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What little black hair Falcons coach Mike Smith has left on his head -- which isn't much -- probably turned as gray as the rest during the first half of Atlanta's game at Carolina on Sunday."
And one can only imagine what his halftime speech was like. If only the walls had ears.
The Falcons trailed the Panthers 23-7 at the half, were completely outplayed and their season was on the line. They looked beaten when they walked to the tunnel./p>
So what happened in the second half? The Falcons outscored the Panthers 24-0, Matt Ryan got hotter than Smith probably was at halftime and the Falcons rallied for a 31-23 victory. Smith was later examined in a Charlotte hospital for what the Falcons are calling a "non-emergency matter."
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Can you say season saver?
If the playoffs started today -- I know you hate that, right? -- the Falcons would be the fifth seed. They have three games left, starting with Thursday night at home against Jacksonville, then at New Orleans and then at home against Tampa Bay. A 2-1 finish looks almost a certainty, and they always seem to play the Saints tough.
But if the Falcons had lost to the Panthers on Sunday, they would be in big trouble. At 8-5, they now have the same record as the Lions, one game ahead of the Bears in the wild-card race.
Ryan threw for 320 yards and a career-high four touchdown passes. In the second half, he threw for 232 yards and three of those scores, the last a 75-yard strike to Julio Jones for the final points and a 31-23 cushion.
The Falcons you saw in the second half on offense are the Falcons many expected to see when they traded up to draft Jones last spring. But he has been slowed by injuries, and the Falcons have a bit of an identity crisis on offense. Sometimes they get caught being who they were two years ago when Ryan was just a rookie, which is a run-first team with Michael Turner, and being an up-tempo team that is tailored to their talent.
Down 23-7 at the half, they had no choice but to turn to Ryan's right arm. He came through big.
Now it has to stay that way.
Turner is good to have with the lead. But running backs don’t win titles. Quarterbacks do.
Ryan showed a lot with his second-half play, and the Falcons have to know he is their ticket to anything big in the postseason if they do get there. They aren't going to have a chance against the Packers or Saints by playing ball-control.
It's Ryan's team now. Give him the ball.
The Falcons get an "A" here atop our CBSSports.com Weekly Grades for their comeback, and for saving their season.
| Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Cleveland Browns 3, Pittsburgh Steelers 14 |
 | B | 2.04 | Browns: The effort and intensity alone merited a higher grade and the defense -- outside of CB Sheldon Brown -- played arguably its finest game of the season. The offense moved the ball well and had two shots at scoring TDs, but blew both. Simply put, this team still doesn't know how to win. The offense reacts to the end zone like it's poisoned. -- Marty Gitlin, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.64 | Steelers: Two second-quarter Steelers fumbles inside the red zone changed the game's complexion. In turn, the defense was required to make two critical takeaways -- one in the end zone with three minutes remaining. True, the Steelers lost C Maurkice Pouncey, DE Ziggy Hood and, briefly, Ben Roethlisberger to injuries. Still, it was Cleveland. -- Chuck Finder, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Baltimore Ravens 24, Indianapolis Colts 10 |
 | A- | 3.20 | Ravens: It looked like a varsity-JV scrimmage for Baltimore as the Ravens' defense wouldn't allow the Colts to sustain any offensive momentum. RB Ray Rice had another big day, rushing for 103 yards and a TD. Baltimore did turn the ball over twice, in sloppy fashion. -- Jason Butt, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 1.65 | Colts: The Colts didn't offer much of a challenge against the Ravens, posting 53 total yards through the first three quarters. The defense's small stature couldn't get a push as Baltimore's running game rushed for 146 yards. To compare, the Colts had 167 total yards. -- Jason Butt, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Atlanta Falcons 31, Carolina Panthers 23 |
 | B- | 2.14 | Falcons: After taking a 7-0 lead on their second offensive series, the Falcons were outscored 23-0. During a key second-quarter stretch, the defense allowed two big, scoring plays. Matt Ryan mostly directed a no-huddle second-half attack, compiling 24 consecutive points to keep their playoff hopes alive. -- Jeff Hawkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.31 | Panthers: Playing an inspired first half, the Panthers jumped out to a 23-7 halftime lead, paced by Cam Newton's two TD passes. Constantly high with his second-passes, Newton tossed two second-half INTs. The injury-plagued D appeared to wear down and allowed a collection of big second-half plays. -- Jeff Hawkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Houston Texans 20, Cincinnati Bengals 19 |
 | A- | 3.04 | Texans: Suddenly the injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Lienart don't seem so fatal. Rookie T.J. Yates looked like a 10-year veteran in leading an 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive in the final minutes. The Texans are very much in the conversation as contenders in the AFC thanks to the surprising development of the former third-string QB. -- Paul Dehner, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 2.56 | Bengals: Marvin Lewis called this the biggest game in his nine years with the Bengals and after blowing a nine point fourth-quarter lead it's among the most heartbreaking. Cincinnati had to win, and to allow rookie QB T.J. Yates to engineer an 80-yard drive in the final two minutes is inexcusable and could very likely decide their playoff fate. -- Paul Dehner, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Detroit Lions 34, Minnesota Vikings 28 |
 | C | 2.53 | Lions: Detroit's first half performance was their most disciplined of the season, but multiple injuries in the secondary made the final score too close for comfort. The offense stagnated after halftime, scoring just three points. Unless Detroit addresses their injury issues, it's difficult to see them getting the wins they'll need to earn a playoff spot. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 1.62 | Vikings: Joe Webb's poise in relief of Christian Ponder was the perfect elixir for Ponder's four turnovers. The Vikings' second-half defense was outstanding. Had it not been for several dropped passes, Minnesota could've engineered the most improbable comeback win of the 2011 NFL season. In the end, Detroit's early 21-point lead proved too difficult to overcome. -- John Kreger, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Jacksonville Jaguars 41, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 |
 | A- | 2.19 | Jaguars: OK, so maybe this is on a curve and maybe it wasn't perfect. But after not scoring more than 20 points in a game all season and after struggling offensively much of the season, the Jaguars finally broke out offensively. Maurice Jones-Drew scored four touchdowns and a beat-up Jaguars defense helped Jacksonville turn a 14-0 deficit into a lopsided victory. -- John Oehser, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 1.89 | Buccaneers: Hard to grade the Buccaneers any higher. They committed six turnovers, and found a way to turn a 14-0 lead into a lopsided loss. The Jaguars hadn't scored more than 20 points this season, but the Buccaneers allowed four touchdowns and they allowed rookie QB Blaine Gabbert to have the best game of a difficult rookie season. -- John Oehser, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Philadelphia Eagles 26, Miami Dolphins 10 |
 | B- | 1.78 | Eagles: Philadelphia was opportunistic. It didn't play well, but it played well enough to take advantage of good field position and Miami turnovers. While the offense and special teams sputtered at times, the defense was solid almost all game. A nice victory on the road against a hot team. -- Chris Perkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 2.09 | Dolphins: The early-season, mistake-prone Dolphins made an appearance. They allowed sacks, committed three turnovers and generally were sloppy all game. The OL was brutal but they lost two starters. QB Matt Moore was also injured. This loss ensured Miami its third consecutive losing season. -- Chris Perkins, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | NY Jets 37, Kansas City Chiefs 10 |
 | A- | 2.36 | Jets: The Jets finally put together the game they've worked on all season. A fast start and ball possession allowed them to score and keep the defense off the field. The offensive line played what might have been its best game of the season. The defense put pressure on Tyler Palko and kept him off-balance. Special teams was able to establish good field position throughout. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D | 1.62 | Chiefs: It was a long day for the Chiefs, whose defense was unable to stop the Jets' running game, especially in the first half. Tyler Palko was only 16 of 32 in the passing game and was sacked five times by the Jets defense. With coach Todd Haley alluding, following the game, to a possible QB change for the final three games, Kansas City has a lot to get fixed. -- Lisa Zimmerman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Tennessee Titans 17, New Orleans Saints 22 |
 | B+ | 2.60 | Titans: The Titans came one play away from upsetting the red-hot Saints. Though Tennessee held the league's top-ranked offense to just nine points through three quarters, the Titans allowed two fourth quarter TDs when it mattered most. Questionable play-calling late, most-notably on a second-down draw by Chris Johnson that caused the Titans to run out of time. -- Matt Rybaltowski, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | B+ | 2.87 | Saints: The Saints escaped Nashville with a closer-than-expected win. Drew Brees was held without a TD for the first three quarters, but moved the offense down the field with surgical precision on two TD drives in the fourth quarter. The defense held in critical short-yard situations stopping Jake Locker on a late 4th and 1 sneak and sacking him to end the game. -- Matt Rybaltowski, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Washington Redskins 27, New England Patriots 34 |
 | B+ | 2.31 | Redskins: They played the sort of game nobody expected, matching offensive firepower vs. New England with a creative offensive attack. They gained a season-high 463 yards of offense. But the defense missed too many tackles and allowed too many yards after the catch in allowing New England to score 34 points and gain 431 yards. They managed an interception in the end zone to stop one drive. -- John Keim, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.45 | Patriots: The Patriots escaped with a victory but it was far from impressive. After jumping out to a 14-3 lead, the Patriots gave back the lead two more times. Outside of Tom Brady's INT in the end zone that could have put the game away, the offense was fairly flawless with Brady throwing for 357 yards and three touchdowns, and 160 yards and two touchdowns to TE Rob Gronkowski. -- Greg Bedard, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Arizona Cardinals 21, San Francisco 49ers 19 |
 | B+ | 2.02 | Cardinals: The defense held the 49ers to 233 yards and 19 points while sacking QB Alex Smith five times. The offense overcame the early loss of QB Kevin Kolb and non-existent run game (55 yards) with big plays from WRs Early Doucet, Andre Roberts and the eye-popping Larry Fitzgerald. Playoff hopes may be remote, but the Cards are blossoming, having won five of their past six games. -- Craig Morgan, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 2.88 | 49ers: Alex Smith completed just 18 of 37 passes, the offensive line allowed five sacks and the defense, uncharacteristically, gave up big plays in the passing game to Cards backup QB John Skelton. Arizona's strategy of spreading out the 49ers defense worked well enough to hand San Francisco its third loss of the season one week after clinching the NFC West title. -- Craig Morgan, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Denver Broncos 13, Chicago Bears 10 |
 | B | 2.45 | Broncos: Chicago forced Tim Tebow to beat the Bears through the air and, despite some drops by his receivers, he was awful as a pocket passer until the very end of the game -- again. But another comeback, with help from Marion Barber's fumble and ill-timed decision to go out of bounds late in regulation, and the Broncos have a leg up in the AFC West. Credit a defense that forced an OT turnover for setting up Matt Prater's game-winner. -- Lee Rasizer, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C- | 2.47 | Bears: The offense sputtered through one third down after another until finally putting together 10 points, while special teams produced enough big plays to win two games, including Robbie Gould's team-record 57-yard field goal. The defense fell into the trap others have: Tim Tebow has to be stopped the entire game. -- Gene Chamberlain, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | Green Bay Packers 46, Oakland Raiders 16 |
 | A- | 3.26 | Packers: The biggest question after the Packers' rout of the Raiders was whether the sterling defensive effort was a sign of improvement or an aberration. The (statistically) second-worst defense in the league was dominant, allowing 355 total yards and forcing five turnovers. The offense was lethal as usual, with the running game making an unexpectedly strong appearance (136 yards). -- James Carlton, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D- | 2.42 | Raiders: Flat. Lazy. Uninspired. The Raiders were unquestionably overmatched coming to Green Bay as banged up as they were. But there was no legitimate excuse for losing 46-16, turning the ball over five times and committing 11 penalties against a far-from-perfect Packers team. Only the mildly competent pass rush (four sacks) saves this grade from being an 'F.' -- James Carlton, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | San Diego Chargers 37, Buffalo Bills 10 |
 | A- | 2.01 | Chargers: Where was this team during the six-game losing streak? For the second game in a row the Chargers dominated their opponent on both sides of the ball. The offense was balanced and explosive and the defense stopped the run and forced interceptions. If it were not for a Philip Rivers fumble for a TD, this grade would be a perfect A+. -- Dan McLellan, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | F | 2.01 | Bills: The Bills were simply poor on both sides of the ball. Ryan Fitzpatrick was inconsistent at best and threw two INTs that were both converted into TDs. C.J. Spiller failed to get his game going. Meanwhile, the defense had virtually no answers for the Chargers' balanced offensive attack. After an exciting 4-1 start, Buffalo will now look to next season. -- Dan McLellan, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Team | Grade | GPA | NY Giants 37, Dallas Cowboys 34 |
 | A | 2.52 | Giants: At this point, this team just needed a win any way possible. To rally at the end and then block a late FG, it's exactly what this team had to do to save the season. Eli Manning was spectacular down the stretch and the defense bent a lot, but held on for just enough. -- Nick Eatman, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | C | 2.46 | Cowboys: The Cowboys were right there in position to take it, up 12 with six minutes to play but once again the defense failed them in the clutch. Tony Romo was great except for one missed pass and now PK Dan Bailey hasn't delivered in two straight weeks. -- Nick Eatman, RapidReports Correspondent |
| Monday, Dec. 12, 2011 | |||
| Team | Grade | GPA | Seattle Seahawks 30, St. Louis Rams 13 |
 | B+ | 2.34 | Seahawks: Seattle's line struggled to get much going in the first half, but improved greatly in the second half to help RB Marshawn Lynch to his fifth 100-yard game in six games. Tarvaris Jackson was solid without having to carry the offense. The defense was solid once again, and special teams came up huge, particularly in the first quarter when WR Doug Baldwin blocked a punt, which FB Michael Robinson returned for a touchdown. -- John Boyle, RapidReports Correspondent |
 | D- | 1.29 | Rams: The offense was again inept, defensive effort admirable, special teams poor and coaching suspect. The best evidence of the latter is that the Rams threw the ball three times from the 1-yard line before handing it to 240-pound Pro Bowl RB Steven Jackson, who scored on fourth-and-goal. Sam Bradford very much looked like a quarterback who hadn't practiced in a while. -- John Boyle, RapidReports Correspondent |
| GPA Key (updated through season) | ||
| A = 4.0 | A- = 3.7 | B+ = 3.3 |
| B = 3.0 | B- = 2.7 | C+ = 2.3 |
| C = 2.0 | C- = 1.7 | D+ = 1.3 |
| D = 1.0 | D- = 0.7 | |
