Atlanta Falcons Week 1 Review

*I apologize about the late post

The Atlanta Falcons and their fans were on an emotional high after the first week of the NFL season, after dramatically beating the New Orleans Saints in overtime. Matt Bryant kicked a 51 yd field goal to send the game into overtime. Then after Marques Colston fumbled the ball in overtime, Matt Bryant booted a 52 yd field goal that split the uprights, and ended the game.

First Week 1. Week 1 was a true shootout against the Saints. And we were ready for it. The offense was clicking on every single level you could think of. Matt Ryan threw for 446 yards, he threw the ball to a total of six receivers, four of which had at least five receptions. Antone Smith, Devin Hester, Julio Jones, Roddy White, Levine Toilolo, and Steven Jackson all caught passes from Matt Ryan. Not to mention offensive coordinator Mike Nolan spread the running game between running backs. All in all it was an excellent offensive showing from the Falcons in Week 1.

Next the defense in Week 1. The defense impressed me in a lot of ways, yet also gave me some things to worry about. First the good news. The defenses ability to bend but not break was quite impressive. for example the Saints would drive 65 yards down the field, and would have a 1st and 10 from the 15 yard line. Most defenses would just fold and allow the touchdown. However the Falcons defense made a stand and prevented the Saints from scoring touchdowns (at least in the first quarter.) Something else that was very encouraging was the fact that the Falcons were covering the deep ball very well. Whenever Drew Brees gave you a pretentious feeling when he stepped up in the pocket and launched one, Robert Alford, or Desmond Trufant was there for the rescue. And finally the last good thing the Falcons defense showed me: they won the turnover battle. The Saints are 36-1 under Sean Peyton when they are even or win the turnover battle.The Falcons made sure that they didn't have to deal with that, as they intercepted an Drew Brees pass, and forced a fumble by Marques Colston.

Now the concerning part. You know how I mentioned that their defense bent but didn't break. Ya, that was over after the second quarter. The Falcons allowed two touchdowns in the second quarter. The only thing that saved us was the offense. The last thing that concerned me was their run defense. They allowed quite a bit of rushing yards to a New Orleans Saints offense that consisted of Mark Ingram, and Pierre Thomas. Other than that the Falcons defense impressed me quite a bit.

The Falcons had a great Week 1 on both sides of the ball. Let's hope they can keep it up in the coming weeks.

*Keep an eye out for my next post about Week 2 and Week 3.