Falcons Vs. Lions: A Huge Day for the Dirtiest of Birds

This was a huge win in a must-win situation for the Atlanta Falcons franchise. And one area in particular was a crucial turn around for the Dirty Birds.

Losing this game would put them in a continued rut of alternating wins and losses. But putting together back to back wins against the surging Lions was huge. Having back to back wins going into the bye week is crucial for momentum, and saved this season.

Having such a large number of players out on injury (Julio Jones and Sam Baker) or hurting in one way or another and being able to pull out a win says a lot about the intestinal fortitude of the Falcons players and coaching staff. Injuries during the game (a knee injury to Ovie Mughelli and a temporary one to Matt Ryan) could have really hurt this team, but other players stepped up and answered the call.

Third down was the area where the Falcons were successful. Not particularly on offense, but on defense. After being last in the league in stops on third down defensively all season long, the Birds were lights out. The Detroit Lions, with all the weapons they have were 1-of-12 on third down. That shows a massive turn around by this defense.

The area where the Falcons struggles most was in pass protection and generally passing the ball. Despite only giving up 2.5 sacks, there was a huge amount of pressure on Ryan all day. Even when there wasn’t pressure, Matt Ryan was not particularly sharp. The two interceptions was what hurt the very most. Those are silly stupid mistakes, and Ryan needs to stop making those immediately, lest this team suffer. However, there were just enough explosive run and pass plays to get us into the end zone or field goal range, and pull out the victory.

This was a huge victory for Atlanta, one that all Falcons fans should be proud of. We are flying high today.