Recap: Atlanta vs. Carolina
Sports Network | November 23, 2008
Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - Michael Turner rushed for 117 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter, as the Atlanta Falcons upended the NFC South-leading Carolina Panthers, 45-28.
Matt Ryan was an efficient 17-of-27 for 259 yards for the Falcons (7-4), who have won three of four and moved within a game of the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the top spot in the division.
"I think everybody was excited for the win today," Ryan said. "The games are of huge magnitude anytime you go against a division opponent. It was definitely a good win against a great Carolina Panthers team."
Rookie Harry Douglas ran for a score, caught four balls for 92 yards and had the game-sealing 61-yard punt return for a touchdown with five minutes to play, as Atlanta moved to 5-1 at home this season.
Carolina's Jake Delhomme started slowly but passed for 295 yards and a score on 21-of-35 passes thanks to an eight-catch, 168-yard effort by receiver Steve Smith. The Panthers (8-3), who rushed for a team-record 264 rushing yards against Detroit last week, had 134 yards on the ground while snapping a four- game winning streak.
DeAngelo Williams led the running attack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.
Down 17-3 at halftime, Carolina came out of the break and went to the air. Delhomme and Smith hooked up for 41- and 22-yard pass plays, and Williams rushed off the right tackle for a five-yard touchdown, cutting the Panthers' deficit to seven.
A quick three-and-out for the hosts was followed by another promising drive for Carolina, but Williams was stuffed on a draw on 3-and-6 from the Atlanta seven, and John Kasay connected on a 21-yard field goal.
With the momentum favoring the Panthers, Atlanta put together a critical 12- play, 80-yard trek. A 19-yard reception by Michael Jenkins on 3-and-10 prolonged the drive, and Turner put Atlanta up 24-13 on a four-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Delhomme and the Panthers had an answer, as the quarterback hit 3-for-4 on the drive for 63 yards and scrambled his way into the end zone from 12 yards out. Williams rushed up the middle for a two-point conversion, cutting the Falcons' lead to three.
On the third play of the next Atlanta drive, however, Douglas caught a pass, broke a tackle and sprinted to the Carolina six. The 69-yard pass play left the ball at the Carolina six. After three failed tries to get the ball in the end zone, Turner took it in from one yard out with just over seven minutes to play.
A sack and two penalties forced a quick Carolina punt, which Douglas promptly returned 61 yards for the back-breaking TD with 4:47 remaining.
"When I caught it, I was going half speed to the left, but I knew what I was doing," Douglas said. "The guys up front did a great job of giving me a block to follow. So, I made a quick cut back, and the middle was wide open."
Carolina's Muhsin Muhammad hauled in a 16-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game again, but Atlanta recovered the onside kick, and Turner capped his big day with a 16-yard scamper to the end zone in the final moments of the game.
Atlanta's eight-play, 70-yard drive following the opening kickoff resulted in Jason Elam's 23-yard field goal four minutes into the game.
Carolina, which finished with zero net yards in the first quarter, went three- and-out, and Ryan completed passes for 27 and 17 yards to get his troops deep in Panthers territory. On 3rd-and-3 from the Carolina seven, Douglas came in motion, took a quick toss and ran around the right end for a touchdown.
Three third-down conversions on the Falcons' next touch left the ball at the Carolina goal line, and Turner barreled into the end zone for a 17-0 lead early in the second frame.
"We started slow," Panthers head coach John Fox said. "I think on our first three possessions we were three-and-out, and defensively I thought they had us on our heels. They did a good job mixing the run and the pass and misdirection, a lot of different substitutions. They were playing one speed and we were playing another one."
Ryan's fumble at his own 48 turned the tide in favor of the visitors with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. Delhomme's 31-yard pass to Smith on the ensuing drive put the ball on the goal line, but the Falcons defense forced a 23-yard Kasay field goal.
Carolina then moved into enemy territory late in the half, but a false start and a sack forced a punt, and the Falcons led 17-3 at the break.
The Panthers had beaten the Falcons in Atlanta the previous three seasons. Carolina had won five of the previous seven matchups between the clubs, including a win in Week 4...Atlanta converted 6-of-13 on third down, compared to Carolina's 5-for-14 efficiency...Roddy White had four catches for 70 yards for Atlanta, while Muhammad finished with four grabs for 40 yards.
