National Football League

Falcons review

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:16 a.m. ET

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The game that was

The Eagles figured the best way to defend the Falcons' rushing attack was to get a big lead. They jumped out to a 21-0 advantage and the Falcons could not rely on their No. 1 strength --- the power running game --- to make up such a wide margin. The Eagles had a beautiful plan for the Falcons' young, aggressive defense and played to Atlanta's tendency to over-pursue. With reverses, bootlegs and an assortment of screen passes, Philadelphia kept the Falcons off-balance before finally throwing deep off a fake end-around for an 83-yard touchdown pass at 6:11 in the third quarter that Falcons coach Mike Smith called a "back breaker."

What we learned

1The defense has to find the ball before over-pursuing. Andy Reid lavishly praised the Falcons' defensive front last week and then crafted a plan to counter it. He knew he couldn't just wait around for John Abraham and company to blast away on quarterback Kevin Kolb all day. So he moved Kolb around on bootlegs and rolls-outs. A master of the screen game, Reid used several to supplement the Eagles' running game. He also used reverses to get the Falcons out of position.

2The offense must improve in the red zone. The defense regrouped after the initial Philadelphia scoring frenzy and set up the offense for a score right before the half to close the gap to 21-7. The defense then opened the second half with a stop, but instead of closing to within a touchdown, the offense had to settle for a field goal when the drive stalled at the Eagles 8. If they punch through for a touchdown, the Falcons might have been set up for another fantastic finish.

3The pass defense may not be as improved as originally thought. The Eagles' speed led to the explosive plays. The Falcons allowed eight plays of 20 yards or more from scrimmage and gave up a 44-yard punt return. The most damaging big play was the 83-yard pass that made it 28-10 in the third quarter. The Eagles also had gains of 34, 31, 24, 22, 22, 21 and 21 yards. Six of them came on pass plays, suggesting that the pass defense may not be completely fixed. With one interception, Atlanta still leads the NFL with 11.

Injury report

Cornerback Dunta Robinson (concussion) was injured when he made a big hit on Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson in the second quarter. He did not return and is under the league's concussion protocol. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon (right knee sprain) will not play this week against Cincinnati. Running back Antone Smith (left knee) was injured covering a punt in the first quarter and did not return.

Numbers game

The Falcons completed 23 passes, but only averaged a season-low 5.1 yards per completion as they rarely threw the ball downfield. The Eagles averaged 10.7 yards per completion, aided in large part by the 83-yard touchdown reception by Jeremy Maclin.

Sound bite

"You can't take it out. Me, personally, I'm going to play like that until I'm done. They can throw the flag every time. I just hope that both of them are all right."

--- Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson, on whether big hits like Robinson's on Jackson can be eliminated from the game

Loose ends

The Falcons play four of their next five games at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons are 15-3 under head coach Mike Smith at home. The Falcons are 0-2 when playing in Pennsylvania this season. Their losses are to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

What's next

The Falcons (4-2) will play the Cincinnati Bengals (2-3) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The defending AFC North champions are coming off a bye week.

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