By Scott Garbarini Nov 14, 2006, 22:45 GMT
- In a span of two short weeks, the Atlanta Falcons' 2006 season has quickly gone from potentially great to potentially depressing.
After closing out October with back-to-back stirring victories over Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, Atlanta sat at 5-2 and was looking more and more like the team to beat in the NFC South, not to mention a serious contender for the conference crown. All that momentum has been washed away, however, after the team's second consecutive loss to a seemingly inferior opponent.
The Falcons' latest disheartening setback was a 17-13 loss to the 2-6 Cleveland Browns Sunday at the Georgia Dome, a defeat which bore striking similarities to Atlanta's 30-14 defeat at lowly Detroit the previous week.
Just like the Detroit game, quarterback Michael Vick committed three extremely costly turnovers and the Falcons were once again hurt by penalties at the most critical of times.
Vick was intercepted twice on Sunday, one of which was converted into a Cleveland touchdown and the other came on a questionable 4th-and-1 call late in the third quarter. With Atlanta trailing 14-3, the strong-armed quarterback underthrew a deep pass for tight end Alge Crumpler, and Browns safety Brodney Pool came down with the floater just short of his own end zone.
The Falcons were able to close the gap, thanks to a good effort by their patchwork defense and a couple of big plays on special teams, and even looked poised to win after Vick found receiver Roddy White deep for a 55-yard gain which placed the ball at the Cleveland 17 with under three minutes to go.
Unfortunately, Atlanta would shoot itself in the foot once more. First, Vick's scramble which would have gave the Falcons a 1st-and-goal was nullified by a holding call on backup tight end Eric Beverly. Two plays later, the shifty signal-caller fumbled without being touched on a designed draw to kill any hopes of a comeback.
'This is disappointing. I could have done more,' said Vick, who completed just 16-of-40 passes for 197 yards. 'I take full responsibility on the offensive side of the ball. Maybe I could have made more plays.'
These latest two losses have now put Atlanta's once-solid playoff possibilities into a far riskier proposition, especially considering the team's upcoming schedule. The Falcons will play three of their next four on the road, starting with a tough matchup at Baltimore next Sunday. Their lone home game in that stretch is against NFC South leader New Orleans, a team which gave Atlanta a sound drubbing earlier this year.
'This is a humbling league,' remarked Falcons hed coach Jim Mora. 'Two weeks ago we were flying high. We'll get it fixed. We lost two in a row. We don't like that but it is what it is and we got to keep fighting on. That's what you do if you want to survive in this league and we intend on surviving.'
WOUNDED WINGS
The Falcons played without another defensive starter on Sunday when cornerback Jason Webster joined injured regulars John Abraham and Edgerton Hartwell on the sidelines. Webster tore a groin muscle in practice during the week and will miss at least a month of action.
Webster's ailment further weakens what was already depleted secondary for Atlanta. Nickel back Kevin Mathis suffered a season-ending neck injury in last week's loss to Detroit and rookie Jimmy Williams, who was initially slated to start in Webster's place, was held out because of a sprained ankle.
Allen Rossum wound up starting at right cornerback, and the diminutive veteran struggled at times matching up against Cleveland's bigger receivers. The Browns often lined up the 6-foot-5 Joe Jurevicius and 6-4 tight end Kellen Winslow opposite Rossum, who stands only 5-foot-8. Winslow had two long receptions when placed out wide, and finished with 90 yards on five catches.
Rossum did have an outstanding day returning punts, however. The ninth-year pro averaged 10.2 yards on six runbacks, including a 37-yarder in the third quarter that set up an Atlanta touchdown.
The Falcons received another huge blow on defense when right end Patrick Kerney was forced out of Sunday's game in the second quarter due to a pectoral injury. The news got even worse on Monday, when it was revealed that the pass- rush artist's chest muscle is ruptured and would require season-ending surgery to repair.
Rookie Paul Carrington did a good job filling in for Kerney, compiling five tackles and a sack which caused a fumble. Still, Atlanta can ill-afford to be without the standout end, who leads the team with five sacks and is an invaluable emotional leader, especially since Abraham is still a few weeks away from returning from abdominal surgery.
Kerney has started the Falcons' last 105 games, a streak that goes back to his rookie season of 1999, and is the third-longest in franchise history.
MORE INJURY NEWS
Kynan Forney's lingering battle with a separated right shoulder prompted the Falcons to place their starting right guard on injured reserve prior to Sunday's game. With Forney and suspended left guard Matt Lehr out versus the Browns, Atlanta had trouble running the football despite going up against the NFL's 29th-ranked rushing defense. The Falcons will get Lehr, who is done serving his four-game penalty for violation of the league's substance abuse policy, back for this Sunday's showdown in Baltimore.
Promising rookie running back Jerious Norwood was also inactive for the Cleveland game because of a sprained knee suffered in the loss to the Lions. Marlion Jackson was signed off the practice squad earlier in the week and served as Warrick Dunn's backup against the Browns.
THE WHITE STUFF
White easily had the most productive game of his disappointing sophomore season on Sunday. The 2005 first-round draft choice, who had lost his starting job to Ashley Lelie, caught a career-best five passes for 99 yards. White's 55-yard connection with Vick late in the game was also a career high.
The UAB product entered the contest with just 13 catches for 121 yards this season and has still yet to score a touchdown. As a rookie, White had 29 receptions for 446 yards and three scores.
NEXT UP
Atlanta will close out the interconference portion of its schedule next Sunday, when the Falcons travel to Baltimore to take on the AFC North-leading Ravens. Brian Billick's club heads into the key matchup having won three in a row, and currently owns a comfortable three-game lead on Cincinnati for first place in the division.
The Ravens have built their impressive 7-2 record on the strength of a defense which ranks fifth in the NFL in both yards and points allowed.
Atlanta will play its first regular season game in Baltimore since November 30, 1969, when the Falcons dropped a 13-6 decision to the Colts. The franchise has met the Ravens twice previously, with both meetings taking place at the Georgia Dome.
The teams also played a memorable preseason game on Aug. 16, 2003 at the Georgia Dome, with Vick suffering a broken fibula on a hit from Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas that sidelined him for the first 11 games of the 2003 season.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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