GO VOTE FOR OUR PLAYERS TO MAKE THE PRO BOWL. SERIOUSLY, CAM NEWTON IS/WAS AHEAD OF MATT RYAN. I DON'T CARE HOW GOOD CAM IS, THAT'S A TRAVESTY. GO HERE FIX IT.

Holy smokes, what a game that was yesterday. When we were threatening to score whilst up 17-0, I thought to myself, "This is the area where the Falcons like to not put a team away." which then leads to a lesser team making a run on us and making the game uneasy. However, the Falcons quickly and easily put any fears of that to rest.

I mean, what is there to say about this game? It kinda felt like a trap game, and supposedly only 56% of ESPN fans thought we'd win. I can't really say they should've felt differently. We survived the TealCats and then lost to the rookie-led Texans and their stingy D in previous weeks, and the Jags came outta nowhere to hang 41 on the Bucs last week, so really, I can't say I totally blame them.

However, the total fury of the Falcons showed up and put on a clinic. Let's attempt some specifics after the jump.

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I enjoyed watching the game yesterday for the most part. The only part where I was really miffed was the usual "How can we screw this up this time?" segment in the third/fourth quarter, where Percy Harvin went ham on us. But even then, I never really felt like we were in danger of losing. It was almost like we scored/stopped them when we absolutely had to, and played Shoopus My Whoopus any other time. Except that the D's Shoopus My Whoopus was still pretty good.

First half was a smashing success. Talk about imposing your will on a team, we pretty much had our way with them in the first half. Then, like a tricky younger sibling, they did some sneaky things and tried to creep back into the game. We decided at that point that we needed to put the younger sibling in their place, and we did so.

As always, join me after the jump for specifics.

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I'll admit, I was a wee bit nervous about this game. The Colts had played some inspired games in the past, and I worried that they'd put it all together and make us look the fool.

Thankfully, The Real Falcons showed up and quickly put those worries to bed, thanks largely to the Julio Jones Show, which is growing in legend every week. Soon he'll be able to sit on the bench and watch himself score touchdowns while simultaneously scoring the touchdown. And feed the hungry. And be faster than a speeding bullet (Did you see him outrun everyone and their brother on the Colts defense? I giggled like a little girl.).

I've been busy with school lately, and UGA and the Falcons delivered this weekend with a couple of easy-goers which made for a happy weekend.

As always, let's talk specifics after the jump!

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Well then.

The Falcons needed to beat the Colts and they did, not bothering to even allow hapless Indy an offensive touchdown. It wasn't perfect but it also wasn't a disaster. Many fans I spoke to felt this game was a trap seeing as the Colts, by sheer desperation alone, would play at a much higher level than the Falcons expected. While it turned out to be completely false, this worry was a valid one. The Colts' chances of ending the season unvictorious get astronomically lower with each passing week, meaning that eventually, they will beat someone. Thanks to a rookie's coming out party and one fired up piece of silverware, we didn't end up being that someone.

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Like Jeanna, I believe being a Falcons fan is taking years off of my life, except I'm 23 and it's shaving too many years too quickly. 

In any case, I posed the question "Will the real Falcons show up?" a few days ago and, by and large, I believe the real Falcons did show up: a gritty, tough performance by the defense and a grind-it-out, never-give-up offensive performance that did exactly what it needed to do to win against a tough Lions team that has surprised a lot of folks this year.

I likened this year's Lions to 2008 us. We surprised a lot of people that year, but we were still beaten by some good teams. I still consider the Lions to be like 2008 us: a surprisingly good team that will still be put in its place by a contender. That's right, folks, I said contender.

Join me after the jump for the specifics!

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In the past 12 quarters of Packers/Falcons football, the Packers have punted the ball exactly four times. To put that in perspective, Bosher punted five times last night, and Koenen punted four times in the regular season matchup last year. I'm not even going to look at the playoff game.

What that suggests to me is not offensive woes, not defensive woes, not even special teams woes, it is total team failure. And the fault for that lies on everyone, from coaching, to the players.

That's all I'm saying before the jump. Jump with me to get a little bit of question-asking, as well as the good, bad, and super bad.

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The Atlanta Falcons are incapable of playing four quality quarters of football.

You can point to the injuries, which were no insignificant. The Falcons did lose William Moore for the game, never had John Abraham and got dinged up along both lines. You can point to the Packers, who are simply an otherworldly football team that makes great adjustments mid-stream. Ultimately, though, the Falcons have to stare in the mirror and see their own fingers pointing back at them. 

For a half, at least, the Falcons seemed to have the blueprint for beating the Packers. They ruthlessly moved the ball down the field, played tough defense and got after Aaron Rodgers. They held the Packers to field goals and hung 14 points on Green Bay. An eight point lead is not insurmountable, but there were reasons to be extremely optimistic.

Then the second half happened. The Packers came out with a more aggressive defense and decided to go hard after the Falcons' secondary on offense, basically abandoning the run. Those adjustments got them 16 points in quick succession. The Falcons, on the other hand, did nothing, and a game but overwhelmed defense was on the field way too often thanks to a lackluster offense.

It's hard to put into words just how frustrating it is to watch a talented, smart football team shoot itself in the foot with its refusal to make smart changes to its gameplan. The changes they did make--going pass heavy in reaction to Turner's ineffectiveness, for example--did not pay off, and the execution was poor. The defense did not account for Rodgers' crazy passing ability and the sudden effectiveness of the Packers' offensive line. And so, once again, the Falcons saw a first half lead whittled away, this time against one of the best teams in the NFL. The results were both predictable and all too familiar.

Look, this wasn't a game I expected the Falcons to win. But they showed they could do it, and then they flopped hard. It's become the most frustrating theme of the season thus far. 

There's so much work to do before the Panthers game next week, work that I am sure will begin today. As frustrated as I am, this season is far from over, so let's not act like it is. If the Falcons start playing full football games, they're going to win a lot of them. If. 

After the jump, highlights, lowlights and the wrapup, as always. 

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For a good three point two-five quarters last night, I felt as if a time warp had opened up on the muddy, soddened field at Raymond James Stadium and some late 60's version of the Falcons offense showed up to play. It wasn't until Matt Ryan found Julio Jones on a streak route for forty-nine yards, setting up a Gonzo TD with the score a dismal 16-6 that I felt I was watching the Falcons that won thirteen games last night. That score happened with a little over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Too little, too late.

Do I feel that the Falcons were the better over-all team last night? Yes. Did they play that way? Absolutely not.

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