Falcons flying high

Published Nov. 22, 2010 4:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

By John Manasso
FOXSportsSouth.com
November 22, 2010

With Sunday's 34-17 win over St. Louis, the Falcons improved to 8-2, moving them into sole possession of the best record in the NFC. Here are five observations from the game and head coach Mike Smith's Monday news conference.

1. Time of Possession. The Falcons rank second in the NFL in time of possession at 33:34 and they used that advantage to perfection again on Sunday against the Rams, racking up a 35:55 to St. Louis' 24:05. Importantly, that meant they ran the ball 31 times and threw it 39 against a Rams defense that entered the game ranked first in the league in sacks. Conversely, St. Louis ran it only 12 times.

The Falcons helped themselves in time of possession by once again winning the turnover margin, as they intercepted St. Louis while failing to commit any turnovers themselves. The Falcons stand at plus-10, No. 2 in the NFL in turnover margin.