Up 22-16 with 2:46 to play, the Falcons defense stuffed Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson, sacked QB Philip Rivers and broke up a pass to preserve the victory.
WR Roddy White finished with 112 yards and became the first Falcon since Terance Mathis to cross the 1,000-yard plateau in consecutive seasons.
Tomlinson ran 14 times for 24 yards, the second-worst rushing day of his career.
Falcons DT Jonathan Babineaux had one and a half of the team’s three sacks and DE John Abraham forced Rivers into an intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety.
A 28-yard run on a fake punt by RB Jacob Hester set up a field goal that drew the Chargers within six of the Falcons.
Malcolm Floyd was the only Chargers WR to make more than one catch as Rivers went 17-for-30 for 149 yards.
Said Chargers WR Chris Chambers, “We don’t take shots. When you take shots down the field, you may miss them, but you’ll still open up the field. We have the receivers with great athletic ability. We just need to sit and re-evaluate some of the things we’re doing and come up with a better game plan to execute.”
Falcons QB Matt Ryan wasn’t sacked and threw for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
Former Chargers and current Falcons RB Michael Turner ran for 120 yards but couldn’t convert three chances from the two and fumbled in the fourth quarter.
Said Charger CB Quentin Jammer, “It’s frustrating as hell because we lose close games. Every week, they’re tougher to swallow.”
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Spank, a Head Coach, on 12/1/08 at 1:49 pm
The scoreboard may indicate it was close but anyone who watched the game knows otherwise. Uninspired. Unprepared. Unwatchable.
Thanx Norv.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
alamedaman, a Division Champ, on 12/1/08 at 1:59 pm
what do you expect? his name is NORV
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
kayC, a Division Champ, on 12/1/08 at 2:10 pm
As a fan of the NFL, the Chargers are frustrating to watch. If given the chance to do it over again, think A.J. Smith would try a little harder to play nice in the sandbox with Schottenheimer?
Look at the bright side. Even with the departure of Drew Brees, Marty, and Michael Turner, the Chargers haven’t managed to chase Antonio Gates out of town.
Yet.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
atlantafalCANS, a Passionate Fan, on 12/1/08 at 2:19 pm
Don’t forget to credit how well the Falcons played…The lack of execution wasn’t just due to the poor play and play calling of San Diego.
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I_Hate_Yams, a Passionate Fan, on 12/1/08 at 2:20 pm
Thanks for ruining a good team Norv. I hope AJ Smith can swallow his ego admit he made a mistake in hiring you and blow you out at the end of the season.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
wolfgang, a Rookie, on 12/1/08 at 2:51 pm
Norv Turner has entered the pantheon of pro football’s all-time worst head coaches.
Marion Campbell…Abe Gibron…Dan Henning.
And Norv Turner, who does less with more talent than anyone in the NFL.
Good offensive coordinator with tremendous football knowledge.
Horrible head coach with zero leadership ability.
In fact, Turner couldn’t lead a nymphomaniac into an orgy.
The Chargers would be better if Sid Gillman returned as their head coach, and Gillman is dead.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
pfitz, a Head Coach, on 12/1/08 at 3:02 pm
LT 24 yards..hahaha.He is DONE!But if you ask him he is still classy
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
RaiderMight, a Passionate Fan, on 12/1/08 at 3:29 pm
It hurts to be a Raiders fan right now, but I am sure it hurts even more to be a Dolts fan. Monday was going to be a tough day until I saw this post. Put a tiny smile on my face. 14 for 24. Whew! As Jammer said, must be tough to swallow.
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TheDPR, a Head Coach, on 12/1/08 at 3:34 pm
I hate to pile on but as an impartial observer neither for nor against the Chargers, Norv Turner the head coach ruined this football team. I miss having him in the NFC East.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
Great Falconi, a Passionate Fan, on 12/1/08 at 3:38 pm
The Falcons shot themselves in the foot most of that game. Because of this, the Chargers (A.) should have lost this game by, oh, four TDs, or (B.) should have won the game because the Falcons tried really hard to give it away. It was a very strange game to watch.
In the end, the main thing I took away from this game is this: Norv Turner sucks.
I think we all can agree on that.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
superduperboltman, a Rookie, on 12/1/08 at 5:34 pm
Can someone explain why Norv Turner is so stubborn?
You can’t do the same thing over and over and expect
different results. WHY THE HELL does he continue to call
run plays on 8 man fronts? WHY THE HELL does he call pass
plays with 5 man fronts? Where are the RB Draw plays?
Where are the Quick audibles to Play-action on stacked
defensive fronts? Why is the Offensive line unable to
provide more than 2 seconds of protection to Rivers? We all
saw it Against The Jets and New England and even in the
loss to New Orleans. How can Rivers throw a pass when there
are 2 defenders in his face before he even gets halfway
through his 3 or 5 step drop? Why don’t we get better
linebackers to cover the middle of the field? Wilhelm gets
burned on every play he’s in coverage. Hart plays like an
undersized Linebacker, and is a terrible safety. AJ Smith
needs to sit Norv down as OC and get someone to be a
smarter and less stubborn Head Coach.
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Rating: Not yet rated