Falcons Defeat The Panthers, 31-17

Defensive Tackle Corey Peters intercepts QB Cam Newton in the 4th quarter one-handed

Fullback Ovie Mughelli highsteppin' in the endzone after a pass from Matt Ryan

What a way for the Falcons to have a bounce back week. After a Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Falcons go back into the Georgia Dome and beat Cam Newton and the Panthers. Matt Ryan went 14/22 for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. RB Michael Turner had 27 carries for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The Falcons Wide Receivers struggled to make any plays but WR Roddy white had two key pass interference penalties that helped Atlanta get into the endzone.

The defense stepped up by intercepting Cam Newton three times. Safety Thomas DeCoud had eight tackles and Linebacker Curtis Lofton had seven tackles. Panthers QB Cam Newton struggled as he went 21/35 for 237 yards and 3 interceptions with a 44.6 passer rating. Although Newton did have 6 rushing attempts for 50 yards and 1 touchdown.

I want to see WR Harry Douglas get more catches and make plays because I know he is a playmaker and he could've had a couple touchdowns in this game but Matt Ryan overthrew him a few times. Rookie WR Julio Jones was out with a hamstring injury and there is no report yet as to if he is going to play against the Lions next week. WR Roddy White only had 2 catches for 21 yards. Thats a surprise knowing that he is tied for 2nd in most receptions in the NFL. I think he and Matt Ryan will get back on the same page next week. TE Tony Gonzalez also had an off game with 3 catches for 29 yards. I believe him and Ryan will do the same as they will for Roddy.

Some of the factors that helped the Falcons win this game was the fact that they had no turnovers and Matt Ryan didn't get sacked once. Ryan had no interceptions also. Its good to see Michael Turner get the run game going again because some days Ryan will have an off game and Turner will still be able to contribute on the ground. The Falcons are improving on every category every week. 3-3 is not where we want to be but we will get better. We are facing a 5-1 Lions team that lost their first game of the week in Week 6 to a good 5-1 49ers team. It will be a battle of offenses and I know we will be ready. It was also great how we honored Hall Of Famer Deion "PrimeTime" Sanders before the game. Catch all of my analysis for this game in my next blog which will be previewing the Falcons-Lions game. I hope you enjoyed my recap of the game and so until then, GO FALCONS!!!-Yuriy