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9-1 Falcons beat Cardinals 23-19 after
5 Ryan interceptions

By Don Stone - Football Atlanta

     The Falcons returned to the Georgia Dome after suffering their first loss of the season (31-27) against the rival New Orleans Saints. Atlanta is 4-0 at the Dome this season. For Arizona, it has been a tale of two quarters. They started the first four games undefeated, then ran off their last five games in the loss column.  Much of that is due to key injuries including starting QB
Kevin Kolb.
  Its hard to imagine a worst first quarter of play by the Falcons. The game got off to a sloppy start as a
Matt Ryan pass was deflected off the hands of Roddy White into the arms of safety Rashad Johnson who returned it to the nine yard line. Two plays LaRod Stephens-Howling turned it into seven points. So, with just 1:06 into the game, the Falcons were down a touchdown. Atlanta went three and out on their next drive with another Ryan pass dropped by a defender. The Cardinals started their next drive at their own 30 after a blocking in the back penalty.
   Stephens-Hollings immediately went back to work with a career long 40 yard rush to the Atlanta 30. The defense rose up and held them to no gain. Former Falcon
Jay Feely connected for a 48 field goal to push the lead to 10.
  The Falcons' third drive began with a 12 yard pass to
Tony Gonzalez. Another 8 was added by Julio Jones to the 40. Another Ryan pass was tipped but landed in the hands of Jacquizz Rodgers a yard short of a first forcing a punt that pinned Arizona to their own three.
   The defense forced a three and out giving the Falcons great field position at their 48. Some positive yardage finally came when White took a catch 26 yards to the AC 29. Amazingly, still another Ryan pass was tipped. This time it wound up in the wrong hands again to
William Gay giving the Cardinals the ball at their 26. But, the offense did nothing and had to punt with the ball rolling and bouncing half of its 62 yards all the way to the AF 7. Ryan was picked off for a third time by FS Kerry Rhodes at the 18. Coming in, No offense again resulted in another Feely field goal from 28 to make it 13-0,
  The defense was the only reason Atlanta was still in this game or the score entering the second quarter could be 21-0, and that was without the help of
Sean Witherspoon, who missed his third straight game. Arizona had been held to just 63 yards of offense. But, the Falcons were worse, managing just 57 yards with a nonexistent running game of just 10 yards. But
  Atlanta converted a third and six on a 9 yard pass to White at the 33. Gonzalez converted a third and 8 for 12 to the 47. Still no offense as a chorus of boos appeared. But, at least
Matt Bryant was able to provide some points with a 51 yarder making it 13-3.
  The defense continued to shine when
Ken Whisenhunt replaced John Skelton with young Ryan Lindley who just got 7 yards before John Abraham induced a sack enforced fumble from the young QB that was picked up and returned for a TD by Jonathan Babineaux.
  The Cardinals almost got it back on a 65 yard kickoff return by
William Powell to the AF 35. Lindley remained at quarterback and the rookie from San Diego State came up with a minus two yards on this drive.
  Even though the defense had stopped the drive, the resulting punt still had them backed up to their own nine to start the next drive. Right out of the gate, Ryan hit White for 35 yards to their 46.
Michael Turner, virtually absent to this point, finally moved things forward for 10 to the 39. Ryan found White for another 19 to the 20. White shook a tackle for another 7. Turner got enough for a first down at the 10. The drive stalled and Bryant did his job connecting from the 28 to tie it at 13.
  Arizona began their drive at their six after a holding call. But, Stephens-Holling continued to provide almost all of the Cardinals offense as he broke free for 52 yards to the Atlanta 42. Lindley hit WR
Michael Floyd for 17 yards to the 25. A sack was nullified by an off sides call on Abraham. Cornerback Dunta Robinson almost had an interception on a third and five. Feely put Arizona back on top from 38 yards, 16-13 with under a minute to go in the half.
  As in past games, give Ryan a minute to go in a half and he'll find a way to get points. With 37 seconds to go, Matt pushed the offense with passes to
Jason Snelling, Rodgers and Jones to give Bryant enough to connect fro 48 and tie it as time ran out.
  The first half had been a story of three Ryan interceptions and three field goals each by Feely and Bryant.
  Arizona began the second half with a pair of short completions to
Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet to get the ball to midfield. It would be Fitzgerald's only catch of the game. Then, Stephen Nicholas dragged Lindley back for a 14 yard sack loss to the AC 40.
 
Dominique Franks took the punt back 28 yards to the AF 41. On a third and 15, Arizona committed a huge mistake with a roughing the passer call that gave the Falcons a new set of downs on the AZ 49. Snelling caught a pass but fumbled it to the Cardinals. An unsportsmanlike call added 15 yards to start the drive at the 42. The crowd became surly at this point disagreeing with the call. They changed their mood when an offensive pass interference call moved them back to a third and 14 at the 38. Abraham forced a bad thro and the Falcons got the ball back on their ten after an illegal block in the back call on Thomas Decoud. They could not recover from the penalty and had to punt, giving Arizona the ball at their 38. Their offense was ineffective again with the punt giving Atlanta the ball on their 20.
   The Ryan-Jones connection would be done for this day game as it was announced that the wide receiver would be out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. Jones was questionable entering the game but got in for almost three quarters. The mysterious turnover bug hit Atlanta again in a terrible spot as Ryan was picked off for the fourth time by LB
Daryl Washington at the 16. But the defense continued to keep the mistake prone Falcons in the game by forcing a field goal as the third quarter came to an end to put Arizona up by 3.
   On a third and six, Ryan hit
Harry Douglas for 12 to the 36. But that's all they could get. Arizona would start their drive on their 14.
   It would be up to the defense hold. And it did, forcing a big three and out at the 23. The Falcons would take over on their own 30 with 9:44 left in the game.
   Douglas picked up 11 on a catch and run to the 41. It worked before, so Ryan hit Douglas again for 25 to the AC 33. Then another big 18 yard chunk to White at the 15. A handoff to Turner took them to the 10. Gonzalez gave them a first down on a third and five with a nine yard reception at the one. Turner sealed the deal to give Atlanta its first lead of the game 23-19 with 6:40 to go.
   The crowd chanted for the defense to muscle up one more time. Abraham listened with his second sack of the game forcing a punt on 4th and 19 from the 14. Franks gave them the ball at their 36 with 5:01 to go. It was time for the offense to expand its four poit lead. A touchdown would make it 11, a field goal would be 8. But, another goal was to eat up the rest of the clock so four would be enough.
   That didn't happen as Ryan bounced another up in the air to give Arizona its fifth interception and the ball at the AF 32. The defense would be called on yet again to keep them from the end zone. The chants roared through the crowd with a crucial third and two at the 24. Stephens-Hollings had no more magic in his legs as he was run out of bounds. The Cardinals went for it on 4th and 2. Atlanta took its first time out to reset. It did. An incomplete pass gave Atlanta the ball back on the 24 with 3:06 remaining.
   On a third and two at the 32, Arizona had to use its final time out. If Atlanta could get a first down, the game would be over. Rodgers, becoming the master of late game third down conversions, did the trick taking it to the 38 at the two minute warning.
   The Falcons had found still another way to win a game, have Ryan throw five interceptions, then stifle the opponent's offense so they have to settle for four field goals. The 9-1 Falcons will have to fix whatever it was that caused the offensive jitters as they get into the NFC South with three straight games against Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Carolina coming up.

 

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