This wasn't a game that will turn doubters into believers for the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, it serves as yet another example of this team's ability to close.
The Falcons visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and escaped with a 24-23 win Sunday, knocking off one of the hottest teams in football. The Falcons now are 10-1, with seven of their wins coming by seven points or less.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay
will re-air the
Atlanta Falcons' 24-23 victory over the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in Week 12 on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
Atlanta won without much help from its running game. Michael Turner scored a goal-line touchdown, but he had another scary-bad statistical line of 13 carries for 17 yards. This comes two weeks after Turner had 15 yards on 13 carries against the New Orleans Saints. Don't be surprised if Jacquizz Rodgers begins to take a considerable bite out of Turner's workload in the coming weeks.
Of course, the Falcons aren't really about the running game, not with Matt Ryan at quarterback and Julio Jones, Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez roaming the field. Jones made the biggest play of the game, hauling in a deep ball from Ryan and taking it the distance for a 80-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.
Jones finished with six catches for 147 yards and the touchdown, showing no signs of the ankle injury that left his status unclear entering Sunday. This is the type of player who can take an offense to another level in January (think Larry Fitzgerald in the 2008 playoffs).
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
