The Atlanta Falcons put on a show on Thursday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they dominated every aspect of the game on their way to a 56-14 victory in the Georgia Dome.
Halftime Quick Hitters: Atlanta Routing Tampa Bay 35-0 After Two
Here's five things we learned from the Falcons' drubbing of the Bucs.
5. Devin Hester Is A First-Ballot Hall-Of-Famer
Perhaps we didn't learn this on Thursday, but it was sure reinforced after the former Chicago Bears special-teams legend passed "Prime Time" Deion Sanders with his 20th career return for a touchdown. Hester is at the very least one of the three greatest returners to ever play the game, and the fact that the 31-year-old still creates absolute electricity every time he touches the ball is a testament to his extraordinary work ethic and otherworldly talent.
4. Something Went Horribly Wrong On Tampa's Sideline
Let's just look at the numbers through the first three quarters, including a few minutes with Falcons QB Matt Ryan watching comfortably with a headset on. Atlanta had four times as many first downs as the Bucs in the first 45 minutes (24-6), along with three times the total yards (457-151) en route to a eye-popping 56-0 lead.
The Bucs looked listless (at best) during Thursday's drubbing, as head coach Lovie Smith will have plenty to answer for after Tampa's carnival of errors.
3. Matt Ryan Didn't Just Look Great, He Looked Elite
Speaking of Ryan, he left in the third with an amazing stat line to his credit: 21-of-24, 286 passing yards, 3 TDs. His 87.5% completion rate on the day set a new Atlanta Falcons record. His poise and field vision, even without star WR Roddy White, was several levels above impressive. If this is the Ryan who shows up for Atlanta's remaining 13 regular-season games, the NFC (and the entire NFL) will need to watch out.
2. Josh McCown's Injury Could Lead To A QB Controversy In Tampa
Bucs starting QB Josh McCown left in the second quarter with a right thumb injury, as he banged it off a defender's helmet in the middle of his throwing motion. McCown (5-of-12, 56 yards, 1 INT) gave way to Mike Glennon who moved Tampa down the field at a more consistent pace while providing some garbage-time points.
Will Lovie Smith pull the plug on McCown? It may not happen yet, but it could happen very soon.
1. Atlanta (And Head Coach Mike Smith) Are Unafraid To Make A Statement
The Falcons were well on their way to victory up 28-o sixteen minutes into the game, but Smith and the entire Atlanta side kept their foot on the accelerator until the game was well beyond out of hand. After a humbling 4-12 campaign in 2013, the Falcons announced themselves as contenders this year in front of a national television audience. They will look to add to Thursday's statement in Week 4 as they travel to the Twin Cities to face a depleted Minnesota Vikings squad.
Back to the Atlanta Falcons Newsfeed