Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Indepth NFL Review

Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Indepth nfl vs cowboys 2015Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Indepth nfl vs cowboys 2015

Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Indepth nfl vs cowboys 2015Atlanta Falcons Week 3 Indepth nfl vs cowboys 2015Comprehensive Weekly Atlanta Falcons Recap

Atlanta Falcons 39   Dallas Cowboys 28

I had to make sure Troy Aikman was in the booth and not wearing #3 for Dallas. Brandon Weeden came out like a champ as he filled in for the injured Tony Romo. He completed his first nine passes with his Aikman impression, putting Atlanta on the ropes early. It certainly helped the backup that his running game was gashing the Falcons for big chunks on each and every play.

Dallas opened up the game with a long drive that took just over a minute behind the rushing of Joseph Randle. 7-0 before fans got seated good

The Boys added another score to make it 14 nothing early in this one.

It was setting up to be a long ass day for me and the Falcons. They were fortunate to get on the board in the first quarter after Matt Ryan kept tossing bad balls in the direction of Cowboy defenders. Atlanta eventually found the end zone and kept it close at 14-7.

I had a feeling they would need to score on each and every possession if they were going to keep pace with the Cowboys who were running at will on the supposedly improved Atlanta defense. The ATL had not had to deal with an O-line like the one Dallas brought to the table however.

Weeden kept putting the ball in the hands of his backs and Dallas once again scored to make it 21-7 with a McFadden TD.

Willie Moe gave the Birds some hope with a pick of Weeden in Dallas territory to set up Ryan and co. Finally on third and goal, Devonta Freeman stuck it it for six. Freeman had the best first half of his young career as he was the lone workhorse left in the backfield with Coleman hurt last week.

Without William Moore’s pick, this game may have been over at the half. Instead it was 21-14 after Freeman’s score.

Dallas continued imposing their will with their massive offensive line and short passes by Weeden. They added another TD before halftime to go up 28-14 with Randle taking it in for another six points.

Atlanta needed just 40 seconds to drive downfield and get a FG right before the half. Freeman’s run after a short pass set up Bryant to make it 28-17 Cowboys at the break.

Dallas fans should have really soaked in the glory of that first half. Maybe Dan Quinn ran a highlight reel of Zig Ziglar during halftime, or told his team how their kids would be going to public school if they kept playing like garbage. Whatever the Falcons’ coach told his guys, it worked.

Atlanta would shutout the Dallas offense the entire second half. Not even a field goal!

Julio Jones got stronger as the game went on, scoring on a 45 yard catch to close in at 28-25 with the two point conversion.

The Falcons defense held Dallas on the next series despite the home team getting a first down on a penalty. Once the Falcons had the ball back they marched down the field with the o-line opening up huge holes for Freeman, ending the drive with a go ahead TD. Birds up 32-28.

In years past we Falcons fans would have fully expected the ATL to let Dallas comeback, journeyman QB and all, to rip our hearts right out. This 2015 version looks to be a different animal though under the leadership of Dan Quinn.

Atlanta marched down the field with a six minute drive that finished off the Boys with Julio Jones providing the final coffin nail with a short TD catch. 39-28, Falcons win, thanks for coming.

Game Highlights:



3 Things:

  • Devonta Freeman proved he belongs in the NFL. Maybe this is an aberration, but he powered his way to a career day. He was seeking contact as the game wore on, making Dallas defenders cry uncle eventually. He still does not seem quick enough on cuts, but he got the job done today with the opportunity to carry the load at running back.
  • Forcing the ball to Julio Jones is fine by me. He had a slow start, but the Falcons kept targeting him (20 times). He finished the game with 12 catches for 164 big yards and two key scores.
  • This Falcons defense has that stinging feeling in the back of their necks. Yep it’s pride. Most defenses would have folded after getting bullied for the entire first half. This crew came out in the second half to shut down the Cowboys offense completely.

Lowlight of Game: Atlanta’s defense giving up 20 first downs on Dallas’ first 30 plays.

Pleasant surprise: Duh, Devonta Freeman. 3 TDs and 141 yards.

Tweets of the Game:

Happy birthday Mr. Blank:

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but….

That’s how you finish a game off

Keep lying to yourself Jerry. Weeden only connected to one wide receiver in this game despite his shiny numbers.

I saw a tip on getting Freeman as a value fantasy pick…along with 20 other guys. What to do?