Falcons Ram Rams in 34-17 Win

The Atlanta Falcons went on the road to St. Louis to face a Rams team that was 4-1 at with the number one rushing defense in the NFL, and grinded out a 34-17 win, with a combination of running back Michael Turner’s radical rushing (131/yds 1 TD 4.7ypc), and quarterback Matt Ryan’s efficient passing (26-39 253 2 TDs).Although the defense was without their best pass rusher, defensive end John Abraham and his team leading eight sacks, they were still able to overcome a good game by rookie quarterback Sam Bradford (27-42 233 2 TDs), while holding star running back, Steven Jackson, to 54 yards on 11 carries (4.9ypc) and holding the Rams as a team to 71 yards total on the ground.

Bradford set an NFL record for rookies, when he recorded his 169th consecutive pass attempt without an interception, although he did throw an interception to safety William Moore on a failed shuffle pass late in the game.

The Falcons did not cruise to victory by any means. The Falcons were down 7-3 at the end of the first quarter, after Bradford connected with tight end Michael Hoomanawanui for a 25 yard touchdown pass. The Falcons settled for a 42 yard field goal by Matt Bryant.

The Rams moved the ball well in the first quarter, to the tune of six first downs; however they only had nine in the other three quarters combined. The Falcons took a 16-10 lead into the half after a 12 yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Brian Finneran, and two more field goals from Bryant.

The Falcons who played most of the day in the “muddle huddle” a no huddle attack similar to the Colts, where there offense lines up immediately on the ball, but doesn’t necessarily operate with a hurried tempo, started the second half huddling. However after several stalled drives, combined with the Rams taking a 17-16 lead on a 13 yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Brandon Gibson, the Falcons abandoned the huddle.

The Falcons took the lead for good on a two yard play action pass to back up tight end Justin Peele. After another field goal the Falcons’ nine point lead was looking precarious when Moore made the play of the day when he picked of Bradford’s shuffle pass on the Falcons’ one yard line and returned it 12 yards.

“I wish it would have gone 98 [yards],” Moore said.

The game was sealed when Turner broke out for a 39 yard touchdown scamper with 29 seconds left in the game.

The Falcons “muddle huddle” offensive attack proved too much for the home team. The Falcons were able to run 16 more plays than their counterparts (70-54), and held the ball for almost 36 minutes.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.