Monday Football Afterword: 49ers vs Falcons

Though he was called for offensive pass interference on this catch,
Michael Crabtree had a great game for the 49ers in Monday night's win.

Cory Puffett

Navorro Bowman shut down Candlestick Park in style with a game-winning, playoff-clinching 89-yard pick-6 with 1:10 left in the game.

The San Francisco 49ers will open up a new stadium next year, but they closed this one with a victory over the Atlanta Falcons to clinch a playoff spot and stay in the running for home field advantage.

Colin Kaepernick and the offense struggled to do anything in the first half and trailed 10-3 at the half. Something clicked in the second half though as they went 83 yards on six plays to score on their opening drive of the second half. Phil Dawson added a field goal late in the third quarter to give his team a 13-10 lead over the Falcons entering the final quarter.

The floodgates opened after that and the two teams combined for 35 points in the final fifteen minutes.

Matt Ryan had a fantastic game for Atlanta. He completed 37 of 48 passes for 348 yards and two touchdowns. His first interception was Bowman’s pick-6, which was bobbled by Harry Douglas. The second came on a last-second Hail Mary that really didn’t need to be run and shouldn’t count against him in terms of how Ryan played on Monday.

Roddy White helped keep Atlanta in the game, grabbing 12 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez also had a touchdown catch in the final Monday night game of his career.

San Francisco did a lot of running. Frank Gore fell just shy of 100 yards and Kaepernick and Kendall Hunter each added 51 yards. The team totaled 199 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

Atlanta recovered a perfect onside kick late in the game, and San Francisco’s defense bent but did not break.

The 49ers’ win locks up a playoff spot and they could still clinch home field advantage next week. Meanwhile, it puts Arizona in a tough spot next week. The Cardinals will have to beat San Francisco and have the Saints lose at home to Tampa Bay to enter the playoffs. If Arizona and New Orleans both win, the Cardinals will be 11-5 and miss the playoffs.

Atlanta hosts Carolina next week and if they can win, and St. Louis manages to knock off Seattle, they could help San Francisco into the NFC #1 seed.

Final Score:

Atlanta Falcons – 24

San Francisco 49ers – 34

Sunday Football Afterword: Falcons vs Redskins

Pierre Garçon had one of his best games as a Redskin,
catching 7 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets.

Cory Puffett

Washington came within a failed 2-pt conversion of victory in Atlanta on Sunday despite a -5 turnover differential. Robert Griffin III was deactivated earlier in the week for the remainder of the season and Kirk Cousins got his first start of the year and played a very good game.

Cousins did throw two interceptions, but neither was on a bad decision, just slightly inaccurate passes where he didn’t lead his receivers by quite enough. But he also threw three touchdowns and showed great field vision and nearly flawless mechanics.

Alfred Morris ran the ball well, picking up 98 yards on 18 carries. But he also lost two fumbles. Cousins lost a fumble and Santana Moss lost two for a total of seven turnovers by the Redskins.

Yet Atlanta failed to pull away. They led 14-0 late in the first quarter but trailed 20-17 at halftime.

Neither team was able to sustain drives in the second half, though Atlanta did have one scoring opportunity that ended with a failed 4^th & goal attempt from less than a foot outside the end zone.

Neither team is playing for much more than draft picks at this point. But for the Redskins, they certainly gave their fans back home a good game. Analysts may second-guess Washington’s decision to go for two instead of tying the game at the end, but at this point in the season, when the outcome doesn’t change much for your team, why make the game longer than it has to be? I liked the decision, even knowing that the try failed.

Kirk Cousins will start for the Redskins again Dallas next week and again the Giants in Week 17. If he continues to do well he could be traded for a high draft pick this offseason. Of course, the option certainly remains that he could be kept as a backup for RGIII or maybe even given the chance to compete for the starting job next year. After Sunday’s game, a lot of Redskins fans would not be opposed to him getting a fair shot.

Final Score:

Washington Redskins – 26

Atlanta Falcons – 27

Thursday Football Afterword: Falcons vs Saints

Akeim Hicks (sacking Ryan) and John Jenkins were a big part of a defensive
line that was in Matt Ryan's face for the better part of Thursday night.

Cory Puffett

A game of inconsistency on both sides; that’s the best way I came up to explain this game in one statement.

There were plays when Atlanta’s defense played great. On other plays, it was just poor play calling or poor execution by the Saints’ offense.

New Orleans’ defense played pretty well for the most part, but it didn’t always feel that way, especially early in the game. The Falcons scored on each of their first three drives, combining for 31 plays, 190 yards and 13 points.

They almost scored again late in the fourth quarter, but in a rare case of successful icing, Sean Payton called a timeout before Matt Bryant made a 52-yard field goal. After the timeout, Bryant missed his kick wide left.

With the exception of that drive, the Saints played great defense after giving up those 13 points to Atlanta, putting a lot of pretty on Matt Ryan in the pocket and forcing a turnover on one promising Atlanta drive.

As for the Saints’ low score, it’s as I said above. It was a mix of some poor offensive plays by New Orleans and some great defensive plays by Atlanta, though rarely on the same play; if you follow that, kudos.

Despite both quarterbacks seeming to struggle at times, their stats don’t reflect it. Several of Drew Brees’s passes appeared to be nearly intercepted, but he completed 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Matt Ryan completed 30 of 39 passes for 297 yards. The only turnover of the day was a fumble by rookie Atlanta wide receiver Darius Johnson.

Jimmy Graham set a record for tight ends with his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season.

The Saints should have won by more, but the win improves their record to 9-2 and helps them to keep pace with the Seahawks, who are 10-1 and on their bye week. If they can take advantage of any possible slip-ups by Seattle, they could earn home field advantage. In fact, in a way they control their destiny since they play at Seattle next week on Monday Night Football. A win there would put the Saints in the driver's seat of the conference with just four games remaining.

Final Score:

New Orleans Saints – 17

Atlanta Falcons – 13

Sunday Football Afterword: Falcons vs Buccaneers

Harry Douglas helped Atlanta end their 3-game losing streak. He had 7 receptions
for 149 yards and a score with Julio Jones and Roddy White both inactive.

Saswat Misra

In yet another mistake filled game by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons outlasted Tampa Bay 31-23.

Matt Ryan and company were able to get it done against a tough Tampa bay defense that is still very much undisciplined. With both Julio Jones and Roddy White out, Jacquizz Rodgers and Harry Douglas stepped up big time as the Falcons took an early 24-7 lead.

The Bucs did make it a game in the third quarter but the Atlanta offense was too much.

This was an encouraging win for Atlanta as they were able to find other playmakers on offense. This bodes well for them, as Jones is out for the season and White may not be back for a while. Matt Ryan was very good and there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of problems on defense.

At 2-4, the Falcons still have a lot of work to do, butt this was a good “get back on track” win for them.

For Tampa Bay, penalties are still a major issue and will continue to hurt them if they can’t fix this problem.

Despite the loss, I liked what I saw from Mike Glennon. He kept his composure for the entire game and made some good throws when his offensive line gave him time to throw the football. Vincent Jackson was superb the entire game as he carried the offense. Doug Martin left the game in the third quarter with an apparent arm injury and his status is unknown.

Final Score:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 23

Atlanta Falcons – 31

Sunday Football Afterword: Falcons vs Patriots

New England's young receiver corps of Boyce, Dobson, Edelman (11)
and Thompkins (not pictured) are improving drastically every game.
With Gronk and Amendola due back soon, the Patriots are in a good spot.

Cory Puffett

The final score of this was not what most of America expected, especially New England’s score in the Georgia Dome. No disrespect intended to the Patriots, but the Falcons aren’t a team that gets beat at home very often. It is only the eighth time Matt Ryan has lost in the Georgia Dome during the regular season.

Tony Gonzalez had a big game for Atlanta, catching almost every ball thrown his way and scoring twice. But the Patriots were willing to let him get his while shutting down the rest of Atlanta’s receiving corps, and they did just that.

The Falcons are a depleted offense, but it was still easily the best offense the Patriots have faced to this point in 2013, and they handled them quite well. The final score was closer than the game was due to some garbage time points and a recovered onside kick leading to even more garbage time points for Atlanta. It should be interesting to see how they do in Cincinnati next week against an offense that really struggled against the Browns on Sunday.

Atlanta is in serious trouble now. They were one of only two teams to be unanimously voted as division winners by ESPN experts and yet they will be three games behind the Saints if New Orleans beats the Dolphins on Monday Night Football, and only four games into the season no less.

Atlanta’s offense is hurting and this might be the worst Atlanta defense since Matt Ryan has been with them. The Falcons are already in serious trouble, but the NFC is looking as bad as it’s ever been. 8-8 could get the first wild-card spot at this rate, so it isn’t time to panic yet. Still, Matt Ryan has struggled in big spots, not just making bad passes but bad decisions, too. That will have to change if he wants a chance to compete for career playoff win number two.

Final Score:

New England Patriots – 30

Atlanta Falcons – 23

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Sunday Football Afterword: Saints vs Falcons

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was under duress all afternoon
against a revamped Saints defense led by Rob Ryan.

Eric Meyer

Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints returned with a bang with a great win over the reigning division champion Falcons.  The outcome wasn’t a shock to most, but the big surprise was that the Saints won the game on the backs of their defense instead of their vaunted offense.  New Orleans, under new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, managed to get three sacks on quarterback Matt Ryan and came up with a goal line stand in the last minute of the game to seal the win.

Atlanta came out firing in the first quarter, scoring a touchdown on their second drive and opening with a 10-0 lead.  The Saints answered with a field goal of their own, and then made a game changing play when they forced a fumble on promising wide receiver Julio Jones.  The subsequent drive ended with a Brees touchdown pass to Marques Colston, and the Saints added an additional field goal to go into halftime with a 13-10 lead.

The Falcons and Saints each exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, when the Saints’ typically dominant offense began to show some cobwebs.  Drew Brees was late on throws all day and clearly wasn’t as sharp as we are used to seeing, missing several deep routes and throwing an interception to give the Falcons great field position and an opportunity to turn the game on its head.  But the Saints’ defense did the unthinkable, and stiffened once again to force a punt, and they kept the Falcons off the board for the remainder of the game to seal a satisfying win against their bitter rivals.

Atlanta showed some promise of their own, with big games from Harry Douglas and newly acquired running back Steven Jackson.  Unfortunately, some of the concern about their offensive line proved to be warranted, as Matt Ryan was under pressure all afternoon.  Still, you can expect the Falcons to be in the playoff hunt all season.

The Saints’ first win was as promising as a Week 1 victory can get.  While the offense wasn’t as sharp as usual, one has to expect that they will find their rhythm and be a juggernaut once again this season, especially with Sean Payton resuming his play-calling duties.  The concern, as always with the Saints, is their defense, but if they can consistently perform as they did on Sunday, you can expect to see this team right in the Super Bowl mix come January.

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2013-14 Postseason Picks, Part III: NFC Playoff Picks

I published my AFC playoff picks a little earlier today, so let’s get to the league’s other conference.

NFC Postseason

1.            New Orleans Saints (13-3) – NFC South Champion, Home Field Advantage

The Saints are back, and they will be running neck-and-neck with Atlanta through the majority of the season before pulling ahead in the final weeks of the regular season. As bad as their defense was last year, I have a lot of respect in Rob Ryan and am confident he can transform their defense into a more reliable unit that will allow their offense to do their thing.

2.            San Francisco 49ers (13-3) – NFC West Champion, 1st Round Bye

The 49ers will be in the same sort of battle with Seattle as the Saints will be with Atlanta. But a couple tough road matches for Seattle will allow San Francisco to clinch the West, and a home win against the Packers will hold off Green Bay to clinch the first round bye.

3.            Green Bay Packers (13-3) – NFC North Champion

The Packers are too talented a team for me to predict fewer wins for them. That said, they struggled in the early part of last season, and they also had to deal with replacement officials who cost them a game last year. But it’s a new year and they will look to keep their defense healthy for once so they can dominate the division.

4.            New York Giants (9-7) – NFC East Champion

If I hadn’t gone through all 256 games and predicted winners for them, I would’ve thrown the Redskins in as the NFC East winner, but I think a slightly better division record will give the Giants a slight advantage over the Redskins and Cowboys and will give New York their shot at truly hosting Super Bowl XLVIII.

5.            Atlanta Falcons (12-4) – 2nd Place NFC South, Wild Card

The Falcons are probably the best team in the NFC, but it isn’t by much and a more difficult road schedule than just about anyone else will cost them the division title. They will have to go on the road through the playoffs.

6.            Seattle Seahawks (12-4) – 2nd Place NFC West, Wild Card

The Seahawks always struggle on the road, and that docked them a win or two that they could have gotten at home. If they lose Percy Harvin to injury, I might take them down to 11 or even 10 wins. But they still have the best secondary in the NFC and a solid front seven to keep opposing ground attacks at bay.

Other Contenders

Despite my predictions of five teams with 12+ wins in the NFC, the rest of the conference has a little more parity than the AFC. In the East, both the Cowboys and Redskins are serious division title contenders.

The Bears are my top NFC North contender behind the Packers, but if Christian Ponder shows improvement over last season, Adrian Peterson will be able to help him make up for the loss of Percy Harvin and give the Vikings a chance at a playoff birth.

In the South, I could see the Panthers winning as many as nine games, but that will not be enough for a wild-card spot in this year’s NFC. As for the West, the Cardinals will be an infinitely better team with Carson Palmer under center, but only if the offensive line can keep him on his feet. My doubts about that were a big part of me only giving them six victories in 2013.

Preliminary Playoff Predictions

Though I correctly picked three of last season’s NFC playoff teams, my preseason predictions of how the road to the Super Bowl would unravel were not good at all in this conference. I’m back for another shot this year, so here it goes.

NFC Wild Card

Seattle Seahawks @ Green Bay Packers

The playoffs have not been kind to Green Bay lately, and Seattle will be out to prove that they can beat the Packers with the best refs the NFL has to offer.

Atlanta Falcons @ New York Giants

Matt Ryan will have his chance for revenge after Atlanta’s embarrassing 24-2 loss to New York in the 2011 playoffs.

NFC Divisional Playoffs

Seattle Seahawks @ New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton and his team missed participating in the playoffs last year. You better believe they won’t let this trip end so soon.

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

The Ravens’ defense manages to hold off Colin Kaepernick in Super Bowl XLVII, but the Falcons’ defense doesn’t have a chance.

NFC Championship Game

New Orleans Saints @ San Francisco 49ers

I wish I planned this from the beginning. Probably the best playoff game played during my lifetime was this matchup in 2011, which Alex Smith won with a sensational touchdown run and his hookup with Vernon Davis for the team’s third installment of The Catch. Colin Kaepernick will play the hero this time.

Super Bowl XLVIII

San Francisco 49ers vs Denver Broncos

The 49ers are the more complete team of the two; that much is certain in my mind. Any other year, I take the 49ers 10 times out of 10. Why not this year? The Broncos will be better prepared to handle the elements of MetLife Stadium. With two years of experience playing in the cold, Manning’s offense won’t be as sloppy as his Colts were in Super Bowl XLI.

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Tomorrow I plan to be watching the 2013 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and should be on Twitter through most of the event, so feel free to chat with me there, @cpuffnfl.

I will be back on here Monday with my reaction to this preseason’s inaugural game, between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, which begins at 8:00pm on NBC.

2013 Offseason Needs: NFC South

I began going through the NFL division-by-division last week, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. I have covered the bases in all four AFC divisions and half of the NFC, so today I move on to the NFC South.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Atlanta Falcons

Tony Gonzalez has been wavering in his resolution to retire this offseason. We know that if he returns, it won’t be any city other than Atlanta. The Falcons are being very patient with Gonzalez, but they can only do so much this offseason without knowing if they can count on him to return in 2013.

William Moore is another free agent the Falcons need back. Their secondary needs some work, but if they can hold on to Moore, that’s one less piece they have to add from outside the organization. There are also rumors that Atlanta is one of the teams looking at Darrelle Revis. If they can get him for the right price, and if he is healthy, Revis would be a huge addition to their secondary.

John Braham is gone, which means the secondary is not the only area of concern for Atlanta. The Falcons played much better against the run during the postseason than during the regular season in 2012, but Abraham was a big part of that improvement. Without him, they need a new pass rusher, someone strong enough to stop running backs, including the bruisers who seem to be making a comeback, and versatile enough to contain the increased number of mobile quarterbacks, including Cam Newton.

On offense, the only real concern to address is in the run game.

Carolina Panthers

A lot of analysts keep talking about how much less confident they are in the Panthers heading into 2013 than they were heading into this past season. Cam Newton went through some sophomore growing pains, but played pretty well down the stretch. If he puts in good work this offseason, I can see the Panthers really making an improvement on offense. They question will be whether they can compete with three other good teams in their division.

Carolina found itself a fantastic young middle linebacker to build their defense around in Luke Kuechly. The defensive line and secondary need some work though and it may be a multi-offseason job to get this team into playoff contention in such a competitive division.

Depth at receiver is also an area that needs major attention. Steve Smith has enjoyed a couple of breakout seasons with Newton in town, but he isn’t getting any younger. Even while Smith is still around, the Panthers don’t have a decent second option for Newton to look to.

New Orleans Saints

Sean Payton is back, and that’s the most important thing New Orleans needed for this offseason. Even if they were to do nothing else this offseason, that would be enough for a major improvement on purely a mental level.

Rob Ryan is in town, so the defense will hopefully see an improvement. It would be hard for it to get any worse, but I’ll try not to jinx it.

The defense needs an almost compete overhaul, especially if Will Smith and Jonathan Vilma don’t take the pay cuts they’ve been asked to take. On offense, New Orleans may want to add some depth to their line and have to make decisions about what to do with their running backs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After seeing him pull what I consider to be cheap shots against the Giants and Cowboys this season, to say I am not a fan of Greg Schiano would be the understatement of the year. Still, he is a hell of a coach and showed this year that he can handle the task of leading a professional team. The Buccaneers finished the season 1-5, but that is still better than the 0-10 finish they had in 2011. They also won three more games, and I see more improvement to come in 2013.

Josh Freeman returned to form and is likely going to be considered Tampa Bay’s franchise quarterback from here on. They also found themselves an incredibly talented running back in Doug Martin. Offensively, I can’t think of a time when Tampa Bay has looked better, even going back to the Tony Dungy/Jon Gruden era.

Defensively, Tampa Bay was the best in the NFL against the run in 2012, but their pass defense was atrocious and the Bucs will have to put a lot of work into their secondary to avoid a duplicate performance in 2013.

Tomorrow I will cover the NFC West’s offseason needs, team-by-team. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.