Atlanta Coach | Atlanta Falcons Tickets

Falcons Hold Off Locker, Titans for 23-17 Win

They still had to sweat it out at the end.

Roddy White had seven receptions for a season-high 147 yards and Atlanta fended off a comeback led by rookie quarterback Jake Locker, beating the Tennessee Titans 23-17 Sunday.

Locker took over late in the third quarter after Matt Hasselbeck went out with a sprained right elbow, having endured an ineffective day even before he was hurt.

The youngster hooked up with Nate Washington on a pair of touchdown passes that made a game of it, but the Falcons managed to run out the clock after Matt Ryan completed a third-and-6 pass to Harry Douglas that was barely enough for the first down.

Atlanta (6-4) jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Ryan’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez and a pair of short field goals by Matt Bryant. Michael Turner stretched the lead to 20-3 with a 4-yard touchdown run on the opening possession of the second half, but Turner’s fourth-quarter fumble deep in Tennessee territory allowed the Titans (5-5) to get back in it.

The Falcons were solid if unspectacular, while the Titans simply made too many mistakes to win on the road for the second week in a row. Tennessee was penalized 10 times — two of which came on third down to extend Atlanta scoring drives — and Hasselbeck threw an interception that led to the first of Bryant’s three field goals.

The Falcons were coming off a 26-23 loss to the Saints, who prevailed in overtime after Atlanta coach Mike Smith made a much-debated decision to go for it on fourth down deep in his own territory. New Orleans stuffed Turner for no gain and kicked a game-ending field goal four plays later.

Smith and his players insisted that game was behind them, and they got 100 yards rushing out of Turner and 316 yards passing from Ryan.

Then there’s White, who was leading the NFL in dropped passes (nine) and personal fouls by an offensive skills player (three). He dropped another one against the Titans but more than made up for it with his longest reception of the season, a 43-yarder that set up Turner’s touchdown. White also took a short pass for a 32-yard gain, leading to Bryant’s final field goal and a 23-3 lead that looked safe, especially when Hasselbeck went out.

But Locker rallied the Titans. On his third snap, he threw a deep pass to Washington, who came down with the ball and got away from two defensive backs for a 40-yard touchdown.

The Falcons were driving for the clinching score when Turner had the ball knocked loose at the Tennessee 8 by Colin McCarthy. Will Witherspoon fell on the ball, and Locker guided Tennessee on a 14-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 4-yard scoring pass to Washington with 3:06 remaining.

But the rookie didn’t get a chance to complete the comeback.

Hasselbeck had a forgettable day, going 13 of 25 for 124 yards. Locker finished 9 of 19 for 140 yards. Chris Johnson was totally stifled after his best game of the season, a 130-yard effort against Carolina. He was held to a season-low 13 yards on 12 carries, his longest gain going for only 6 yards.

Gonzalez became just the 13th player in NFL history to go past 13,000 yards receiving. He finished with six catches for 74 yards.

Falcons Beat Lions 23-16 Behind Ryan’s 2 TDs

Matt Ryan ran and threw for touchdowns to give Atlanta a double-digit lead in the first half, and the Falcons held on to win 23-16 in Detroit on Sunday.

The defending NFC South champion-Falcons (4-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season because they finally played well in all three phases on the same day.

“Good teams go on streaks,” Atlanta coach Mike Smith said. “You can’t just keep yo-yoing up and down.”

The Lions (5-2) have lost their luster with two straight losses — both at home — after their perfect start. Their formerly fired-up fans have started to boo, moan and groan.

“We don’t deserve their cheers if we’re going to play like that,” Lions guard Rob Sims said. “It’s just that simple.”

The Lions had a chance to get Ford Field back on their side.

But on Detroit’s final drive, a pass-interference penalty against Atlanta was overturned because instant replay showed defensive tackle Corey Peters had slightly grazed the ball.

“I didn’t see the tip, but the guys in the booth were in my ear about it right away,” Smith said. “With less than 2 minutes, we had to rely on the officials, but they did a great job. They didn’t let the Lions snap the ball, so the replay official could get a good look, and they made the right call.”

Instead of having the ball at the Falcons 26, the Lions were backed up to the 41 and Matthew Stafford threw an incomplete pass on the next play to turn it over on downs and injured his right ankle, knee — or both.

“To tell the truth I can’t really tell right now,” Stafford said.

Stafford said he was going to try and play if Detroit’s defense got the ball back, but the Falcons made that a moot point by picking up a first down and running out the clock.

Ryan’s 1-yard plunge and 18-yard pass to Roddy White put Atlanta ahead 17-6 at halftime.

Calvin Johnson caught his 10th touchdown pass late in the third quarter — to pull Detroit within four points — and finished with five receptions for 115 yards.

Matt Bryant’s third field goal gave the Falcons a seven-point lead midway through the fourth quarter on a drive extended when safety Louis Delmas was called for holding on fourth down.

The Lions, who struggled against Atlanta’s aggressive defense all day, had the ball at their 13 with 3:20 to go and three timeouts left with a chance to send the game into overtime.

Stafford converted a fourth down with a pass to Brandon Pettigrew, and a personal foul against Atlanta left the Lions 41 yards away from the end zone. They wouldn’t get any closer.

Detroit didn’t get another chance to come back because it couldn’t tackle rookie running back Jacquizz Rodgers on third-and-4 near midfield.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz and Smith met at midfield after the game in traditional fashion a week after Schwartz had to be separated from San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh in a charged scene.

Ryan was 20 of 34 for 218 yards with a TD and two interceptions and scored on a 1-yard plunge to break a 3-all tie late in the first quarter. He left the game briefly when teammate Will Svitek stepped on his left ankle, tweaking his knee.

“It hurt, but I don’t think it was bad as it must have looked on television,” Ryan said.

Atlanta’s Tony Gonzalez caught five passes for 62 yards, giving him 1,104 career receptions to trail only Jerry Rice in NFL history — by 445 catches.

“Trust me, Jerry Rice will never be caught,” the 35-year-old Gonzalez said. “I’m very happy with second place.”

Michael Turner ran 27 times — including a 50-yard gain — and finished with 122 yards rushing for the Falcons.

Stafford was 15 of 32 for 183 yards and a TD against consistent pressure, getting sacked three times and hurried after several more snaps.

“I was very pleased with the way we made it hectic and chaotic for the quarterback,” Smith said.

Detroit’s Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams combined for 94 yards on 18 carries, filling in for Jahvid Best, who was out with a concussion.

The Lions struggled on special teams. They gave up long returns — one of which went for a score but was negated by penalty — and Stefan Logan fumbled on a kickoff to set up Ryan’s TD run.

Schwartz said Detroit couldn’t overcome missed opportunities on offense, defense and special teams against the Falcons.

“They were 13-3 last year and they’re going to be a good team again this year,” he said.

Notes: Gonzalez moved past Cris Carter (1,101) and Marvin Harrison (1,102). … Scheffler and Lions LB Justin Durant played after being out with concussions and Lions CB Chris Houston aggravated his back injury. … Atlanta WR Julio Jones (left hamstring) and LT Sam Baker (lower back) were inactive. … Johnson has the most TD receptions (10) through the first seven games of a season since Randy Moss had as many with New England in 2007 and is one short of the total Elroy Hirsch had with the Rams in 1951 and Frank Clarke in 1962 with the Cowboys, according to STATS LLC.

Ravens Use Turnovers to Beat Winless Falcons, 21-7

They’re certainly glad the exhibitions are over.

Chykie Brown returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown and Baltimore scored the clincher after another Atlanta turnover, an appropriate way to decide a dreadful game won by the Ravens 21-7 on Thursday night to complete a winless preseason for the Falcons.

Not that this finale was much of an indicator of how either team will look once the score actually matters. Both teams sat out of many of their key starters, including quarterbacks Matt Ryan of the Falcons and Joe Flacco of the Ravens. They were mainly concerned with staying healthy going into the regular season.

Baltimore had the only injury of note, and it didn’t sound like any big deal. Backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who started in place of Flacco, sustained a bruised shoulder.

“We will have to see how serious it is, but it looks like it won’t be that serious,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “If we find out he can’t play, then we will definitely have an issue.”

Atlanta coach Mike Smith didn’t want to sound glib about the winless record. But he’s not placing too much importance on it, either.

“We have a saying: ‘If you play, it’s worth winning,'” Smith said. “Am I disappointed? Yeah. Am I concerned? No. We have a mature football team. We got some things accomplished that we needed to accomplish.”

Most of those who did play were battling for roster spots, or may have been out of the running no matter how well they performed. Given who was on the field, the results were to be expected.

The Ravens (3-1) failed to generate much offense, totaling just 175 yards. Atlanta (0-4) turned it over four times, basically handing Baltimore its two TDs.

Third-string quarterback John Parker Wilson was intercepted twice, including the pick that Brown, a rookie, grabbed right in front of the Atlanta bench and took down the sideline for a touchdown to erase Atlanta’s 10-7 lead with 1:59 left in the third.

After Billy Cundiff kicked his second field goal to stretch Baltimore’s lead to 13-7, the Falcons’ last gasp ended with yet another turnover. Wilson, who took quite a beating, was leveled by Michael McAdoo and coughed up the ball. It was recovered by Jason Phillips at the Atlanta 5 with 2½ minutes remaining in the game.

On the next play, Damien Berry took it to the end zone to finish off the Falcons, who failed to win a preseason game for the first time since 2003.

That year, Michael Vick broke a leg in an exhibition game — against the Ravens, no less — and the Falcons spiraled to a 5-11 record that led to the firing of coach Dan Reeves before the year was done. This team has much higher hopes, coming off a NFC South title and bolstered by the drafting of receiver Julio Jones and the signing of defensive end Ray Edwards.

“There’s definitely not any panic in here,” fullback Ovie Mughelli said. “If anything, it gives us a little extra motivation. If teams are going to sleep on us or take us for granted because we went 0-4, they’re going to be in for a surprise.”

Jones caught a 25-yard pass from Chris Redman on the first snap of the game, and Edwards chased Taylor into the arms of teammate Kroy Biermann for a sack.

The only other highlight for the home team came early in the third, when Antone Smith broke off a 46-yard touchdown run that might help his chances of sliding onto the Falcons final 53-man roster.

Smith rushed for 114 yards on 11 carries and hauled in a 42-yard screen pass. Still, it figures to be a restless night for a second-year back who knows he’s behind at least three others on the depth chart.

“It’s not going to be decided on one game, but I hope it helps,” Smith said. “I’ve always been a guy who’s got one foot in, one foot out. I’m always nervous.”

Taylor, the rookie out of Virginia Tech, broke off a 9-yard run with his first play. But he didn’t stay in very long after hurting his shoulder, completing two passes for 16 yards and having his other throw picked off by Brent Grimes.

Third-stringer Hunter Cantwell went most of the way for the Ravens. He was 13 of 28 for 111 yards and had an interception. The Ravens rushed for only 74 yards, led by Berry with 31 on eight carries.

The defense performed much better, especially third-year linebacker Jason Phillips. He helped his roster chances by coming up with an interception, a fumble recovery, four tackles and breaking up a pass.

“Jason Phillips is outstanding and really stepped up,” Harbaugh said. “He was all over the field making tackles.”

Redman was 4 of 8 for 58 yards during his limited time. He gave up Atlanta’s first turnover when blindsided by Paul Kruger, the ball coming loose and recovered by Bernard Pollard. The makeshift offensive line had a tough night — Redman was sacked twice, Wilson three times.

When not running for his life, Wilson managed to complete 16 of 33 for 146 yards.

“Everybody is out there as an individual performer,” Smith said. “But it’s a group effort, a team effort. Obviously, we didn’t have the type of performance we wanted to have.”

Even the officials had a rough night. Two calls were challenged by Smith, and both were overturned after the referee checked out the replay.

Notes: Cundiff missed a 57-yard field goal, while Atlanta’s Matt Bryant was wide left on his only attempt from 54 yards. … Both punters got plenty of work, and Baltimore’s Sam Koch had the clear edge. He averaged 49.4 on eight punts, while Falcons rookie Matt Bosher only managed a 37.7-yard average on seven punts.