At the start of the second half in the Atlanta Falcons' 45-28 win over the Carolina Panthers, Falcons head coach Mike Smith stated that he was pleased with his team's intensity and play.
Smith may have been putting it mildly.
The Atlanta fans in the Georgia Dome were ecstatic. After all, they'd just witnessed the home team lay it on the NFC South-leading, and division rival, Carolina Panthers.
The Falcons were up 17-3 at the half—a half which featured a first quarter of dominance that saw Atlanta hold the Panthers to zero yards of offense.
The first half was played nearly flawlessly for the Falcons. They got pressure on Jake Delhomme, which was an objective.
Defensive end Chauncey Davis brought the Panthers' quarterback to the ground once in the half, finishing the day with two sacks. Defensive end John Abraham's piercing sack ended a Carolina drive with less than two minutes to play before halftime.
The running game was effective, and quarterback Matt Ryan wasn't making any mistakes in the passing game, remaining efficient and patient.
The Falcons even got some contributions from some of the lesser-known names. Davis, as mentioned, finished with two sacks, but rookie wide receiver Harry Douglas stole the show.
After a disappointing first possession that saw Atlanta move the ball inside the five-yard line only to come away with a field goal, Douglas took a handoff around the right end to score from seven yards out.
But all good things come to an end, and surely no one, certainly not this Atlanta team, believed it would be so easy.
Carolina head coach John Fox said they had nowhere to go but up in the second half. When asked about the changes or adjustments they needed to make, he simply replied, "Everything."
Whatever Fox said in the locker room clearly resonated with his veteran team.
Five plays on offense and Carolina was down by a touchdown. Their second half-opening statement drive was heard loud and clear, and for a while this young Falcons team was as listless as its fans were quiet.
For the next quarter and a half, this game got very interesting.
With Carolina's momentum carrying them to within six points of the lead, Atlanta desperately needed an answer, wanting to keep their 6-0 record with a fourth quarter lead intact.
Ryan went to the trusted no-huddle, mixing passes to receivers Michael Jenkins and Douglas with the hefty running of Turner, and put together a 12 play, 80-yard, 5:30 drive that culminated with Turner's second rushing touchdown of the day.
Carolina responded by finding receiver Steve Smith within the gaps of Atlanta's zone coverage for completions of 47 and 15 yards. Delhomme scrambled in from 12 yards out for a touchdown, and a two-point conversion made the score 24-21.
On the following Atlanta drive, Douglas came up big again. On 3rd-and-11, Ryan completed a deep pass to the rookie, who was brought down at the six-yard line for a gain of 69 yards.
On 4th-and-1, in what would turn out to be a pivotal decision in the game, Coach Smith chose to chase the touchdown and not settle for the field goal, since a field goal would only provide a six-point cushion.
With potential playoff hopes hanging in the balance, Ryan called Turner's number on fourth down and he found his way, giving Atlanta a 10-point lead.
Smith said of the decision to go for it, "It was an easy decision in terms of having confidence in your football team. We had the ball down on the one-yard line and felt like we could punch it in. There was no other choice...I felt we could score a touchdown."
He was right, and suddenly, the Falcons had the momentum and Carolina on the ropes.
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