York down to the 23 yard line. The Giants hadn’t won a game since October 11 when they defeated the Raiders 44-7. However, this win didn’t come easily.

New York’s defense, which was playing without Antonio Pierce, injured linebacker, wasn’t able to hold their 31-17 lead versus the Falcons and Matt Ryan.

Coughlin, referring to his defense said, I’m concerned.

The Giants lost Brandon Jacobs, running back, as well late third quarter due to a right leg injury. There were no updates from Coughlin regarding Jacobs injury, but he was on the Giants sideline at the end of regulation and during overtime.

With 6:01 remaining in regulation, Ryan throw a scoring pass of 4 yards to Eric Weems. Then with only 28 seconds left he connected on an 11 yard pass with Tony Gonzalez to tie the game.

Ryan said, it is very disappointing. We didn’t get the outcome that we wanted. There were great efforts and great contributions from many of the guys during the second half. We were down 14 points and were able to come back. However with all that said, there’s no such thing as a moral victory.

After going 4-1 to start the season, the Falcons (5-5) have now lost four games out of their last five.

Mike Smith, Atlanta coach said, I told the team that our last six weeks have been a very long road. Four of our last six games have been played against teams coming off of their byes.

Ryan went 26 for 46 for a total of 268 yards and also threw two touchdown passes. Gonzalez caught 8 passes for a total of 82 yards and also scored. Jason Snelling who was filling in for Michael Turner who was injured, had two running touchdowns.

The victory gave the Giants the first home win in the series with the Falcons since 1979 when New York defeated Atlanta. Twelve series games in a row had been won by the visiting team. Atlanta had a decent chance of making that 13 consecutive games.

Ryan said, it was a very disappointing loss. However we can’t get discouraged.

With 12:08 left to play, Madison Hedgecock scored on a touchdown catch of 3 yards to make the score 31-17. However Atlanta was able to storm right back.

On a drive of 12 plays Ryan was able to convert three third downs, capped by a touchdown catch by Weems.

Once again the Giants had problems on the tying drive for the Falcons, allowing Ryan to convert on third down twice with passes. After throwing an incomplete pass intended for Gonzalez, Ryan connected with his tight end to score the touchdown.

The overtime toss was won by the Giants after Gene Steratore, referee, fumbled on his first flip of the coin. Once again Manning went to work.

Manning said, I knew especially during the second half that we had been moving the ball well. I was feeling good and glad we were able to get the football first. It gave us a chance to get out and win the game.

A touchdown run of 7 yards by Snelling early second quarter gave the Falcon a 7-3 lead. He was filling in for Turner, who in last week’s games versus Carolina sprained his ankle. Atlanta, for the fifth game in a row, was also playing without Jerious Norwood.

New York responded with their own drive down field, assisted by a nice sideline catch of 33 yards by Manningham. However the drive stalled on the 14 yard line of the Falcons. Tynes was given the opportunity to bring the Giants to within one point, but was wide on his attempt from 31 yards.

Tynes said, I knew that would haunt us. I knew even when we were leading by 14 points that I would need to make my amends. Lucky for me, I got the chance to do that.

Coming out for the second half Atlanta had a drive of 8 plays, capped by Snelling’s one yard run for a touchdown.

Mid third quarter, a run of two yards by Jacobs put the Giants up 24-14. Jason Elam then booted a field goal of 25 yards to make it a 7 point game.

Popularity: 31% [?]

The Panthers may finally have found a way of solving the woes of Jake Delhomme: controlled chaos.

Matt Ryan and Atlanta miscues helped as well.

On Sunday Carolina unleashed their no huddle offense with the plays being called by Delhomme. The Panthers quarterback connected on two touchdowns with Steve Smith and didn’t have any turnovers during Carolina’s 28-19 win over Atlanta.

Smith, who coming into the game tripled the touchdown total for Carolina receivers said, what no huddle is is controlled chaos. The defense is running around not knowing what they are doing out there. The no huddle offense really is simple and easy.

It was the third game in a row that Delhomme was turnover free, after having 13 interceptions during the first six games. However for the Falcons (5-4) and Ryan it was a very tough day. During the second quarter Michael Turner, their star running back, went out with a sprained ankle after already having 111 yards rushing. Then Atlanta’s comeback hopes were stymied by Ryan and Jason Elam, their kicker, with key mistakes during the fourth quarter.

For most of the day Ryan threw the ball too high and was intercepted twice. He now has 12 interceptions on the season, which is one more than he had during his outstanding rookie season.

Ryan said, I’m young. I have a very long ways to go, lots of improving that I need to do and lots of things I need to learn still.

During the first half, Ryan only completed 7 out of 19 passes. Carolina (4-5) was able to build a lead by halftime of 21-10. Delhomme appeared very poised while Atlanta struggled with getting the right defenders onto the field.

Delhomme, who no longer leads the NFL in interceptions after the struggles of Jay Cutler in Chicago, connected with Smith on two touchdowns from 4 yards out. He was in the comfort zone.

Over the years a majority Delhomme’s best work has occurred during the two minute offense.

Delhomme referring to the no huddle offense said, we practice that quite a bit. In that situation I am very comfortable.

After halftime the offense for Carolina wasn’t nearly as successful. The game didn’t get sealed until Ryan was picked off by Richard Marshall to set up a touchdown run of 45 yards from Jonathan Stewart with 2:07 remaining in the game.

Earlier in the game, Elam missed a field goal from 34 yards. It would have given the Falcons the lead. Carolina was able to hold on even after losing Jordan Gross, left tackle and main cog in their offensive line, when he broke his right ankle.

Muhsin Muhammad, Carolina wide receiver who returned after a knee injury to catch six passes for 91 yards said, being 3-5 we’re at the season’s major crossroad I think. With seven games to go in the season, our chances are as good as anyones.

Carolina earned their season split with Atlanta, whose road record fell to 1-4. Tests will be conducted on the right ankle of Turner on Monday. Early second quarter Turner went over the 100 yard rushing mark. However on the end of his run of 10 yards he rolled his ankle. He ended a streak of rushing for 428 yards in under 10 quarters of play.

Turner was replaced by Jason Snelling who rushed for 61 yards in 18 carries and scored a touchdown.

Mike Smith, Atlanta coach said, we don’t have that same explosiveness that we have with Michael in there. But Jason I thought for it being his first time in there in the last few weeks did run the ball very hard.

Ryan was able to get Atlanta to within 21-19 on a fourth down and one play when he connected with Justin Peelle, tight end, on a touchdown pass of 3 yards. With 13:44 to play the Falcons attempt at a two point conversion failed after Chris Gamble was able to tackle Snelling following a swing pass.

Later Ryan was able to convert on third down and 11 from Atlanta’s 3 yard line on a pass of 13 yards to Tony Gonzalez. However the drive stalled. Then Elam, after hesitating twice, pulled a short attempt for a field goal with 6:35 remaining in the game.

Elam said, from the very start my timing was a mess. I take the blame for that.

Carolina went three downs and out. Then Eric Weeks returned the punt down to the 49 yard line of Carolina. However Atlanta’s hopes were ended when Ryan tried to throw into double coverage.

Ryan went 22 for 41 for a total of 224 yards passing and one touchdown. Atlanta failed to capitalize on the revamped defense of Carolina after Thomas Davis, linebacker, sustained a knee injury to end his season last week.

Michael Jenkins, wide receiver referring to Ryan said, technically I don’t think anything is wrong with him. We need to just execute better and limit our turnovers.

DeAngelos Williams rushed for 92 yards while Stewart ran for 82 yards, giving the Panthers a solid running attack. However the Panthers were keyed by the passing game, even after they had to shuffle the offensive line up.

Gross, who is the cog of Carolina’s line, may be out for the rest of season. The injury forced Travelle Wharton to move over to left tackle and Mackenzy Bernadeau, who has very little experience, to play at left guard in Wharton’s old spot.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Chris Redman, backup quarterback for Atlanta, threw a touchdown pass of 5 yards over to Roddy White on Sunday with just 23 seconds left to play, as the Falcons eked out a 20-17 win over Tampa Bay after their offensive stars Michael Turner and Matt Ryan left the game due to injuries.

White said, this game was one we really couldn’t afford to lose. It’s a very good thing that Chris was able to come in and do what he needed to do for us to win.

Will this last? It will depend on how long Turner and Ryan as well as Sam Baker and Harvey Dahl, offensive linemen, will be out. They all had to leave the game due to injuries. Atlanta isn’t saying how serious the injuries are.

Ryan, Atlanta’s second year quarterback, injured his right big toe on the very first series for Atlanta. In the third quarter Turner sustained another injury to his right ankle. The high ankle sprain had prevented Turner from playing in Atlanta’s previous game as well as limit his practice time.

White said, those are our franchise players.

Atlanta (6-5) has lost four of their last five games coming in. They found themselves in deep trouble when Jason Elam missed yet another field goal attempt, perhaps his last attempt with the Falcons. Tampa Bay (1-10) then drove the ball into Falcons territory.

However with 2:30 remaining Connor Barth missed a field goal attempt from 51 yards, giving Atlanta one more opportunity, but with no timeouts left. Redman was able to calmly direct a drive of 59 yards to give Atlanta a victory that they absolutely needed, especially considering in their next games they will be facing Philadelphia and an unbeaten New Orleans team.

On fourth down and goal on the 5 yard line Redman connected with White running up the middle on a slant as Derrick Roberson, Tampa Bay cornerback, swiped at the football to no avail.

Redman said, at any time I am always ready. That’s the reason I am here.

Early third quarter Corey Lynch blocked a punt to set up a touchdown pass of 8 yards from Josh Freeman to Carnell Williams to give Tampa Bay a 17-10 lead.

Their lead almost held up.

Aqib Talib, cornerback for Tampa Bay said, you have to make the last play of the game.

Redman, who became Atlanta’s starting quarterback in 2007 following the Michael Vick suspension, had only played in one game in the last two years after the arrival of Ryan.

On the Falcons’ final drive, Redman was able to complete four passes over to Tony Gonzalez for a total of 34 yards. Atlanta got a huge break when Roberson received a holding penalty on a pass that was incomplete to the opposite side of the football field.

Tampa Bay still only needed one stop to get their second win of the season after Redman had three incomplete passes in a row from the 5 yard line. Down to his final attempt, Redman found White, who was in single coverage, delivering a perfect pass for the score.

Mike Smith, Atlanta head coach said, it’s very difficult being a backup quarterback in this league. I know that Chris will always be prepared. I didn’t have any doubts that Chris could come into the game and efficiently execute.

As Falcons teammates Eric Weeks and Gonzalez mobbed White inside the end zone, Raheem Morris, Tampa Bay head coach, kneeled to the ground in disbelief.

Morris, the embattled first year coach who earlier this week took over the duties of defensive play calling after demoting Jim Bates, their former defensive coordinator. The move almost paid off immediately. Instead, Tampa Bay suffered yet another crushing loss. Their season has been full of them.

Morris said, we were at 1-9. Now this team is at 1-10. Whenever you lose it is never going forward.

Redman went 23 for 41 for a total of 243 yards passing, despite getting sacked five times. He also flipped a short pass to Jerious Norwood that ended up as a touchdown of 22 yards. The score gave Atlanta an early lead of 10-0.

Before halftime Tampa Bay fought back and tied the game. Freeman connected with Antonio Bryant deep to the left sideline. Bryant lept up to grab the ball from Tye Hill, Falcons cornerback, and then was able to roll into his end zone after realizing no one had touched him to score a touchdown of 42 yards. Late first half Barth kicked a field goal of 39 yards.

In just the fourth start of his career, Freeman was able to rebound nicely from his four turnover performance versus New Orleans the week before in the game the Bucs lost by 31 points. He went 20 for 29 for a total of 250 yards passing without any turnovers. The only big mistake he made was a fumble, but he was able to recover the ball.

On the game’s ninth snap, Ryan injured his toe on a sack by Tim Crowder and Stylez White. The Falcons taped Ryan’s toe up and added some extra padding to his shoe. Then Ryan tried to do a bit of light jogging over on the sidelines, but nothing really worked.

At halftime Ryan changed into his street clothes. He wore his special shoe while he watched the remainder of the game.

Popularity: 36% [?]

After the Falcons dropped two games in a row to Dallas and New Orleans, the team desperately needed to get a win to stay in the chase for the playoffs.

They did what they needed to do. Kind of. After they built up a lead of 21 points, the Falcons allowed the Redskins back in the game on two second half touchdowns. To stretch the lead back to 14 points, it took a Michael Turner touchdown run of 58 yards, fueled by LaRon Landry’s shoddy play. If Atlanta’s defense hadn’t stiffened, the game might have gone right down to the last minute.

The good news for the Falcons is that Turner had 166 rushing yards, bringing back memories of his 2008 performance.

However, what was really needed for the Falcons was an absolute pasting, like what they were able to do last month to the 49ers or like what head coach Mike Smith apparently tried applying to DeAngelo Hall. Atlanta needs to now handle the Panthers playing in Charlotte. The Falcons will then meet the Giants at the Meadowlands.

It could turn out in the end that none of the surprise teams from last year- the Ravens, Dolphins and Falcons- will return to the playoffs. However of the three teams, the only one that is over .500 after the first eight games is the Falcons, making them the team with the best chance of returning to the playoffs.

If they had blown the Redskins out, we would feel much better regarding their chances. Also if quarterback Matt Ryan had been able to gain over 135 passing yards.

For the Washington Redskins, their nightmare season continues without an end in sight. They probably only have one game left that they are likely to win. Even a win over the Raiders isn’t guaranteed. A final record of 2-14 is a real possibility, enough to turn any Redskins fan’s heart dark.

Popularity: 41% [?]

The Falcon teetered on the edge of becoming another blowout victim for the Saints.

After surviving a flurry, they regrouped before standing toe to toe and battling back against their rivals from the NFC South before they came up short.

The New Orleans Saints weren’t able to breathe easy until there were 3:03 minutes left to play and Pierre Thomas, running back, somersaulted into the end zone.

On Monday night in the Superdome, the Saints were able to hold on and defeat the Falcons 35-27 in front of 70,088 fans.

The 7-0 Saints are the only NFC team left that is still undefeated. With nine games left to play, the Atlanta Falcons’ record dropped to 4-2, putting them three games back of the Saints.

Atlanta was able to find their running game. Michael Turner rushed for over 150 yards and Roddy White, wide receiver, had a big game as well, accumulating over 100 receiving yards.

In the end, however, the defense for the Falcons couldn’t get Drew Brees, the dynamic quarterback, and the Saints off of the field.

During the third quarter, the defense for the Falcons stiffened, holding the Saints to only 64 yards. It was the lowest third quarter output for the Saints all season.

This gave a few opportunities to the offense to attempt to recover from a 14 point deficit. However, a call challenged on what looked like an apparent touchdown, an interception late in the game, and a Mike Peterson holding call, all hurt their chances to come back for the upset.

It appeared that the Falcons had tied the game at 28-28, with Roddy White catching a touchdown pass in the end zone. However, the play was challenged by the Saints and they won.

Atlanta settled for just a field goal.

The offense had a chance to take the lead following a fumble recovery by Atlanta safety Erik Coleman.

With 8:30 left to play in the game, Atlanta was driving down field for a score to take the lead. However Tracy Porter, defensive back for the Saints intercepted a Matt Ryan pass.

The defense needed to get another stop. However, they weren’t able to get it done. It appeared that the Falcons had stopped the Saints when a pass on third down headed for Reggie Bush went incomplete. However a defensive holding penalty was called on Peterson, giving a first down to the Saints, who went on to drive for a touchdown to seal their victory.

The game on national television lived up to all its hype early on.

On the opening drives, each team scored a touchdown.

Atlanta won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball. Turner had some power running and a twenty seven yard season high catch from Tony Gonzalez, tight end, helped the Falcons march down the field.

The 77 yard, eight play drive was capped by a 13 yard touchdown run from Turner around the right end.

New Orleans then answered with a touchdown drive of their own. Thomas, eluding attempted tackles from Coleman and John Abraham, scored a touchdown on a 23 yard run.

Atlanta was unable to capitalize on good field position following the Saints being penalized for excessive celebration. The drive for the Falcons stalled. However the punt from Michael Koenen pinned New Orleans back to their own eight yard line.

The defense of the Falcons was then able to come up with a very big play.

Thomas DeCoud, safety, hammered Brees on the delayed blitz, causing a fumble. Kroy Biermann, defensive end, scooped up the ball and scored from four yards away. The extra point from Jason Elman made the score 14-7.

The Saints on their next drive were able to overcome a second down and 17, making their fourth third down conversion in a row to position themselves for a touchdown.

From Atlanta’s 18 yard line on second down and seven, Brees connected with Marques Colston, wide receiver, in the end zone to score the touchdown. The 6 foot 4 Colston soared over Tye Hill, making his first Falcons start instead of Brent Grimes, to catch the ball.

The Falcons, with Turner on a roll, were able to march up field. However on third down Michael Jenkins dropped a pass, forcing them to go for a field goal.

A 34 yard field goal attempt by Elam hit the left upright but was no good.

During the next drive Grimes went in for Hill and got a big interception, stopping a drive that looked promising for the Saints. He seemed to almost jump from the Superdome to pick a pass off meant for Devery Henderson.

However, the offense was unable to move and ball, forcing them to punt following three and out.

The Saints then went on one of their scoring flurries, which has enabled them to score a minimum of 45 points during four of the first of their six games.

In six plays the Saints were able to drive 80 yards. Reggie Bush scored from one yard out, making the score 21-14.

The opportunistic defense of the Saints finally came to life. Jabari Greer, cornerback, stepped right in front and picked off a Ryan pass, scoring a touchdown on a 38 yard return to give New Orleans a 28-14 lead at halftime.

Popularity: 29% [?]

The Atlanta Falcons will face their toughest test this season while trying to get themselves back into the race for the NFC South.

The Falcons weren’t able to stop Tony Romo, Dallas quarterback, in their Sunday 37-21 loss to the Cowboys. Suddenly they find themselves in danger of falling behind in the division.

Mike Smith, head coach for the Falcons, said he planned to use their extra time this week to consider some potential changes in personnel. This week Atlanta has an extra day for preparing for their very important NFC South game versus the Saints next Monday night in New Orleans.

Their most recent loss left the Falcons (4-2) trailing undefeated New Orleans by two games. Atlanta really can’t afford letting the deficit get bigger.

On Monday Michael Turner, running back, said this is a very big game to have a chance of winning our division. The guys in our locker room know that. We can’t fall behind by three games. It is tough in the NFL to catch up after falling behind by that many games with them having a win over you already. On Monday we need to do whatever we can to pull the win off.

Turner rushed for 50 yards on 18 carries in the game against the Cowboys. In four of Atlanta’s six previous games he had less than 70 yards rushing. His only 100 yard rushing game was in the team’s win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 2, although he did get pulled out of the game early in the Falcon’s win against the 49ers on October 11 after he had rushed for 97 yards and scored three touchdowns.

This season Turner is only averaging 3.4 yards a carry, after averaging 4.5 yards last season when he was the second ranked player in the NFL with a total of 1,699 rushing yards.

Backup player Jason Snelling, who has been getting a lot more playing time due to injuries to Ovie Mughelli, fullback, and Jerious Norwood, running back, had 68 yards rushing on 7 carries versus Dallas.

Mughelli has an injured calf and has missed two games in a row. Norwood missed the game due to a hip injury. Coach Smith stated that there wouldn’t be any updates to the injuries until Thursday, but also said that Snelling might have earned more playing time.

Smith said, yes if he keeps running with the ball like that. He ran very effectively with the ball. He has come in to play fullback as well as tailback for us. Every time Jason has gotten the opportunity he has been very efficient. His play might warrant some more touches.

Romo passed for 311 yards and had no interceptions and three touchdowns in the first game for Atlanta since they lost Brian Williams, cornerback, to a knee injury ending his season.

Atlanta’s defensive line was able to get to Romo.

Jonathan Babineaux, defensive tackle, said we mostly did stop the run. We just weren’t able to get after them on third downs and pressure rushes enough. Those things we need to get better with, especially with Drew Brees this week, who is one of the league’s best quarterbacks as far as passing right now.

Thomas DeCoud, safety, and Stephen Nicholas, linebacker, had Atlanta’s only sacks. John Abraham, defensive end, who last season had a career high 16 1/2 sacks, only has three sacks this season in six games.

Matt Ryan was sacked by the Cowboys four times. It ended the streak for Atlanta of not allowing any sacks in four games in a row.

Smith said that this week there could be some starting jobs on the line.

We are always thinking about changes we feel can help us, Smith said. We will be taking a hard look. We have an extra day which gives our staff a very good opportunity to evaluate personnel. We will make some changes if we feel that they are warranted.

Strong starts have been emphasized by Smith. However Atlanta wasn’t able to maintain any momentum after their long drive to open the game and take a lead of 7-0 over Dallas.

Smith said, we weren’t able to sustain anything after that first quarter. We really struggled in fact after that. We need to have the ability of sustaining that level of play in this league if we want to be successful. I’m the head coach and it’s my responsibility to ensure we do that.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Mike Smith, head coach for the Falcons, hasn’t ever presided over a thrashing like this.

Atlanta, in a defensive clunker of a game, got pummeled by Dallas on Sunday 37-21 at the new stadium for the Cowboys in front of 81,521 extremely happy fans.

Atlanta’s secondary, which was reeling already from losing cornerback Brian Williams last week to a knee injury ending his season, was thoroughly shredded by Tony Romo (21 of 29 on passing for a total of 311 yards), Cowboy’s quarterback, and Miles Austin (6 catches, 171 yards, 2 touchdowns), wide receiver. The rest of Atlanta’s team wasn’t so great either.

Maybe the Falcons were in awe of the Cowboys’ gigantic scoreboard in the new stadium. Or maybe Atlanta was just taking a big step backwards. The loss dropped their record to 4-2 and they now trail undefeated New Orleans in the NFC South by two games.

The 37 points given up by Atlanta were the most points that have ever been yielded under the coaching of Smith. The high previously was 30 points when the Falcons lost to Arizona in the playoffs. Atlanta’s defense wasn’t able to rush the pocket, cover down field, or tackle consistently.

Smith said, defensively we had opportunities for stopping them short of first down on some plays but didn’t do it. Our tackling needs work. It is something we take pride in.

The secondary struggled against Austin, the former free agent (Monmouth College) undrafted player, now in his fourth year and showing the Cowboys he isn’t just a player on special teams.

Smith said, Miles Austin had one big game and against two of our corners. It isn’t just the two corners. Off the spot we need to get to the quarterback.

After their strong opening 16 play drive where they scored a touchdown, the offense for the Falcons went to sleep. The team wasn’t able to mount any sort of serious scoring threat in their following five possessions. Three of those possessions were three and outs and two of them ended in turnovers.

Atlanta’s offensive line, which over the team’s last four games had protected their quarterback Matt Ryan and hadn’t given up a sack, had a lot of problems blocking for both the running game as well as pass protection. Ryan had two interceptions and two fumbles, losing one of the fumbles.

The Cowboys kicked a field goal and then took the lead for good at 10-7 during the first half when Austin had a 59 yard rushing touchdown with 5:50 to play before halftime. Dallas didn’t trail in the game again.

Thomas DeCoud said, the stars just seemed aligned for them.

At the end of the first half, Dallas added a touchdown to permanently swing the momentum their way.

Romo eluded a tackle from Jonathan Babineaux and was able to get free. He then got away from John Abraham, defensive end, and pulled together long enough to find Patrick Crayton who was in the end zone just six seconds before halftime.

DeCoud said, today he was Houdini. He was able to make some great escapes.

To open the second half Atlanta went on a long drive. Michael Turner, running back, capped the 87 yard, 12 play drive with a 2 yard run for the touchdown, making the score 17-14. Dallas however continued to exploit Atlanta’s secondary.

Austin had another big play, including a broken tackle as he scored from 22 yards for the touchdown.

Brent Grimes, cornerback for Atlanta said, when I look back, I took a wrong angle. I did not wrap my tackle up.

Grimes wasn’t Atlanta’s only defensive back having trouble with Austin.

Grimes said he has good size, referring to the 6’3″ 214 pound wide receiver. At the tops of routes he creates separation with his size. I saw that today. A couple of plays he made over the top.

Dallas kicker Nick Folk added a field goal from 46 yards before the game was blown wide open by Crayton on a punt return of 73 yards for a touchdown with just 8:38 minutes left in the game to make the score 34-14.

Smith said, this team recovers punts very well. These are alarms that need to be addressed.

Atlanta added a touchdown on a 30 yard catch by Eric Weems. The Cowboys tacked on another field goal from Folk to compete the scoring.

Popularity: 27% [?]

On Sunday night the Atlanta Falcons defeated the Chicago Bears 21-14, but in the process lost a key defensive player.

Brian Williams, starting cornerback, has a torn ACL and is lost for the rest of the season.

Mike Smith, Falcons head coach, said that the team was placing Williams on injured reserve. He added that it would be hard for the Falcons to find cornerback help via a trade before the deadline on Tuesday.

During the fourth quarter Williams was injured when he fell awkwardly onto his right knee as he was defending against an end zone pass to Greg Olsen, Bears tight end. The pass was incomplete.

Williams did not return to the game and will probably be replaced by Chevis Jackson, second year cornerback.

On the next play, the Bears went after Jackson, Williams’ replacement. Olsen beat Jackson on a two yard pass for a touchdown.

Before the Falcons added added Hill and Williams before the start of the season, cornerback had been one of the team’s major concerns.

Smith said, we will have to be very quick. We have some guys that we think are ready for stepping into the role. It will give Chris Owens, Chevis Jackson and Tye Hill a chance for more playing time. This week when we get into Dallas our 45 man roster will look different.

After he signed with Atlanta on September 6, Williams earned his starting job.

Smith said it would a big loss for them but also an opportunity for a different player on their roster.

Williams played in Jacksonville for three years, including two years while Smith was the defensive coordinator.

Williams has played for eight years in the NFL and signed with the Falcons during the off season. He spent the last three seasons with Jacksonville. Williams has been a starter in 98 out of his 112 career games.

During the first five games for the Falcons the thirty year old Williams had 18 tackles, one interception and three passes defensed.

Williams’ prior experience with Smith did help him earn his starting job with Atlanta quickly. The veteran of eight years started all five games this year and recorded 15 tackles, one interception, one blocked punt, and one fumble recovery which he returned for a total of 53 yards.

Last season he started in all 16 of Jacksonville’s games.

Atlanta’s starting cornerbacks versus the Bears were Williams along with Brent Grimes. During the Falcon’s first four games the other starter with Williams was Chris Houston.

Grimes and Houston are the most probable cornerback duo versus the Cowboys, although the injury to Williams does provide opportunities for Hill and Jackson.

Erik Coleman, safety, said that he didn’t know how it would work out, but that they had lots of talent in their secondary.

On September 1, Hill was obtained from St. Louis. Each week he’s been inactive.

Hill, who in 2006 was the 15th overall pick in the draft, has missed a majority of the last two years due to injury. In his rookie season he started in 10 of the 16 Rams games and had three interceptions, one fumble recovery and four passes defended.

Smith made a comparison of Hill with former Falcon Domonique Foxworth, who Atlanta obtained before the 2008 started and needed a period to adjust before making 10 starts. This off season Foxworth signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith said, Tye didn’t go through our training camp and OTAs. He was added late, similar to the situation we had with Domonique Foxworth last year. There is always a learning curve. Tye’s been working really hard to learn our defensive system. He will get a chance to play this week and compete for the cornerback position.

Smith said there wouldn’t be any updates until Wednesday on William Moore (hamstring) and Jerious Norwood (hip). Neither player returned after leaving the game on Sunday with injuries.

Ovie Mughelli (calf) didn’t play versus the Bears after being listed as questionable. The injury to Norwood leaves the team short handed at the running back position behind the starter Michael Turner.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Last year the Chicago had the chance to win in Atlanta. On Sunday night they could have won.

But instead they lost both games.

The Bears made three critical errors inside the red zone, and Atlanta was able to hold on and get a 21-14 win. The game will be remembered for a series of gritty defensive stands and all the opportunities that the Bears missed.

At Atlanta’s 9 yard line, Jay Cutler got intercepted. On two runs in a row from the one yard line, Matt Forte fumbled. On the second fumble Atlanta recovered the football. On the Bear’s last opportunity, with less than one minute left in the game on fourth down and one at the five yard line, Orlando Pace moved ahead of the snap and the Bears didn’t convert.

Lovie Smith, Chicago’s coach said, we had lots of chances to win the game. You just can’t make those mistakes. When you’ve got the ball into the red zone, you have to get points.

The winning touchdown was scored by Michael Turner on a five yard run with three minutes left in the game. But what really gave the 4-1 Falcons the win and their best first five games in franchise history was their defense that bent but didn’t break and all of the errors from Chicago.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta’s quarterback said, our defense deserves some credit. Ryan threw two passes for touchdowns but had two interceptions as well. The guys really stepped up and were able to make the plays when we really needed it.

It was the second straight year the Falcons and Bears played in a thriller. Last year it appeared that Chicago (3-2) had pull an improbable win out on a touchdown with just 11 seconds to go in the game. However they blew the game when they went for a pooch kick and then gave up a long pass which set Jason Elam up on the last play of the game to kick the winning field goal.

In this game Chicago didn’t get a chance for a comeback. Cutler lead the Bears down field with his 300 yard, season high passing night. A questionable pass interference penalty against Curtis Lofton gave Chicago the first down and the ball at Atlanta’s 14 yard line. Then two Bear penalties made it third down and twenty five. Cutler connected with Earl Bennet with a pass up the middle for a gain of 24 yards.

On fourth down the Bears needed only 3 feet. To set up the play they called a time out. However, Pace took off before the snap, which left Chicago with a fourth down and six. The last pass from Cutler, over the middle to Desmond Clark, bounced off Clark’s arm as he was being defended by Erik Coleman, preserving the Falcon’s lead with just 29 seconds left to play.

Coleman said, I broke and stumbled a bit. Cutler’s pass was a bit high. Then we got off the field. With games like this you just need to stay positive and have trust in your teammates.

It appeared that Greg Olsen was open in the end zone, however Cutler didn’t spot him.

The winning touchdown for Atlanta was set up with a kickoff return of 62 yards by Eric Weems. From there Tony Gonzalez and Ryan took over, connecting on two big pass plays. Turner then finished the drive off from the five yard line. He cut to his right and then lightly bumped into his teammate Verron Haynes before scoring.

Turner, who last season was the NFL’s second leading rusher, completed the game with only 30 yards in 13 carries. After scoring, to help shake the frustration off, he flung the football up into the air.

Ryan said, the offensive line gave me enough time for getting the ball away. Then Michael Turner did his thing. Our offensive line gave a great push, then Turner paved his own way.

The Bears let too many opportunities slip away. They only scored once out of four possessions when they were inside Atlanta’s 20 yard line. On a bad pass up the middle Cutler was intercepted early by Thomas DeCoud. During the third quarter, with the Bears inside the one yard line with first and goal, Forte blew it.

He tried leaping over the pile but fumbled. Fortunately he was able to recover the ball. Forte, on the next play, went left and encountered Jonathan Babinexu who led with his helmet and sent the football flying once again. Only this time the ball was recovered by Coy Wire, a Falcon, denying the Bears the opportunity to tie the game.

Chicago lost the game despite out gaining Atlanta in total yards 373-253. Cutler went 27 for 43. He connected on a touchdown pass of 23 yards with Johnny Knox to give the Bears a 7-0 lead as well as a two yard pass to Olsen to tie the score with six minutes left. Cutler was also Chicago’s leading rusher with 34 yards. However his two interceptions, which were both picked by DeCoud and were his first two career interceptions, marred Cutler’s performance.

Ryan also threw two touch down passes. One was a short pass over to Roddy White who made it into a touchdown play of 40 yards. The other was a 10 yard touchdown pass to Gonzales, giving Atlanta a halftime lead of 14-7. Ryan also had two interceptions. The second one with ten minutes left in the game was a tipped ball which gave the Bears another chance.

Cutler led Chicago on a 92 yard eight play drive to tie the game. He started things off with a quarterback scramble of 30 yards. He then connected for a 17 yard completion to Devin Hester. Chris Houston then incurred a 23 yard pass interference penalty.

For the fifth time in the 44 year history of the franchise, Atlanta is 4-1. 2004 was the last time it happened when they won an NFC South title under the leadership of Michael Vick. Right now the Falcons are trying to keep up with the red hot 5-0 New Orleans Saints, who still lead the division after beating the formerly undefeated New York Giants 48-27.

Both Chicago and Atlanta go hard hit with injuries. Atlanta lost Jerious Norwood, running back, with a hip flexor and Brian Williams, cornerback, with a right knee injury. Chicago lost Pisa Tinoisamoa, linebacker, with a knee injury. On special teams, Weems had a great night. He average 39 yards on the three kickoff returns. He also returned a punt for twenty yards. DeCoud, had just one interception in 45 games played at Cal. With his two interceptions against Chicago, the second year player has already surpassed his collegiate interceptions in the NFL.

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The leader of the San Francisco 49ers knows he lost all his cool during the game.

Mike Singletary got so frustrated with the poor play of his team that he just had to respond to Harvey Dahl, former 49er and offensive lineman, when he responded to Singletary near the sideline of the 49ers while Atlanta was once again driving downfield.

Roddy White had a catch-and-run 90 yard touchdown as well as a 31 yard touchdown catch, Michael Turner had three running scores, and the Atlanta Falcons pummeled the 49ers by a score of 45-10 on Sunday, ending the 49er’s home game winning streak at five games.

Singletary say, I wish I had some more coaching etiquette, but I just don’t. I really love my players. When somebody responds in a certain way against my players, I might end up doing things I shouldn’t. I need to get better at those types of things over time.

Even though he was talking at me, I shouldn’t have said it. It wasn’t anything that bad, but it shouldn’t have happened.

Dahl, referring to the third quarter confrontation said, he is a fiery guy.

Roddy White had a career high eight catches and set the franchise record with 201 yards versus the normally stingy 49ers defense. Six of his catchers came in the game’s first half for a total of 185 yards, as the Falcons (3-1) returned from their bye week very sharp. They ended up with an advantage of 477-279 for total yards. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan went 22 of 32 for a total of 329 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a late score rushing touchdown.

San Francisco (3-2) failed their biggest test so far and suffered their worst defeat since October 1, 2006 when they lost to Kansas City 41-0 under Mike Nolan, former 49ers head coach. Singletary said that the players were not prepared.

Manny Lawson, linebackers, said we lost our cool.

On a gray afternoon in October Candlestick Park got quiet very quickly. At halftime the 49ers were booed as they left the field trailing 35-10. During the fourth quarter fans were leaving in droves.

San Fransisco was unable to respond, despite Singletary calling a timeout mid first quarter where he attempted to pull his team together with a high spirited pep talk. On the next play, White scored a touchdown. White’s big day helped the the Falcons win their first road game of the 2009 season.

On White’s 90 yard touchdown, he somersaulted in the end zone. His flip earned him a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Mike Smith, Falcons coach, joked that he missed the landing. If he hit the landing it wouldn’t have been a 15 yard penalty. I told White if he was going to do that he needs to be like Olga Korbut. He didn’t know who Olga Korbut was. So I said, ok maybe like Mary Lou Retton. I figured that was ’86. He didn’t know Mary Lou Retton either. Went right over our heads.

White broke the former franchise record of 198 receiving yards set on December 13, 1998 by Terance Mathis versus New Orleans.

White said he felt like he hadn’t been playing well this season. Coach Smith and me had a talk. He say you need to get back to just being yourself. Go out and be old Roddy. Just go out and play. No pressure.

The three turnovers by San Francisco was one more than they had combined during their first four games. After While got his second touchdown of the first half, a fumble by Delanie Walker on the ensuing kickoff was recovered by the Falcons. It appeared as though the fumble may have been caused by the ground, but the 49ers didn’t have any timeouts lets and weren’t able to challenge the call.

Even when it appeared that things were going right, they wound up being wrong for the 49ers.

Dre Bly picked off a Ryan pass at San Francisco’s 10 yard line mid third quarter. However he got caught from behind as it looked like Bly had begun to celebrate during the return. Ryan swiped for the loose ball before center Todd McClure was able to fall on it to recover the ball for the Falcons.

Bly said, Dre will be Dre. When I make plays, which I have a lot, I do express myself.

Niners quarterback Shaun Hill struggled along with San Francisco’s entire offense. Hill’s perfect home starting record of 7-0 evaporated. San Francisco obviously missed Frank Gore, their star running back, who will be out until after the team’s bye due to a sprained ankle injury.

Hill was only able to complete 4 of the first 15 passes he threw and ended up 15 for 38 for a total of 198 yards along with three sacks.

Michael Lewis, strong safety, suffered his third concussion this season. Early third quarter he went down after he led with his helmet while attempting to tackle Turner. Lewis also had two concussions during the preseason.

Notes
Adam Snyder, right tackle for the 49ers sustained a bruised left thigh. Ray McDonald, defensive tackle has a sprained left ankle. Tarrell Brown, cornerback, has a strained right groin and Coffee a bruised left leg. The Atlanta Falcons have won all three of their last meetings against the 49ers.

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