NFC South: 2011 Week 4 Wrap-ups
Thoughts on the Atlanta Falcons' 30-28 victory against the Seattle Seahawks:
What it means: The Falcons still have plenty of problems, but they at least bought some time to fix them. Barely. Seattle missed a 61-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds. Had the Seahawks scored, Atlanta’s season would have been over. That might sound like an exaggeration four games into a season, but it’s not. The Falcons came dangerously close to squandering a 24-7 half-time lead. They almost got embarrassed by … Tarvaris Jackson. Yes, that Tarvaris Jackson. Instead, they’re 2-2 with all sorts of questions and with the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town next week.
What I liked: The way the Falcons played in the first half. It was pretty much the way everyone expected the Falcons to play back at the start of the season when they were being mentioned as Super Bowl contenders. They came out early, mixing the run and the pass (including a few of those elusive “explosive plays’’), protecting Matt Ryan, and moving the ball at will. On defense, they held Seattle to five rushing yards and five first downs.
What I didn’t like: The entire second half. The Falcons did virtually nothing right. The defense suddenly had no answers for Jackson and there is absolutely no excuse for that. There was a touchdown pass to Mike Williams where the Atlanta defense simply didn’t cover the Seattle receiver. Guard Garrett Reynolds had a false-start at a critical time. Roddy White, who has become a drop machine this year, had a crucial drop on a second-and-2 and the Falcons, once again, shied away from Michael Turner and the running game.
The interception helpers: Atlanta did intercept Jackson twice and both of those came on well-thrown balls where a Falcons’ defender made a big hit to knock the ball loose and put it up for grabs. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon created linebacker Curtis Lofton's first-half interception. Safety James Sanders did the same thing for Thomas DeCoud early in the third quarter before the Seahawks really got rolling. In hindsight, without the play by Sanders and DeCoud, the Falcons probably would have lost.
What’s next: The Falcons host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.
What it means: The Falcons still have plenty of problems, but they at least bought some time to fix them. Barely. Seattle missed a 61-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds. Had the Seahawks scored, Atlanta’s season would have been over. That might sound like an exaggeration four games into a season, but it’s not. The Falcons came dangerously close to squandering a 24-7 half-time lead. They almost got embarrassed by … Tarvaris Jackson. Yes, that Tarvaris Jackson. Instead, they’re 2-2 with all sorts of questions and with the defending Super Bowl champions coming to town next week.
What I liked: The way the Falcons played in the first half. It was pretty much the way everyone expected the Falcons to play back at the start of the season when they were being mentioned as Super Bowl contenders. They came out early, mixing the run and the pass (including a few of those elusive “explosive plays’’), protecting Matt Ryan, and moving the ball at will. On defense, they held Seattle to five rushing yards and five first downs.
What I didn’t like: The entire second half. The Falcons did virtually nothing right. The defense suddenly had no answers for Jackson and there is absolutely no excuse for that. There was a touchdown pass to Mike Williams where the Atlanta defense simply didn’t cover the Seattle receiver. Guard Garrett Reynolds had a false-start at a critical time. Roddy White, who has become a drop machine this year, had a crucial drop on a second-and-2 and the Falcons, once again, shied away from Michael Turner and the running game.
The interception helpers: Atlanta did intercept Jackson twice and both of those came on well-thrown balls where a Falcons’ defender made a big hit to knock the ball loose and put it up for grabs. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon created linebacker Curtis Lofton's first-half interception. Safety James Sanders did the same thing for Thomas DeCoud early in the third quarter before the Seahawks really got rolling. In hindsight, without the play by Sanders and DeCoud, the Falcons probably would have lost.
What’s next: The Falcons host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday night at the Georgia Dome.
Thoughts on New Orleans’ 23-10 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars:
What it means: The bottom line is the Saints are 3-1 and in first place in the NFC South. They could have sole possession of first place if Tampa Bay loses Monday night. That’s all you really can ask for in the first quarter of the season. This wasn’t a particularly impressive or dominating performance by the Saints. The Jaguars, who are by no means a good team and were starting rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, were very much in the game in the first half. But the Saints did what they had to do and got a road win as they began a stretch of three straight games on the road.
What I liked: The running game. On a day when Drew Brees wasn’t putting up huge numbers, the Saints ran the ball very well. The three-headed backfield of Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas was effective. All three runners made plays at different times.
The Sproles factor: Four games into the season, I think we can officially say Sproles is a huge upgrade over Reggie Bush. The guy makes plays every game. Bush only made them here and there and often was injured.
What I didn’t like: The Saints, who usually have no problem lighting up the scoreboard, weren’t able to punch the ball into the end zone as much as they should have. They had to settle for field goals too often. You can do that against the Jaguars. But there could be problems if that happens against a good team.
Rising stars: The draft class of 2010 really is starting to show through. Tight end Jimmy Graham had another big game. How long until he’s in a Pro Bowl? My guess is February. Cornerback Patrick Robinson had a nice interception. Tracy Porter has been out with an injury and may not have a starting job when he comes back.
What’s next: The Saints travel to Carolina next Sunday to play the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
What it means: The bottom line is the Saints are 3-1 and in first place in the NFC South. They could have sole possession of first place if Tampa Bay loses Monday night. That’s all you really can ask for in the first quarter of the season. This wasn’t a particularly impressive or dominating performance by the Saints. The Jaguars, who are by no means a good team and were starting rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, were very much in the game in the first half. But the Saints did what they had to do and got a road win as they began a stretch of three straight games on the road.
What I liked: The running game. On a day when Drew Brees wasn’t putting up huge numbers, the Saints ran the ball very well. The three-headed backfield of Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas was effective. All three runners made plays at different times.
The Sproles factor: Four games into the season, I think we can officially say Sproles is a huge upgrade over Reggie Bush. The guy makes plays every game. Bush only made them here and there and often was injured.
What I didn’t like: The Saints, who usually have no problem lighting up the scoreboard, weren’t able to punch the ball into the end zone as much as they should have. They had to settle for field goals too often. You can do that against the Jaguars. But there could be problems if that happens against a good team.
Rising stars: The draft class of 2010 really is starting to show through. Tight end Jimmy Graham had another big game. How long until he’s in a Pro Bowl? My guess is February. Cornerback Patrick Robinson had a nice interception. Tracy Porter has been out with an injury and may not have a starting job when he comes back.
What’s next: The Saints travel to Carolina next Sunday to play the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
Thoughts on Carolina’s 34-29 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field:
What it means: The Panthers lead the league in moral victories, but they’re 1-3. They went into a tough venue and kept the game close until the end. That’s nice and there’s lots of hope for the future. But the Panthers still have a little way to go before they can win games on the road against good teams. High-priced kicker Olindo Mare didn’t exactly help matters by missing a field-goal attempt and having another blocked.
What I liked: The Panthers got DeAngelo Williams in rhythm in the running game for the first time this season. I know fans have been calling for Jonathan Stewart to start ahead of Williams and get the vast majority of the carries. Stewart’s a very good running back, but I honestly believe Williams is better. He’s more dynamic. Other than Steve Smith, he’s the most explosive player on this roster.
Cam’s calm: The most encouraging thing about the Panthers is rookie quarterback Cam Newton. This guy kept Carolina in the game and he bounced back nicely after throwing an early interception that was returned for a touchdown. His demeanor was impressive and you can’t say the same for counterpart Jay Cutler. The Chicago quarterback was making faces at teammates and freaking out at every sign of trouble.
What I didn’t like: Ron Rivera knows the Bears pretty well. He should have known better than to ever punt or kick the ball anywhere near Devin Hester.
What else I didn’t like: The Panthers couldn’t stop the run. Then again, that’s not at all surprising. They haven’t done that for a few years, and that probably isn’t going to change anytime soon with linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis out for the season.
Mr. Consistency: Carolina’s Charles Johnson has a sack in all four games this season. He had a six-game streak last season. This guy has done a nice job of filling the shoes of Julius Peppers. Johnson doesn’t take over a game the way Peppers sometimes did. But he also doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time, the way Peppers often did. Carolina has tried repeatedly to address the defensive tackle position. Nothing’s worked. This team has to go out and find a stud defensive tackle in free agency or the draft next year.
What’s next: The Panthers host the Saints next Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
What it means: The Panthers lead the league in moral victories, but they’re 1-3. They went into a tough venue and kept the game close until the end. That’s nice and there’s lots of hope for the future. But the Panthers still have a little way to go before they can win games on the road against good teams. High-priced kicker Olindo Mare didn’t exactly help matters by missing a field-goal attempt and having another blocked.
What I liked: The Panthers got DeAngelo Williams in rhythm in the running game for the first time this season. I know fans have been calling for Jonathan Stewart to start ahead of Williams and get the vast majority of the carries. Stewart’s a very good running back, but I honestly believe Williams is better. He’s more dynamic. Other than Steve Smith, he’s the most explosive player on this roster.
Cam’s calm: The most encouraging thing about the Panthers is rookie quarterback Cam Newton. This guy kept Carolina in the game and he bounced back nicely after throwing an early interception that was returned for a touchdown. His demeanor was impressive and you can’t say the same for counterpart Jay Cutler. The Chicago quarterback was making faces at teammates and freaking out at every sign of trouble.
What I didn’t like: Ron Rivera knows the Bears pretty well. He should have known better than to ever punt or kick the ball anywhere near Devin Hester.
What else I didn’t like: The Panthers couldn’t stop the run. Then again, that’s not at all surprising. They haven’t done that for a few years, and that probably isn’t going to change anytime soon with linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis out for the season.
Mr. Consistency: Carolina’s Charles Johnson has a sack in all four games this season. He had a six-game streak last season. This guy has done a nice job of filling the shoes of Julius Peppers. Johnson doesn’t take over a game the way Peppers sometimes did. But he also doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time, the way Peppers often did. Carolina has tried repeatedly to address the defensive tackle position. Nothing’s worked. This team has to go out and find a stud defensive tackle in free agency or the draft next year.
What’s next: The Panthers host the Saints next Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Pat Yasinskas
Yasinskas joined ESPN.com in January 2008 after covering the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer for nine seasons. He began his journalism career with The Tampa Tribune in 1990.
