The Falcons solidified home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 31-18 win over the Lions on Saturday night. Lapses in the defensive secondary allowed Calvin Johnson to break the NFL’s single-season receiving record, but aside from Johnson, the Lions had little else to keep pace with the Falcons’ sixth-ranked scoring attack. Atlanta didn’t put Detroit away until early in the fourth quarter, which critics of the 13-2 Falcons will undoubtedly cling to, but Matt Ryan’s four touchdown passes were convincing enough.
In the past two games, Ryan has completed 48 of 60 passes for 549 yards and thrown seven touchdowns to zero interceptions. For the second straight week, his quarterback rating was 142.6, which ties the second-highest of his career. Skeptics have questioned Ryan’s ability to throw the deep ball, but the Falcons set the tone early when, just four plays after a Lions turnover, he connected with Roddy White on a 44-yard touchdown pass along the right sideline. That gave Atlanta a lead it would never surrender.
Offense: A-
The Falcons didn’t run the ball with much success (3.3 ypc), but the lack of a balanced offense mattered little with Ryan and the receivers so in sync. After White’s first touchdown, Ryan hit the veteran receiver on a simple screen to the left, and behind the blocking of Tony Gonzalez and LT Sam Baker, White scurried 39 yards untouched into the end zone. Ryan then floated a perfect 16-yard pass to the back right corner of the end zone where only Julio Jones could snag it, giving him his third touchdown pass of the first half. The fifth-year QB effectively ended the game with an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown march in the fourth quarter to give Atlanta a two-score buffer. Previous game's grade: A
Defense: B
After Johnson’s 117 yards in the first half, it was all-too evident that Lions QB Matthew Stafford was intent on targeting Johnson so they could break Jerry Rice’s single-season receiving record. Whether it was a drag route, an out route, or a jump ball, the Atlanta secondary couldn’t contain him. Their over-reliance on Johnson eventually hurt Detroit as Falcons cornerback Asante Samuel picked off a pass intended for Johnson with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter. It was the last of three turnovers the Falcons forced on the night, increasing their turnover margin to +12 on the year. Atlanta scored touchdowns off two fumble recoveries in the first half. Previous game's grade: A
Special teams: A
Punter/kickoff specialist Matt Bosher was excellent at pinning Detroit deep in its own territory on Saturday night. Three kickoffs resulted in touchbacks for the Lions, and five of his six kickoffs left Detroit starting at or behind their own 20-yard line. Following Michael Turner’s safety, Bosher booted the ball 76 yards down to the Lions’ 4-yard line where, inexplicably, Detroit RB Stefan Logan chose to kneel the ball down instead of returning it. Matt Bryant nailed his only field goal attempt of the game, a 20-yarder to give the Falcons a 31-16 edge with 3:05 remaining. Previous game's grade: A-
Coaching: A
Atlanta’s play-calling continues to impress on both sides of the ball. Offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has loaded the playbook with screens that have thrived behind the excellent blocking from Atlanta’s wide receivers and tight ends. On the game’s decisive drive, facing first-and-goal from the one, Koetter dipped deep into his bag of tricks and ran a misdirection play that saw Ryan fake right, then throw left as backup TE Michael Palmer peeled out of the scrum. It was Palmer’s first touchdown catch of the year. With virtually nothing to play for except continuity, coach Mike Smith now needs to decide whether he should sit his players for the Falcons' Week 17 matchup at home against Tampa Bay or play them and risk injury. Previous game's grade: A
For more Falcons coverage, follow Mike Singer @CBSFalcons.
