Damontae Kazee – FalconAlley Football

Defense Shines in Falcons Third Pre-Season Game

August 25, 2018

Falcons 6 at Jaguars 17

Inactives for Game 3: Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman, Desmond Trufant, Deion Jones, and Ricardo Allen. Getting the start in their place, Justin Hardy, Tevin Coleman, Isaiah Oliver, Foyesade Oluokun, and Damontae Kazee.

After the coin toss, the Atlanta Falcons’ offense begins the game, which means that Calvin Ridley is back to receive the kickoff. Kicked into the end zone and Ridley downed it there.

Starting with a play fake and then a 20-yard pass from Matt Ryan to Mohamed Sanu. Logan Paulsen is the starting tight end with Brandon Fusco getting the start this game at right guard. Tevin Coleman has a single yard run, to the right. Ryan and Paulsen are in the backfield, Coleman goes on a slant to the left side and gained the first down. Behind a big Ryan Schraeder block, Paulsen makes a catch for 7 yards. Coleman gains another first down, this time behind the right side (Fusco). Ito Smith joins the fun. From the backfield, Smith gains 3 yards. Then, they give up a 3-yard loss sack. Tyler Patmon knocks the ball intended for Ridley down, leading to Matt Bryant coming in and easily making a 47 yard field goal.

As the Falcons D hits the field for the first time, they come out READY. Jacksonville’s drive begins with Blake Bortles scrambling for a 4-yard gain, then a handoff to Leonard Fournette for another 4 yards, where he is quickly met by Terrell McClain and Brooks Reed. On 3^rd and 2, Bortles’ short pass is tipped by Robert Alford and picked by Keanu Neal. Suddenly, the Falcons have the ball back and at the Jacksonville 42.

Then…..the Falcons go 3 and out. Again. Incomplete to Reggie Davis, a Coleman 1-yard run, then a sack on Ryan. Matt Bosher on to punt 39 yards to the Jaguars 7-yard line.

Kazee starts the Jags possession with back to back tackles, followed by a Brooks Reed stop of Fournette, then an Oluokun stop of TJ Yeldon. Kazee is back at it and blasts Dede Westbrook for a 2^nd down stop. Bortles passes to Fournette who gets by Duke Riley for the first down, with Brian Poole closing quickly. The elusive Fournette spins past Jack Crawford and gains 4 yards. Kazee deflects the next big pass down the field. Kazee almost intercepts the next Bortles pass, while Grady Jarrett is grinding him into the ground. Now the Jags are forced to kick and miss a field goal.

The Falcons get the ball on downs at the 37, but immediately go 3 and out and are forced to punt. The 54-yard punt falls at the 5 and JUSTIN BETHEL downs it on the 2.

The Jaguars begin at their own 2. Deadrin Senat, anticipating the snap jumps offsides to move the ball up to the 7. The running back heads up the middle, but Senat and De’Vondre Campbell quickly meet him for an immediate stop. Isaiah Oliver makes the next stop after a big reception, clearly a mix up on coverage as Oluokun or Campbell should have been on that side to slow down that reception. From the 18, Bortles throws another pass that is deflected, this time by Oliver. Meanwhile, Poole was called offsides and negated the play. Donte Moncrief gets a 37-yard reception, with Oliver spinning and trailing the entire way, finally being pushed out by Alford. Two plays later, Fournette gets in for the 21-yard touchdown behind good blocking and missed tackles by Neal and Campbell.

Another unreturnable kick. Wes Schweitzer comes in at center in place of Alex Mack – who is not injured. Andy Levitre and Jake Matthews are on the left side, with Fusco and Ryan Schraeder to the right. Ryan had 4 receivers on the field, but could not find anyone open and runs out of bounds for a “sack.” Russell Gage is in, but Ryan throws to Austin Hooper who cannot hold onto the ball and suddenly it is 3^rd and 11. In the gun, Ryan overthrows Coleman. The o-line did not hold up well on this series, the 3^rd 3 and out in a row.

Bosher on for the 52 yard, unreturnable punt. Campbell, playing inside linebacker now, was fooled by the play fake, but did make the push out of bounds after a big gain.

Fournette gets by Riley again, for another 3^rd down conversion. Oluokun stayed in his gap and stopped Fournette for minimal gain. Bortles steps up for a big pass but is met and sacked by Crawford with Brooks Reed coming. Grady Jarrett, being jealous, grabs his Clemson buddy Vic Beasley, Jr and heads to the backfield. Beasley is shoving one lineman back blocking Bortles’ path, while Grady is being held up by a lineman, causing Bortles to trip and immediately Grady is on top of him.

The Jags are forced to punt to Hardy. Ryan finds Sanu (against mouthy Jalen Ramsey) for a nice and quick 16-yard game. Sanu is in motion with a play fake to Coleman, but Ryan overthrows the ball. The next pass, to Ridley is dropped. On 3^rd and 10 to Hooper, Barry Church is charged with the pass interference penalty and moves the Falcons to the 48. Coleman gets the call for a few yards, then….behind Matthews and Levitre (left side), escapes down the field for a big 21-yard run down to the 24-yard line. Smith pushes the ball down 5 yards, inside the red zone. A short pass to Hooper, then at the 15-yard line, it is 3^rd and 1, and a pass to Sanu at the back of the end zone is knocked out and Bryant is back on for another successful field goal.

Bosher handles the kickoff where Manual Smith makes the stop at the 25, where the Jags will begin their next drive. Kazee and Riley meet to make the tackle on Keelan Cole. Corey Grant on the screen play is knocked out by Campbell after a 28-yard gain. Defense was caught blitzing. In confusion, Takk McKinley was off the field trying to get on in time, so, alertly, Grady shoves Crawford in to DT and Grady plays DE for a play. The Jags gain 6 yards, stopped by Keke. Takk is clearly back on the field and makes the next tackle, then nearly makes another. Oliver and Kazee combine for a stop forcing a 3^rd down and timeout by Jacksonville. After a Campbell pass break up, it’s 4^th down and the Jags settle for another field goal. Teams head in to the half with Jacksonville leading 10 – 6.

As the second half begins, Bortles comes back out with most of the first team, starting at the 16. The Falcons have completely reset. Senat is still in, but Anthony Winbush, Casey Jones, Justin Zimmer, Jonathan Celestian and Kemal Ishmael, Blidi-Reh Wilson and Justin Bethel are all in now. TJ Yeldon gets the first two plays and is stopped by Celestin then Ish for minimal gains. Bortles has a 9-yard pass to Moncrief that is covered by Blidi Wreh, then runs up the middle himself and CB Bethel comes up to make the stop. Senat makes a good read forcing 3^rd down. The Falcons are in man-to-man and as Bethel gets tripped up covering his man, gets Moncrief out of bounds at the 17. The next play, Bortles throws down to the 2-yard line, where he finds Blidi Wreh. And, the defense heads off the field in lieu of the 2^nd team Falcons offense.

Matt Schaub comes out to lead the offense, including Justin Crawford with the first carry of the 2^nd half, for a loss of 1 yard. Offensive line updates to Jamil Douglas, Ty Sambrailo, Matt Gono, Sean Harlow, and Wes Schweitzer. Schaub has a short pass to Gage, then a short pass to Eric Saubert that turned into a 44-yard gain. A play fake to Crawford, throws up to Ridley for a 12-yard game. Gono has a false start. Another run by Crawford, for another lost yard. Schaub in the shotgun is hit as he throws, Gage almost reeled it in, but could not. It’s 3^rd and 15, due to offsetting penalties on a defender and Gage (again) for movement. Schaub lets one go, Ridley cannot handle the pass, it bounces off of his foot and is intercepted and returned 27 yards before Gage makes the stop. The play is reviewed and reversed determining the pass was incomplete. Bosher on to punt 20 yards to the Jacksonville 17.

Cody Kessler comes in replacing Bortles at quarterback and immediately throws a 33-yard pass to midfield. Ryan Neal makes the next 2 tackles, forcing Grant out of bounds, then tackling Rashad Greene for short gain. Cooper and Celestin made the next few stops for 12 and 4 yard gains. Then Zimmer has a big 7-yard sack at the Falcons 49, then is in the backfield again. Unfortunately, Kessler is able to get a short pass away to Wilds who goes for 31 yards to the Falcons 8, then another to Grant down to the Falcons 4. R. Neal makes the stop at the 2, while Celestin makes the stop at the 1. These two are making the Jags work for this score. On the next play, Kessler fumbles the hand-off, sees and recovers it, then scrambles into the end zone.

Ito Smith brings the kickoff out to the 31-yard line, with no bobbling the ball like last week. Crawford gets the first run, for 5 yards. Then newly acquired RB, Justin Fowler takes the ball another 3 yards. Schaub throws incomplete to Byrd, forcing another Bosher punt. This one for 49 yards, covered by Reggie Davis for a 1 yard loss on the return.

Jacksonville has a quick 3 and out with the new defense stepping up. The 53-yard punt is muffed by Oliver, who loses the ball, but is recovered by Crawford and the Falcons will begin at their 31.

Malik Williams has the first 3 carries, for 9, 2, then 1-yard gains, trying each side, left, right, then up the middle. Kurt Benkurt in at quarterback passes up to Christian Blake for a 9-yard gain, then is sacked for an 11-yard loss. From the shotgun, Benkert hits Crawford for 4 yards, then hits his favorite target, Devin Gray for a 15-yard gain. On 4^th and 2, the Falcons go for it, but the pass goes off the hands of Dontez Byrd and falls incomplete and they turn it over on downs.

The Jaguars begin at their own 40-yard line. Grant goes for 4 yards and meets Neal. A quick pass for no gain, then a sack by Richard Jarvis for a 9-yard loss. And another punt and chance for Oliver, who catches the ball cleanly and returns the punt 6 yards.

Benkert opens it up quickly as he goes deep to Byrd for 41 yards. Crawford carries it for 8 yards, then 7 yards. After 2 incomplete passes, Benkert finds Gage for 12 yards to the Jacksonville 8-yard line. Another 2 incomplete passes by Benkert, but Jacksonville is called for roughing the passer and the Falcons have a 1^st and goal at the 4. Four incomplete passes and the Falcons turn the ball over on downs. Gray caught the pass in the end zone, but could not get both feet down. Crawford had the ball go through his hands.

Time winds down and the Falcons are 0-3 in the pre-season, remember last season, they were 0-4 and a play away from the SuperBowl.

Some guys are definitely making the play for starter spots. Kazee is continuing to play incredibly well and shows himself as extremely versatile. If Kazee could be brought in, Keanu Neal can be moved up to play more inside and really cause a raucous on offenses. Blidi Wreh continues to impress defensively as well and made a definite jump from last season. Oluokun is playing well and looks to be on that 53.

Fusco looks to be the winner at the right guard spot playing well against a very good Jacksonville defense. Ricky Ortiz has likely won the fullback spot.

Oliver is struggling in man-to-man, but doing well in zone coverage. Of course, Grady was very disruptive and Campbell stopped a touchdown. Overall defense, causing turn overs was good, but gave up allot of yards as well. They still need more pass rushing to be dominant this season. There were signs of fatigue (again – as seen in previous seasons) late in the 2^nd quarter.

Levitre allowed a sack, the left side O-line was weak and allowed too much pressure on Ryan. Coleman looked good as expected, especially running left when Matthews and Levitre did pair up for good blocking.

Special teams is much improved from last year, the obvious addition of Bethel, but some of the young guys trying to make the team too, Gage and Paulson especially.

Again, no one injured – so there is that. And the Jaguars are a very good team and therefore a good test. They did not sit anyone, while the Falcons did have several key players on offense and defense that did not play at all. Also note that Jacksonville played their starting offense later than the Falcons played their first team defense.

#RiseUp

@FalconAlley Owt

Photo Credit: Atlanta Falcons

Falcons First Half Highs, Second Half Lows

August 17, 2018

Chiefs 28 at Falcons 14
Deion Jones and Matt Bryant were in street clothes, announced inactive. Again, Devonta Freeman and Julio Jones were dressed, but did not play at all. So many teams have seen season ending injuries already, so happy to have those guys sit.
Justin Hardy and Calvin Ridley were sent back to receive the opening kickoff. Ridley received the kick and returned it 34 yards.
Brandon Fusco got the start at right guard. Ridley, Marvin Hall, and Mohamed Sanu with the start as receivers. The first play was to Ridley for no yards. Then to Tevin Coleman for no yards. Third and eleven, Matt Ryan finds Austin Hooper for 29 yards. Tevin stepped behind Alex Mack and rushed up for back to back 15-yard gains. Ito Smith now in at running back for 3 yards. Then a 4-yard diving touchdown pass to Hooper.
Matt Bosher resumed his kickoff duties. Foye Oluokon had a good stop on kick coverage. Terrell McClain and Duke Riley made a good stop. Clearly Riley trying to step up his game this week. Brian Poole came across the field and took the receiver out of the air to stop the Chiefs with a 3 and out.
Hardy is starting for punt returns as well and returned it 17 yards. Unfortunately, Smith had an illegal block in the back to cancel the return, but we did get to see what Hardy can do.
The first team returns to the field and Ryan shoots a 16-yard pass to Hall. Then, the upcoming star of the year, Ridley catches a big 36-yard pass over his left shoulder as he falls. And the Falcons are instantly inside the Chiefs’ 30. A few plays later, facing a 4 and 2, Andy Levitre had a hands to the face penalty and the Falcons turn the ball over on downs.
Brooks Reed, Deadrin Senat, and Keanu Neal combined for a stop, and Neal (not surprised) gets called for the helmet to the head penalty. But if you watch the replay, he did not lead with the head, but took the call. Grady Jarrett got major pressure up the middle and Poole was able to make the 11-yard loss tackle. Poole continued to show out with another tackle to the sideline. Then Grady made a stop to cause 3rd and 5. The running back was able to get around the side along the sideline where he was stopped by Ricardo Allen. Duke Riley was in pursuit, but got caught up in a block. Robert Alford had a nice pass break up. As seen in training camp, Blidi Wreh-Wilson has greatly improved and playing smart and aggressively and nearly had a pick in front of Sammy Watkins.
Kansas City had a first down at the 4 and the Atlanta defense stood up and forced a field goal.
For the third offensive set, Matt Schaub comes in. Smith is in at running back. Ben Garland and Ty Sambrailo are in on the left side, while Wes Schweitzer is in at right guard. Hardy had a nice quick reception for a first down. Russell Gage gets his shot and hauls in an 18-yard reception. Reggie Davis comes in at receiver. Smith is getting allot of carries and being successful with his quick spin moves and pushing through for some good yardage. Schaub finds Ridley on a crossing route for a first down. Justin Crawford gets a chance at running back and gains 2 yards. Back to Smith who goes to the right side for another few yards. On 3rd and 4, Schaub finds Davis. Then, Big Play Ridley, catches his first touchdown as a Falcon.
Blidi Wreh made the stop on the kick off. Patrick Mahomes threw up a pass to Sammy Watkins, and Damontae Kazee picked it off. Kazee came to play tonight again. Blidi Wreh knocked Watkins off his timing a bit and Kazee reads the play from the start, cuts across the field, and leaps up and rips the ball out of the air.
Schaub and the offense come back out. More successful hand-offs and passes to Smith, then a big 24-yard catch by Eric Saubert, with many of those yards after the catch. Schaub finds Davis on a crossing route, just short of the first down, due to having to slow up for the pass. On fourth down, Smith gets stuff and the Falcons turn the ball over on downs.
The second half took on the same hot mess as last week’s game. Kurt Benkert looked good, until he threw an interception that he should have tucked in. Oliver looked good in kick coverage. Ito Smith had several kick returns, which except for bobbling each several times, looked good. He also had 13 carries for 34 yards at running back. Brandon Fusco looked good at the right guard spot and pancaked several guys making room for Tevin to get some good yards.
Foye Oluokon flew around at the linebacker spot, finishing with 1 tackle, but also very active on special teams. Duke Riley stepped up tonight and was better in coverage most of his time in. As always, Brian Poole was on point and covered the explosive Tyreek Hill perfectly. Russell Gage came in with the 2nd team and had 1 reception for 18 yards.
Of course, Damontae Kazee is a stand out again, with no tackles, but a big interception. Terrell McClain really stepped up tonight.
The first team offense got into a good rhythm tonight. No pre-snap penalties, Ryan went 5 of 7 for 90 yards and a touchdown. Calvin Ridley had 3 receptions, 1 touchdown, 49 yards, and a 35-yard return. Austin Hooper had a touchdown and 2 receptions for 33 yards. Definitely more consistent.
First team defense did not give up a score. Robert Alford with the knock down in the end zone. They started with a 3 and out. And the regulars were swarming.
Dave Archer spoke to Calvin Ridley after the game, he is so humble, with his stats on the night and he is just “ready to contribute.” Ridley said he’s just working and practicing, and again, “Willing to contribute however the team wants me.” Again, said that Julio Jones is coaching him up after every play.
Overall, this game was not as painful as the first, and saw some real bright spots for the first teams and some guys on the 2nd or 3rd. And another week and no one is hurt. Likely, 50 spots are already on lock and there are not many position battles. We will see what we see in game 3 next Saturday.

#RiseUp
FalconAlley OWT

Photo Credit: Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Pre-Season Game 1 Was Rough

August 10, 2018

Falcons 0 at Jets 17

When you get back to back offensive penalties with your first team, then it takes until 10 seconds remaining in the first HALF to get the 1st first down of the game….you can tell how this night is going to go.

Granted this is a scouting game and the first team didn’t play much on offense or defense, but neither squad looked great in their short time. Ty Sambrillo and Matt Bryant were the only inactives. Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman never stepped on the field, but both are 100%, just did not play.

The issue with Friday’s game was that we basically have no backups. There were a few guys that did their job and will come in as good substitutions, but overall, anything past first team is a mess. At least, no one was injured and these guys will not be on the field in mass together.

Overall, the defense did not to a good job tackling. Also, penalties. The starting offense had 2 penalties in the first 3 plays and the team ended with 10 overall. Head Coach Dan Quinn was not pleased with this number after the game.

The highlight player of the game, was Damontae Kazee. He has definitely made that sophomore year jump. Kazee was all over the field. Running down a receiver, then on the next play, in the backfield. He ended the game with 11 tackles (10 in the first half) and was definitely circling on many others.

Dave Archer spoke with Kazee after the game, “I was very comfortable,” clearly fully prepared for his opportunity. And in true Brotherhood spirit, when asked about his versatility, Kazee responded, “Just trying to fit in where ever they need me.” And while all Falcons fans thought he was the star of the game, Kazee commented “I need to work on my game, especially keeping my head up.” He did accumulate one of the new “lower the head” penalties.

Other defensive standouts were rookie Jon Cunningham with 2 tackles and a forced fumble, and the expected, Deadrin Senat who was getting good pressure on the o-line. He and Terrell McClain spent a good bit of time as the defensive tackles together. Deadrin was maybe over running or out of position some, but did tally 2 solo tackles and was definitely moving people back. Isaiah Oliver was not afraid to tackle Friday night. Sometimes Oliver was caught on his heels and chasing receivers, but he managed 2 solo tackles, and was a good start for the second-round rookie.

While Wes Schweitzer got the brief start, Brandon Fusco played with 2^nd team 0-line, so hard to judge what he could do as the entire line was getting pushed around/back.

081018 Devin Gray.JPG — Devin Gray rips the ball from the defender – photo credit: Atlanta Falcons

There was some highlight for the 3^rd team offense. Kurt Benkert was 9 for 17 for 125 yards, 4 of those passes went for 83 yards to Devin Gray. Granted they were playing against the 3^rd team defense, but they were definitely on the same page, likely because they spend much of their practice time together, but may be making spots for themselves on the team…or at least practice squad. Benkurt looked good and very comfortable, while Gray, literally, ripped a ball out of the air…..away from the defender.

Matt Ryan was 1-1 to Calvin Ridley for a 2-yard loss. First team went a quick “three and out” and were backed onto their own end zone before Matt Bosher came out to kick. Matt Schaub, who played most of the first half, was 9-9 for 54 yards.

No running back touched the ball more than 6 times, Malik Williams lead with those 6 carries for 19 yards. Tevin Coleman started and had 3 rushes for 8 yards. Austin Hooper struggled in blocking, had 1 catch, but was choppy getting there, but he did make the 5-yard catch.

In the Oddity Column, after being shown on the depth chart as the first returner, Justin Hardy did not line up to return all night. Marvin Hall and Ito Smith made kickoff returns, while Isiah Oliver and Hall split the 3 punt returns. Ito had 1 return for 35 yards, while Hall had one long return of 21. No word on what happened to Hardy, although he did have a lead block for Ito.

So, as hard as this game was to watch, there were a few highlights and again, no injuries. And as a note, DQ has gone 3-6 all-time in the pre-season, and we all know what he has done in the real season!

After the game, Archer caught up with DQ who called out penalties, missed tackles, and lack of execution. DQ noted that the team has shown in training camp who they can be, just did not show that on the field Friday night. “We have allot of work to do.” DQ says it all.

#RiseUp

FalconAlley Owt

Photos courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons

Back at The Branch

July 31, 2018

Monday was back in Flowery Branch where the team was in full pads and played 11 on 11. One of the offensive teams scored twice while the other, did not score at all. Monday was a definite treat for fans in attendance.

Takk McKinley and Ito Smith were on the sidelines working with trainers, just not involved in the full, regular practice.

OC Steve Sarkisian seems more comfortable with the offense (so far) in year 2. Remember, although their year ones held different issues, the leap that Kyle Shanahan made from year 1 to 2 was huge and there are expectations for the same success for Sark.

Despite some offensive trickery, the always studying and football smart, Ricardo Allen had an interception. Matt Ryan pitched over to Justin Hardy, who threw up a bomb, but was very contested by 3 defenders and Rico came up with the ball. Rico was quoted, “True champions do the ordinary things right all of the time.”

Calvin Ridley and Justin Hardy were the returners for each team during the game like scrimmage. Devin Gray hauled in the first touchdown of the day. Damontae Kazee picked off Garrett Grayson.

Devonta Freeman commented that “We are getting better every day, striving for greatness.”

Grady Jarrett was getting individual work with assistant d line coach.

Overall, Mohamed Sanu, Sr. is in midseason form. He continues to make awesome catches, whether high or one-handed, contested or on the sideline, Sanu is catching everything. Mic’d up, he was heard “All I know how to do is take reps and get better.” Deadrin Senat is impressing as well. He is willing and happy to listen to all advice and feedback from the veterans, especially Jarrett, who has been telling him about hip movement and how that varies by different plays. He is honored to be learning from Bryant Young. It was noted that Jarrett has come to camp even bigger, but in the good muscular way (as I have reported in the off season).

#RiseUp

FalconAlley Owt

Cover Photo courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Light It Up in LA

January 6, 2018

Falcons 26 / Rams 13

The Falcon win the coin toss and defer….as expected. Matt Bosher starts out with a touchback. The first play, also as expected, is a run by local boy (to Georgia) Todd Gurley for a gain of 4 yards. The Rams set a screen, pass to Gurley and Deion Jones was on the edge almost intercepting the ball. From the shotgun, under great pressure, Jared Goff runs for a few yards, then slides before Vic Beasley can hit him. Beasley was credited with the sack.

Andre Roberts allows the punt to drop behind him and roll to the 6-yard line. A fake handoff, then an incomplete pass to Mohamed Sanu begins the Falcons drive. Matt Ryan is running for his life in the end zone, while Jake Matthews holds up Aaron Donald long enough for Ryan to throw the ball away. Ryan completes a pass to Julio Jones, but it is 4 yards short of the first down. Bosher has a good punt from his end zone and the Rams begin at their own 47.

The first play, again, is Gurley running for 8 yards, then heading out of bounds. Without a huddle, a pass to Cooper Kupp falls incomplete. On 3^rd down, Goff is SACKED by Takk McKinley! Welcome back to Cali! The punt falls at the 6 again, but Roberts catches this one and returns to the 10, so basically where the Falcons were pre-punt.

This drive starts with a handoff to Devonta Freeman, who is caught in the backfield for a 3-yard loss. Ryan drops back, then chooses to run and gets to the 11. Nearly sacked, Ryan stands in there, behind a great block by Ben Garland, and passes to Freeman who is short of the first down marker.

Bosher punts again, Pharoh Cooper calls for the fair catch, muffs it, the now active Nick Williams, shoves Kupp to ensure he doesn’t get to the ball. And Le’Roy Reynolds recovers the fumble and gives the offense excellent field position.

The Falcons offense begins in the red zone, at the 17. Tevin Coleman is in the backfield and gets the call, running to the left side and gains 3 yards. Ryan fakes the handoff then overthrows Sanu in the end zone. On 3^rd down, Ryan scrambles for a few yards, then Matt Bryant comes out for the 29-yard field goal. With 7:12 left in the first quarter, the Falcons lead 3 – 0.

Bosher’s kickoff is 61 yards to Cooper where Damontae Kazee was called for a foul, moving the ball to the 32. Now Brooks Reed jumps and gives the Rams an extra 5 yards. The first, first down of the game is on short yardage. Brian Poole makes a good short stop on Gurley. Second and 7, without a huddle, Goff goes play action, perfect pass to Sammy Watkins is even more perfectly defended by Robert Alford, as he tips the ball back, volleyballesq. Desmond Trufant has good coverage on Kupp to knock the ball out. And just like that, there is another punt to Roberts.

Freeman takes the ball from the 10 up to the 14. Freeman gets the call again, for another 3 yards. With major pressure, Ryan moves up in the middle of the pocket and passes up to Sanu for the first Falcons first down of the game, with 3:30 to go in the quarter. Now, a 27-yard pass to Julio Jones, who stopped and came back for the catch, completely losing the defender. Now at the 50, Jones gets the ball on the end around and gains 13 yards. Coleman gets the call and gains 4 yards around the far ride side. Ryan, from the shotgun, fakes to Coleman and passes to Sanu who cannot hold onto the ball. Third down from the 33, Ryan passes short to Freeman, who cannot pull the ball in and Bryant comes on for a 51-yard field goal.

On the next kickoff, Cooper is stopped by Kazee, (making up for that penalty) who strips the ball, and it is recovered by Kemal Ishmael and the Falcons have the ball at the 32. Freeman runs up the middle for 2 yards, then along the left side for a gain of 6 as the quarter comes to a close.

From the 24-yard line with 2 yards to go, Ryan throws to Sanu who gains 6 yards and the 1^st down. Freeman runs for no gain. Freeman and Coleman are both in and split as the pass goes to Coleman on the left side, for a gain of 6 yards. Ryan fires over the middle for Austin Hooper’s first catch of the day, right at the first down marker. Now a 1^st and goal from the 7, Ryan passes short to Julio, who forces his way for 4 yards. With the play clock running out, the Rams call a time out. Freeman scores the touchdown, with teammate Alex Mack, literally, pulling him in. Both of them had their feet continuing to move and fight for ground. I wonder if they both get a ½ touchdown?!? Early in the 2^nd quarter, it is 13/0, Falcons.

Bosher’s kickoff is into the end zone again, Cooper brings it out to the 24. Gurley gets no gain on the first down. Goff passes to Robert Woods for the first down. Gurley slips in the backfield losing 2 yards. Then, Gurley drops the pass from Goff. With Adrian Clayborn coming quickly around the backside, Goff gets the ball off to Woods. Rocky is called for a penalty, but the Rams take the first down instead. Grady Jarrett is applying great pressure in the backfield forcing an errant pass by Goff. Still near the 50, on 2^nd down, Goff hands off to Gurley, who is immediately stopped by Debo in the middle for a one-yard gain. Team pressure causes a quick, low pass by Goff as De’Vondre Campbell lays him out. Another punt to Roberts, who fair catches at the 13.

Ryan is in the shotgun and immediately throws a first down to Sanu. Coleman spins off defenders a couple of times to gain 2 yards. Freeman comes back in as Ryan throws to Hooper for a 5-yard gain. Ryan is sacked at the 23-yard line by Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers, coming in from both sides. Bosher punts 55 yards to the 22-yard line where Cooper is swarmed and the Rams will begin at their own 21.

The Rams begin this drive with a Gurley carry and gain of 4 yards, stopped by Beasley. Another handoff to Gurley, who finds a seam to the left for a huge gain, which is added onto due to a hit out of bounds by Ricardo Allen. With nearly 5 minutes to the half, the Rams are at the Falcons 36. Goff goes deep for Woods who is covered by Rocky, who is in perfect position to cause the incompletion. A pass to a sliding Kupp goes for a first down. Poole makes another big open field tackle on Woods for a short gain. Malcolm Brown runs into a red wall up the middle for a short gain, forcing a 3^rd and 5. Goff finds Kupp for the touchdown over Poole.

The Falcons start at their own 10, and Coleman gets the call for a 6-yard gain. Julio makes the first down catch along the sideline, taking us to the 2-minute warning. Freeman gets 4 yards, then Ryan drops back and slips on the new field as Rams defenders fall on him for a 10-yard sack. The Rams call a time out. Ryan goes left and is taken down again, this time by Morgan Fox who shoved Ryan Schraeder like a ragdoll. Another Bosher punt to Cooper, who Kazee lays out again. A holding penalty is called on the Rams during the return and they begin at their own 14.

Goff comes out throwing to Kupp who is stopped after 5 yards by Debo. Another pass to Kupp for 10 yards and is quickly stopped by Keanu Neal. Goff finds Woods for another 8 yards and he is run out of bounds. Beldi Wrey-Wilson is called for a PI and the Rams get the ball across the 50. Then Goff goes deep to Woods for a 48-yard gain over Trufant. With 18 seconds to the half, the Rams are on the 7-yard line. Goff throws behind Gurley, who still hauls it in at the 3-yard line. The referees are reviewing the catch…..it is overturned, there are now 14 seconds on the clock with a 2^nd and goal from the 7. Goff is being chased out of bounds by Campbell as a flag comes out on the offense, a lineman holding Takk. The penalty forces a 35-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining in the half.

Roberts takes the touchback out of the back of the end zone and the offense kneels down going into the locker room at the half Falcons 13/Rams 10, the Falcons set to receive the ball.

The second half begins with a Roberts return up to the 16. Freeman gets the first run of the 2^nd half and gains a yard. Next, Freeman breaks away for a 21-yard gain behind a great block by Mack and Derrick Coleman. Ryan is hit as he throws to Julio for an incompletion. T. Coleman gets the ball for a short gain forcing a 3^rd and 9. Ryan throws a short pass to Coleman who breaks out and kicks his speed and goes for 14 yards. The Rams were offsides, giving the Falcons a 1^st and 5 at the Rams 40. A missed tackle on Freeman allows him to gain 11 yards and another first down. Free was nearly down, maintained his balance and popped back up to get the first. Now, in the no huddle, Ryan hands off to Freeman for another 4 yards, continuing to run on the right side. Ryan hands to Freeman again, who pushes through the middle to force a 3^rd and 1. Freeman is out and Coleman is in and gets the call, but cannot manage the first down. At the 20, the offense lines up quickly, Garland goes low for the block and Ryan forces his way to a first down. Coleman stays in and gains a quick 5 yards. Coleman goes again for another 6 yards and a 1^st and goal. Freeman returns and runs for no gain, followed by a pass to Julio for 2 yards. The 3^rd and goal pass from Ryan to Hooper falls incomplete, and Bryant returns to the field for a 25-yard field goal.

Bosher kicks to the 4-yard line and Cooper returns it to the 30. Goff throws 2 incomplete passes in a row, then finds Woods just over the hands of Trufant, for a gain of 25 yards….note that THE BACK of Jarrett’s jersey was being held, or there would have been another sack. Gurley carries for 3 yards. Then Goff goes high for Woods and Tru stays right with him in the air and knocks the ball out in perfect timing. Gurley drops the next path, likely due to seeing Debo coming in hard. This forces another punt that Roberts fair catches at the 19.

The Falcons offense starts with an incomplete pass to Hooper, followed by a first down to Julio. Mack lays out Joyner to ensure Ryan has time to complete that pass. Freeman dives forward for 3 yards. Another first down pass to Julio, who shoves his way for a full 16-yard gain. Ryan hands off to Coleman who gains 6 yards, then 3 yards behind the right side. The first pass to Justin Hardy goes for 2 yards as he slips on the field. Coleman runs to the left side for a short gain. The Rams are starting to focus their defense to stop the run. On the 3^rd down, Troy Hill has great defense of the pass to Sanu to knock it lose. Again, Bryant kicks a 54-yard field like it is nothing.

Bosher’s kick is a touchback, Cooper runs it out, is nailed again, fumbles, but was called down as Ishmael fights hard for the ball. Gurley tries to get the Rams 2^nd drive of the half started, but is quickly met by Debo, 5 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The defense has been on the sideline for a nice rest again and are fired up from that almost fumble.

The fourth quarter begins with a 2^nd and 15 for the Rams. Goff comes out throwing behind Kupp. On 3^rd down, Takk is blocked in the back, Beasley is held in a horse collar, so Goff is able to complete the pass to Woods for a first down, who is taken down hard by Campbell. Gurley gets 14 yards and brought down by Campbell and Debo. Then a huge run finally brought down by Rico after a 33-yard gain. Gurley goes up the middle for a short 3. The next play, Goff gets to meet Campbell again, for the 3^rd sack of the day. On 3^rd and 14, Goff, from the shot gun, hands to Brown who is stopped by Kiki forcing a 32-yard field goal. With just under 11 minutes to go, the Falcons lead 19/13.

Roberts takes the kickoff at the 10-yard line and goes out of bounds at the 17. A pass to Julio goes for another first down. Double Coleman’s in the backfield, and Tevin catches the pass, slips, but still manages an 8-yard gain, then is knocked out for a 1-yard loss. Ryan starts to run, then sees an open Hooper just across the first down line. Freeman is way in the backfield when he gets the ball, is immediately stopped by Donald for a 3-yard loss. Ryan passes to Sanu, as he picks up blockers, crosses the field and takes the ball 53 yards! First and 10 on the Rams 10. Freeman gets the call and goes around the right corner for a couple of yards. A fake to Freeman, and Julio gets the touchdown on the front corner of the end zone, giving the Falcons the 26/13 lead.

Bosher’s kick falls at the 3-yard line, Cooper quickly runs out of bounds. Kupp catches a quick first down pass. Then Goff throws a low incompletion. Woods has a false start causing a 2^nd and 15. Goff drops back and hits his tight end as Kiki slides on the field, Woods blocks Campbell in the head, called for a personal foul on a blindside block (4 officials called this), causing a 2^nd and 19. Goff then throws to a wide open Watkins at the 50. Woods makes a first down reception along the sideline. Kupp gets the next pass and is quickly stopped by Debo for a 5-yard gain. A short pass to Gerald Everett is stopped and popped back by Tru. Gurley goes past the 1 yard needed for several yards and the first down at the 20. Goff finds Gurley in the open field, again, tackled by Poole after a 3-yard gain. Neal makes the next stop at the line forcing a 3^rd and 7. Kiki and Debo combine for the next stop for 2 yards short. The Rams immediately go for it on a pass to Woods at the sideline. He bobbles the ball as he is falling out of bounds for the catch. They quickly snap the ball to ensure no review or challenge. A quick run to the left for a few yards. With 2:22 to go and a 2^nd and goal from the 5, Goff over throws Woods in the end zone. Goff then finds Tyler Higbee in the end zone just over Neal. The ruling of “touchdown” was reviewed and overturned as the ball hit the ground. It’s a 4^th down on the 5-yard line. Gurley is back in, Goff in the shotgun, as Grady and Vic swarm to Goff, the pass to Watkins is knocked out by Debo.

The Falcons take over on downs. Seconds over 2 minutes to go, on their own 5-yard line, up by 13, the Rams have all 3 time outs. Freeman gets the first carry and 3 yards. The 2-minute warning time out.

After the 2-minute warning, Ryan hands to Coleman who gains another 3 yards and the Rams take a time out. On 3^rd and 3, behind Dontari Poe, Coleman gains no yards and Bosher returns to punt.

Bosher’s punt is nearly blocked, Cooper bobbles the catch allowing Ish and Reynolds time to get to him and lay him out again. Goff goes immediately to the end zone to Watkins who is blanketed by Rocky in great coverage. Goff is forced out of the pocket by Poe and Jarrett and throws out of bounds. A quick pass up to Gurley gains 4 yards and is brought down by Wrey-Wilson. On 4^th down, the Rams call their final time out with 74 seconds remaining. Goff throws incomplete to Woods and is nearly intercepted by Wreh-Wilson.

Falcon fans sigh in relief as the team kneels down twice and prepare to head to Philadelphia for the next round at 4:35 ET on Saturday.

010618 Kazee — Kazee Getting After a Fumble

Iron Falcon: Nearly weekly deserved, Matt Bryant – another 4 field goals, 29, 51, 25, and 54 this week. Damontae Kazee and Kemal Ishmael for their consistent kick coverage, causing and recovering fumbles, turning the field for the offense and lighting up the team.

#RiseUp

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Pictures Courtesy of Atlanta Falcons