There were few style points handed out in the Falcons' final regular-season game. Only the final score concerned the players, who were pleased to walk away from the Georgia Dome with a stressful 31-27 win over St. Louis and begin preparation for a trip to Arizona for their first playoff game since the 2004 season.
"We didn't play our best, but we took care of business when we had to," Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said. "We didn't play as well as we would have liked. You just have to do whatever it takes to win."
The Falcons overcame three turnovers, including two Ryan interceptions, to finish the regular season 11-5. They won despite allowing 408 yards to the third-worst offense in the NFL, a team averaging only 13.6 points. They won despite being caught off guard by an onside kick and a faked punt from a team with 14 losses.
The difference between this year and the past: The Falcons won. Unlike the bad old days, they came through when it mattered. Atlanta is now 4-2 in games decided by four points or less.
"It was a tough, hard-fought Football game. They fought through some adverse situations," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "We are now in the tournament, and we are very excited about that opportunity."
The Falcons won it late. Trailing 27-24 with 6:39 left, they needed six plays to take the lead, the final 45 yards covered quickly by tailback Jerious Norwood, who scored his second touchdown of the day.
The Atlanta defense then stopped the upset-minded Rams with the game on the line. Defensive end Chauncey Davis picked up a timely sack of St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger inside the two-minute warning. Faced with a long-yardage situation, Bulger couldn't connect on a pair of passes intended for Dane Looker and Donnie Avery, and the Falcons ran out the clock.
"I thought it was a statement drive with the last score, and I thought our defense rose to the occasion at the end of the game," Smith said.
St. Louis wasted a 161-yard rushing performance by running back Steven Jackson, who carried 30 times and scored two touchdowns. Jackson also caught four passes for 54 yards.
"I thought we played about as well as we could play," Rams coach Jim Haslett said. "Our guys played their hearts out. We just didn't get it done."
Falcons running back Michael Turner ran for 208 yards and one touchdown, giving him a franchise-best 17 touchdowns. It was Turner's second 200-yard performance of the season and gives him 1,699 yards, the third best in Falcons history.
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White caught three passes for 48 yards and one touchdown and broke the team record for receiving yards set by Alfred Jenkins in 1981. White now has 1,382 yards.
The Falcons' offensive line allowed only one sack and gave up 17 for the season, eight better than the old record set in 1982.
The special teams set an NFL record for fewest punt return yards allowed. They held the Rams to no yards and finished with 49, besting the mark of 53 set by the Buffalo Bills in 1991.
