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Coach’s Call Costs Falcons in Loss to Saints

John Kasay kicked a 26-yard field goal to win it.

“I know it will be scrutinized all week long,” Smith said. “I want everybody to understand I take full responsibility.”

New Orleans (7-3) took control of the N.F.C. South race, snapping Atlanta’s three-game winning streak. But the game will be long remembered for Smith’s gutsy and ill-fated call, especially if the loss comes back to cost the Falcons a return to the playoffs.

Atlanta (5-4) rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter, tying it on Matt Bryant’s 27-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.

In overtime, Atlanta appeared to pick up a first down on a pass to Mike Cox, but he was ruled just short after referee Terry McAuley looked at the replay. Then, stunningly, Smith decided to go for it on fourth down from his own 29.

Michael Turner was stuffed on a rushing attempt. That decided the game.

“We were going to be aggressive in all that we did,” Smith said. “Unfortunately, it did not work out.”

After each offense went three-and-out on its first possession of overtime, Atlanta faced third-and-1 from the 29. Matt Ryan flipped a pass to Cox, the backup fullback, who was met short of the 30 but stretched his right arm, appearing to place the ball across the line. It was initially ruled a first down, but the replay showed that Cox bobbled the ball as he was going down along the sideline, and the spot was moved back.

The Falcons initially sent on the punting team, then called a timeout. Smith decided to go for it, figuring his team could pick up the foot or so needed to keep the drive going. That turned out to be a big mistake.

Ryan handed off to the bruising Turner, but he never had a chance. He was swarmed by a group of defenders and actually lost a couple of feet, and the jubilant Saints took over. Four plays later, Kasay won it with his fourth field goal of the game.

“I just saw a guy in my face as soon as I got the ball,” Turner said. “I would like to have it back. I would love to be in that situation again.”

Sean Payton of the Saints coached the game on crutches in his return to the sideline after a collision with one of his players left him with a broken left leg and severe knee injuries nearly a month ago.

“I just felt like this was an important game,” Payton said. “That presence is important. I talked to the doctors this morning.”

Drew Brees completed 30 of 43 passes for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns for New Orleans. Marques Colston had eight catches for 113 yards.

The Saints were glad to have their coach among them, not sending down calls from the booth.

“It was great having him, just his presence,” Brees said. “He couldn’t wait to get back down there. He has his hands in everything.”

Ryan threw 52 passes, completing 29 for 351 yards and 2 touchdowns. Harry Douglas became his favorite receiver after the rookie Julio Jones left the game, sidelined again by an ailing hamstring. Douglas finished with eight receptions for 133 yards.

Turner rushed for 96 yards, but could not get the one yard that mattered most.

“We’ve just got to get a couple inches. Make that play and move on,” center Todd McClure said. “I like the fact our coach has faith in us to make the play.”

Brees was impressed by Smith’s courage, if nothing else.

“It takes some steel and you-know-what to make that call,” he said. “This one play is the game.”

In regulation, Atlanta was down to its last chance, facing fourth-and-3 at the New Orleans 45 with about four and a half minutes remaining. Ryan kept the drive going by hitting Roddy White on a 6-yard completion, then struck quickly with two more passes to make a game of it. A 19-yarder to White was followed by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tony Gonzalez with 4 minutes 13 seconds to go, bringing the Falcons to 23-20.

With only one timeout remaining, the Falcons tried an onside kick. It did not work.

The Saints moved into position to give Kasay a 45-yard try. He drilled the kick right down the middle, but Jimmy Graham was called for holding and New Orleans decided to back up the Falcons with a punt.

After Eric Weems made a fair catch at the Atlanta 5, the Falcons put together a clutch drive that forced overtime. Ryan connected three times with Douglas on completions totaling 66 yards, and Atlanta had plenty of time to take three shots at the end zone for a winning touchdown.

After three incompletions by Ryan, Bryant kicked his third field goal.

Falcons Rally to Beat Newton’s Panthers 31-17

Returning to the formula that worked so well the last three years, the Falcons kept handing the ball to Michael Turner and finally looked like the team that’s supposed to be a contender.

“We need to get our identity back, and that starts with running the football,” said Turner, who rumbled for 139 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 31-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers. “We want to bury teams.”

The Falcons (3-3) were clearly intent on re-establishing their trademark offensive style against a vulnerable defense. Turner had a season-high 27 carries, and Atlanta ran the ball 35 times in all — 13 more than they threw it.

“We’d like to be able to do that every week,” said Matt Ryan, who passed for just 163 yards — and didn’t mind a bit.

For Cam Newton and the rebuilding Panthers, it was another tough loss.

Carolina (1-5) has been in every game, but keeps coming up short at the end. Newton had three interceptions in his homecoming to Atlanta, including a crucial pick by defensive tackle Corey Peters that set up the Falcons’ clinching TD during a 17-point fourth quarter.

“At some point, you’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself what can you do to make it better,” Newton said. “It’s not the time that you point the fingers and say, ‘It’s his fault.’ It’s time that we as a team take ownership of ourselves.”

Newton, who grew up just a few miles south of the Georgia Dome, wowed the crowd much of the day. He threw for 237 yards and took off on a 14-yard touchdown run that put the Panthers ahead 17-14 heading to the final quarter. He even celebrated with Deion Sanders’ high-step dance in the end zone, marking a day when the retired Hall of Famer was honored by the Falcons at halftime.

Then, things turned sour.

After Matt Bryant’s tying field goal, Ryan scored on a 1-yard sneak to put the Falcons ahead 24-17. Newton got the ball back, only to make his biggest blunder of the day trying to set up a screen pass.

Corey Peters, a 305-pound defensive tackle, caught the rookie quarterback off guard by dropping into coverage. When Newton flipped a short pass, Peters reached up with one hand to pick it off at the Carolina 40.

The Falcons offense did the rest, driving for the clinching touchdown. Turner barreled into the end zone from 2 yards out with 1:56 left to hand the Panthers another excruciating loss. Their first four defeats were by a total of 18 points, and this one was much closer than the two-touchdown margin.

“Not good. Not acceptable,” first-year coach Ron Rivera said. “We’re six weeks into this. It’s time for us to start to play like we’ve been around.”

Turner also scored on a 1-yard run at the end of the first quarter and broke a streak of three straight games without reaching 100 yards. Ryan, who was averaging more than 39 passes a game, completed 14 of 22 in more of a complementary role.

“It started with the O-line,” Turner said. “They came out with a nasty attitude today, that they were going to move the line of scrimmage. I love to see green, man. You give me some space, I’ll do what I do.”

Newton finished 21 of 35, including a deflected pass that was picked off in the end zone with less than a minute left in the first half. His third interception didn’t really matter, coming on a desperation pass into the end zone on the final play of the game.

The rookie also led the Panthers in rushing with 50 yards on six carries.

Ryan threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Ovie Mughelli, giving the Falcons a 14-10 lead at halftime. Jonathan Stewart scored Carolina’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run, after Olindo Mare opened the scoring for the Panthers with a 42-yard field goal.

The Panthers didn’t have to punt until late in the third quarter, but the Atlanta defense took control in the final period. Carolina’s final four possessions ended with two punts and a pair of interceptions.

Newton was playing at the Georgia Dome for the first time since he accounted for six touchdowns in the Southeastern Conference championship game last December, leading Auburn to a 56-17 rout of South Carolina. The Tigers went on to claim the national title, and Newton headed to the pros as the top overall pick and a Heisman Trophy winner.

The wins have been a lot harder to come by in the NFL.

“We had an excellent game plan going into the week, but the coaches can only do so much,” Newton said. “It’s time for the players to start stepping up and making plays.”

Notes: Turner has rushed for 100 yards 22 times in his Falcons career, tied for second in team history with William Andrews. Gerald Riggs leads with 25 games topping the century mark. … The Falcons wore throwback uniforms, donning red helmets and black jerseys. In keeping with that theme, Mughelli celebrated his touchdown with the “Dirty Bird” dance, which became famous during the team’s lone Super Bowl season in 1998. … Atlanta did a good job shutting down Carolina’s top receiver, Steve Smith, who came into the game averaging nearly 23 yards per catch and more than 121 yards per game. He was held to five receptions for 66 yards.

Falcons Hold on Late for 30-28 Win Over Seahawks

There might not have been many high-fives being passed around the Falcons locker room, but they certainly weren’t going to be apologizing for picking up a needed victory.

“We got a win and we’re getting on out of here,” Peterson said.

Matt Ryan, Michael Turner and Matt Bryant helped stake Atlanta to a 27-7 lead, then watched as Seattle mounted a furious rally only to fall short in the final seconds of the Falcons’ 30-27 win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

Seattle (1-3) drove for a potential winning score in the final 2 minutes, but coach Pete Carroll decided for a 61-yard field goal attempt from Steven Hauschka on fourth down with 13 seconds left instead of trying to get the 8 yards needed. Hauschka’s kick was short and wide left and left Carroll facing questions about whether he made the right move.

“I wanted to give us a chance to win it,” Carroll said. “If we get the ball knocked down or something doesn’t happen and we come up short on fourth down, then we don’t get a shot to win the game.”

Ryan finished 28 of 42 for 291 yards and a 1-yard TD pass to Tony Gonzalez on Atlanta’s first possession. Turner had TD runs of 21 and 1 yards and Bryant kicked three field goals.

Bryant’s 50-yard field goal on the opening possession of the second half gave Atlanta (2-2) a 20-point cushion. That seemed like plenty against a Seattle offense that until that point had scored a total of 37 points in three games and one half.

Then it all flipped.

“I don’t know,” Peterson said. “They went in and made some adjustments, started playing better ball and we probably didn’t play as well as we should have.”

Seattle went to a no-huddle offense and caught the Falcons by surprise. Tarvaris Jackson finally found a rhythm after three weeks of floundering and Seattle’s offense was unstoppable.

They scored touchdowns on three of four possessions to start the second half. The only time they didn’t score was on a ball that tight end Zach Miller caught at the goal line, only to have it popped out of his hands by Atlanta safety James Sanders and into the arms of Thomas DeCoud for an interception.

“Once we focus in and execute, it’s hard to stop us,” Jackson said. “I felt like any time we got the ball, we just knew they couldn’t stop us.”

Jackson threw touchdown passes of 6 yards to Mike Williams and 8 yards to Ben Obomanu sandwiched around an 11-yard TD run from Marshawn Lynch. Seattle scored 21 points in just under 17 minutes of game time.

Jackson finished 25 of 38 for a career-high 319 yards and three touchdowns, including a 52-yard TD pass to Sidney Rice — Seattle’s one offensive highlight in the first half.

After Obomanu’s touchdown with 8:13 left, Atlanta went on its most important drive of the game, even though it didn’t result in any points.

Atlanta converted three times on third down as they ate up more than six minutes. One conversion came on a penalty and another on a completion to Gonzalez. But the biggest conversion came with 4:05 left when Ryan ran for 10 yards.

The first down ran an extra two minutes off the clock before Atlanta was forced to punt, and Seattle took over with 1:49 remaining at its 15 with just one timeout remaining.

Ryan finished with another 26 yards rushing — more than Seattle starting running back Marshawn Lynch — and the Falcons were 9 of 16 on third down.

“You have to do what you have to do. Certainly not the way that we design things or not my intention when the ball is snapped,” Ryan said. “Sometimes that’s the way it shakes out. A couple of times in the second half Seattle had really good coverage and guys locked up and fortunately they don’t have a spy or anything like that for me.”

When he took over with 1:49 left, Jackson quickly got Seattle near midfield. The Seahawks caught a break with 41 seconds to go when referee Walt Anderson was buzzed to review the previous completion to Doug Baldwin and stopped the clock.

Rice was later flagged for a false start. The 5 yards proved huge, as a completion to Miller got Seattle to the Atlanta 43 with 16 seconds remaining, but Jackson was hurried on third down and threw incomplete.

Instead of going for it on fourth down, Carroll sent out Hauschka for the lengthy attempt.

Hauschka’s career long is 54 yards. The longest kick ever made at Seattle’s home stadium is 55 yards.

“It was definitely makable, but it was a tough kick. It was into the wind. It wasn’t real warm out there so the ball wasn’t going as far as it could,” Hauschka said. “At altitude or in warm weather, that’s a different kick than it was today. It was definitely makable, and I’m glad we got a shot to win the game there at the end, and the next time we’ll make it.”

Notes: Williams left with a concussion suffered on Lynch’s TD run. Seattle also lost LB Matt McCoy with a knee injury in the first quarter. … Atlanta remained perfect (5-0) on the West Coast since Smith took over as coach. … Ryan’s 26 yards rushing tied a career high. … Seattle plays just once at home (Oct. 30 vs. Cincinnati) until Nov. 13. … Turner finished with 70 yards on 26 carries, but had just 15 yards in the second half. … Nine different Seahawks caught passes from Jackson. Baldwin led Seattle with five catches for 84 yards.