The Setup
Cards were coming off their first win (vs, Cincy). Falcons had a record of 1 - 4 and HC Dan Quinn's job was rumored to be on the line.

Lede
Botched XP by Falcs Secures Win for Cards

The Bottom Line:
In "normal" years, Atlanta would be considered a contender (battling Carolina, NO and TB for NFC South leadership. But this season had a different feel. At 1 - 4- 0, the Falcones were considered bottom feeders of their division. Despite their slow start, a Cardinal die-hards felt that they had a decent shot at winning this sucker. Most formidable Falcon asset was its cagey veteran QB (Matt Ryan) and a receiving group led by Julio Jones. Biggest potential Falcon liability was it the 800 lb losing gorilla on its back. Cards showed they had talent but still brdened with the reputtion fot being a collection of talented youngsters still figuring out who they were and what they could do.

After the Cardinals rang up a decent sized lead (20 - 10 at halftime) only to see it melt away under a relentless Atlanta offensive attack, Cardinal die-hards watched in stunned dismay as the Falcon field goal kicker (Bryant) lined up to kick the extra point that would tie the game with 1:53 left to play.

"Maybe he'll miss it" murmored one lobe of my brain. "Nah, Bryant hasn't missed an XP in a gazillion tries", replied the other lobe. "Be prepared to lose."

We won. Bryant shanked the kick. Go figure.

Scoring Summary:

1st Quarter

TD - Ridley - 7 yds pass from Ryan - Atlanta 7 - Cards 0

FG - Gonzalez - 39 yards - Atlanta 7 - Cards 3

1st Quarter Score: Falcons 7 - Cards 3

2nd Quarter

• TD - Edmonds 2 yd pass from Murray - Cards 10 - Falcons 7

  TD - D Johnson - 1 yd run - Cards 17 - Falcons 7

  FG - Bryant - 29 yds - Cards 17 - Falcons 10

  FG - Gonzalez - 22 yds - Cards 20 - Falcons 10

  Halftme Score: Cards 20 - Falcons 10

3rd Quarter

TD - M Williams - 20 yd "against the grain" pass fr Murray - Cards 27 - Falcons 10

FG - Bryant - 44 yds - Cards 27 - Falcons 13

TD - Freeman - 7 yds pass from Ryan - Cards 27 - Falcons 20

• Third Quarter Score: Cards 27 - Falcons 20

TD -Hooper - 6 yds pass from Ryan - Cards 27 - Falcons 27

TD - D Johnson - 12 yd pass fr Murray - Cards 34 - Falcons 27

TD- Freeman - 12 yd pass from Ryan (XP failed) Cards 24 - Falcons 33

Final Score: Cards 34 - Falcons 33

 

Last Word:
Being a hard-core pro football fan is becoming less and less a matter of enjoying the ins and outs of the game and more and more a matter of "Who Can Make the Most Accurate Forecast." I believe this is less a matter of "Team A will win tomorrow" or "score 36 points" the day after" and more a function of how the odds may play out over time - i.e. less a matter of "Team A will absolutely/positively beat Team B" and more a matter of "there's a better than 50-50 possibility that Team A will beat Team B."

In the case of the Atlanta Falcons, it seemed to me that there was a 50-50 chance that Murray would either have a career game or conversely could blow up big time. (He's young. You never know). I also felt that Matt Ryan's skill, experience and smarts along with Julian Jones's game breaking skills gave Atlanta an overall edge.

As it turns out, the margin of victory was determined by their FG kicker. Go figure.

Also - hidden beneath all the razzle-dazzle of a rookie QB capable of lighting things up was the absence of any major gaffes by Kyler Murray. No sacks. No interceptions. No fumbles. 70% completions - just enough to win by a missed XP. If he can play mistake- free while gradually ratcheting up his decision-making and skill-set, Cardinal fans are in for a very pleasant experience.

Final word of caution - We didn't win the Super Bowl. We still have an entertaining roller-coaster ride in front of us. I expect us to improve the "old fashioned way" gradually, snap by snap. (Kid and his surrounding cast still have a lot to learn. Go get 'em, K-1.