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Cardinals vs. Falcons: A Tweet Recap

Nobody really expected that the Falcons would win against the Cardinals, and yet they came away with a solid victory.

By Jeanna.Kelley
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Falcons won a game they really weren't expected to against a team with a vicious defense and the best record in football. I have pretty much given up on trying to make sense of this season. It's not possible.

These words would turn out to be prophetic.

I asked Twitter, "What do Falcons do?"

Waiting for 4:00 p.m. games is the worst.

The Falcons started strong, and a 55-yard run by Steven Jackson early put them in the red zone.

Then after three unsuccessful attempts to score, the Falcons went for it on fourth down and Matt Ryan connected on a fade to Levine Toilolo, a play that actually made sense in the context of the situation.

Is this really too much to ask?

The referees demonstrated early that they had no intention of being either good at their jobs or consistently correct with calls.

And Julio Jones demonstrated early that Patrick Peterson maybe needs to talk less and prepare more when he's going up against a receiver of his talent and abilities.

The Falcons settled for a field goal after Hester's long return. Fans were still annoyed with the refs for their call on that return.

The defense played extremely well early in the game, and the fans that did show up were supportive.

The Falcons scored again, extending their lead to 17-0. Falcons fans reacted in the only reasonable way Falcons fans can, with a healthy dose of skepticism.

The defense really did play inspired football in the first half.

Atlanta's offense was pretty inspired in the first quarter, too, helped along by Julio Jones being phenomenal.

There was one notable exception.

And as Arizona narrowed Atlanta's lead to seven, fans started to assume that Same Old Falcons stuff was about to ensue.

Julio was probably confused by how poorly Patrick Peterson was faring in coverage against him.

Considering recent play calling and clock management struggles, fans' reactions during the two-minute drill to end the half were understandable.

Hooray.

The defense was less sharp to start the second half.

That said, they did enough to get Arizona off the field, even though the refs made another mistake.

Mike Smith didn't challenge the call, and Twitter was not impressed.

Julio Jones was pretty much unstoppable in the second half, also.

Man, I miss this play.

Oh, boy.

And the Falcons settled for three again.

But still...

Things that go without saying:

The defense was doing its best to keep Atlanta's lead intact.

They got the ball back into the hands of the offense.

Despite a solid drive, they settled for another field goal.

The fourth quarter was underway.

And the defense really stepped up.

Which was a good thing, because...

And yeah, the refs were terrible throughout the game. A false start called against long snapper Josh Harris was kind of the icing on the "all of these calls have been terrible" cake.

Great question.

And the defense continued their opportunistic streak with Josh Wilson adding an interception at the perfect time.

Come on, Falcons. She is asking nicely.

Bless Patrick Peterson's heart.

Julio Jones and Matt Bryant had career days, Harry Douglas had over 100 receiving yards, and Steven Jackson had over 100 rushing yards. What a day.

With a final Matt Bryant field goal, the game looked to be out of reach for the Cardinals.

The defense continued to give it everything they had, including a punishing hit delivered by William Moore, who did indeed appear to be always ready once again.

It was definitely great to have Moore back on the field.

The Falcons won! What a pleasant surprise.

And Patrick Peterson probably learned a valuable lesson.

Up next: the Green Bay Packers.

It's only weird if it doesn't work.

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