Atlanta Falcons: 5 Things We Learned From Their Win Over Baltimore
The Atlanta Falcons' 26-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens gave us plenty to talk about.
It was a hard fought game that came down to a last-minute drive and surely made all those overlooking Atlanta aware of how good they are.
The Falcons showed resiliency and determination; things lacking from the franchise for most of its history.
Here are five things the game taught us about this team.
1. They Are The Best Team In The NFC
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Much has been made of the AFC's dominance over the NFC this year.
Well, the Falcons just took down a team considered by many to be the best in the AFC, and possibly the entire league.
The Ravens were the preseason Super Bowl pick of many experts, but Atlanta went 80 yards in 45 seconds to beat them on Thursday.
The New York Giants have been named repeatedly as the NFC's best team, but they are just 1-2 against AFC teams.
Atlanta, on the other hand, is 3-1 against the other conference, its only loss coming at Pittsburgh in overtime.
They would love another shot at the Steelers in February.
2. Matt Ryan Truly Has Ice Water In His Veins
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Against the vaunted Baltimore defense, Ryan showed no fear in going right at them all game.
Atlanta went no-huddle for the most part, with the third-year pro making adjustments at the line of scrimmage on just about every play.
He overcame at least four huge drops from his receivers and found a way to win the game.
He is absolutely unflappable and it is hard to believe he is so young.
It's obvious that Atlanta has finally found its franchise quarterback, and Ryan appears destined for greatness.
3. Roddy White Is The Best Receiver Alive
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If a receiver is ever going to win an MVP award, White is the guy.
He shook off two fourth quarter drops to catch the game-winning score and is unstoppable right now.
Who would have though that Roddy would be this good after the slow start to his career?
White is on pace for 124 receptions, 1,660 yards and 12 touchdowns, although it would not be at all surprising to see him surpass those numbers.
No receiver is playing on his level right now.
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4. They No Longer Need to Rely Solely On Their Running Game
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The prevailing attitude toward the Falcons was that they would be as good as their running game allowed. If it was clicking they would have a shot to win, if not, hello loss column.
That notion was put to rest Thursday.
Atlanta threw the ball 50 times against the Ravens and Michael Turner had just 39 yards on 17 carries.
Coming into the season, you would not have found a single Falcon fan who would think that was the stat-line in a win.
If they can be that effective passing when the running game is working, the offense will be downright scary.
5. They Are Unbeatable at Home
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If ever there was a time to lose a home game, this was it.
It would have been easy for the team to fold after Baltimore took the lead with just over a minute left, but the team showed tremendous resolve in pulling out the win.
They now have just one loss at home with Ryan as their starting quarterback and are 5-0 at the Georgia Dome this season.
After the debacle that was the 2007 season, there was not a person on this planet who thought the Falcons would be where they are at this moment.
If this team can get home-field advantage in the playoffs, look out NFC.
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