FLOWERY BRANCH — The Atlanta Falcons announced on Wednesday their 2012 preseason schedule, which includes home contests against Baltimore (date to be determined) and Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 16 and road meetings at Miami Saturday, Aug. 25 and Jacksonville Thursday, Aug. 30.

CBS Atlanta will broadcast three of the Falcons four preseason games in 2012 as the team’s official broadcast partner. The Falcons game against Cincinnati will be broadcast nationally on FOX on Thursday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m.

The Falcons will open the 2012 preseason at the Georgia Dome against the Baltimore Ravens. The time and date of the game has not yet been determined. Atlanta and Baltimore have met in the preseason in seven of the last nine years, including a 21-7 Ravens win at the Georgia Dome in 2011. The Falcons trail 5-3 in the all-time preseason series and Head Coach Mike Smith owns a 2-1 preseason record against the Ravens. The Falcons will face the Cincinnati Bengals for the first time since 2007 and the 11th time overall on Thursday, Aug. 16, at 8 p.m. in a nationally televised contest on FOX. Cincinnati topped Atlanta 24-19 at the Georgia Dome in the last meeting between the two clubs in 2007, and the Falcons own a 6-4 lead in the all-time preseason series. The Falcons and Dolphins have met 11 times in the preseason, including each of the last two seasons with Atlanta leading the series 6-5. Smith owns a 1-1 record against the Dolphins in preseason play, including a 28-23 loss at the Georgia Dome in the 2011 preseason. Atlanta will close out preseason play at Jacksonville on Thursday, Aug. 30. The Falcons will battle the Jaguars for the third straight year and the ninth time in the preseason. The Falcons fell to the Jaguars, 15-13 in 2011 and trail 5-3 in the all-time preseason series.

2012 ATLANTA FALCONS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
– vs. Baltimore, CBS Atlanta, Date TBD
– Thursday, Aug. 16, vs. Cincinnati, 8 p.m., FOX (National)
– at Miami, CBS Atlanta, Date TBD
– Thursday, Aug. 30, at Jacksonville, 6:30 p.m., CBS Atlanta

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Mike Smith wants his first two playoff losses with the Falcons to be “growing experiences” that will help his team prepare for Sunday’s first-round road game against the New York Giants.

With Smith in his first season as coach and Matt Ryan starting as a rookie quarterback, the Falcons lost to Arizona in the first round of the playoffs after the 2008 season. The Falcons had a first-round bye last year before losing 48-21 to Green Bay.

Smith said it’s important the Falcons (10-6) learn from the losses. He said based on those lessons he is planning tweaks to the Falcons’ practice this week.

“I know we’ve had two postseason games prior to this,” Smith said. “We haven’t gotten the outcome we’ve wanted. We are learning from those experiences. We’re going to use those as growing experiences and we’re looking forward to competing this week, and that’s not just Matt Ryan.

“That’s Mike Smith and every member of our team.”

The Falcons, who never enjoyed back-to-back winning seasons before Smith’s arrival in 2008, now have four straight winning seasons and the team’s first back-to-back playoff berths. The obvious missing piece in Smith’s otherwise impressive record is a playoff win.

Smith said he’s glad the Falcons, who capped their regular season with Sunday’s 45-24 win over Tampa Bay, can move straight into their playoff week.

“I think the way that it went down last year, I’d rather be up this week and go ahead and play,” he said. “That was one of the things I don’t know that we handled as well as we should of, the way that I structured it. I think if we get in that situation again we’ll handle it a little bit differently.”

Smith said he also discussed other changes for this week.

“In our staff meeting today, I brought out the notebook in terms of things we wrote down,” Smith said, referring to his notes from the last two playoff games. “You learn from everything that you do in terms of how you prepare. In terms of the actual scheduling, we’re not going to change that, but there are some things we definitely are going to do a little bit differently.”

He wouldn’t provide details of his planned changes.

“Some things I’d rather not talk about in terms of subtle changes in our installation and how we’re going to present things to our football team,” he said.

The NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement strictly limits the number of practices in full pads. Smith said the Falcons have not worked out in full pads since Week 13. He said his players could work in full pads in one practice this week.

“So it changes a little bit from what we’ve been doing in the last six or seven weeks of the season,” he said.

The Falcons had four turnovers, including two interceptions by Ryan, in last year’s playoff loss to Green Bay. They had three turnovers, including Ryan’s two interceptions, in their 30-24 loss to Arizona.

“There was a common theme in terms of you can’t turn the football over,” Smith said. “That was the pressing thing.

“It’s no different than regular-season football, but we’ve got to make sure that we have ball security. We cannot turn the ball over in the postseason. It’s imperative.”

The Falcons led the Buccaneers 42-0 on Sunday before pulling Ryan and other starters out of the game.

Ryan said the runaway win gave the offense momentum for the playoffs.

“I think it kind of put us in a little bit of a rhythm,” Ryan said.

“We made the plays and that’s what we need to do moving forward. I think everybody’s confidence is very high heading into next week.”

Smith said the Falcons have given the Jacksonville Jaguars permission to interview offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey for their head coach position. The interview is likely to take place next week.

Linebacker Stephen Nicholas, held out of Sunday’s game with a toe injury, worked on the practice field with trainers on Monday but is doubtful for the Giants game, according to Smith.

ATLANTA (AP) —
Michael Turner
and the Falcons didn’t want to settle for just making the playoffs.

They wanted momentum and the best seed possible.

Hoping for a fast start, the Falcons set a team record with 42 first-half points, including two touchdown runs by Turner,
and Atlanta cruised to a 45-24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed.

Julio Jones
caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds in the first quarter as the Falcons gave the Buccaneers their 10th straight
loss.

“We didn’t want to come down to the wire, backing into the playoffs,” Turner said.

The Falcons were motivated by two blowout losses – 48-21 to Green Bay in last year’s playoffs and 45-16 at New Orleans last
week.

“Getting embarrassed like that last year, that’s not who we were,” Turner said. “We just wanted another chance.”

The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards. Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with
the Lions for the more favorable seeding. The Falcons will play at the winner of Sunday night’s Dallas-
New York Giants
game in the first round of the playoffs.

“We wanted to play our final regular-season game with a lot of intensity and energy, and I think we did that in all three
phases,” Falcons coach
Mike Smith
said.

Josh Freeman
threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the first half as the Buccaneers (4-12) closed their season with their 10th straight
loss, leaving the status of coach Raheem Morris in doubt.

“If I was in the business of working out my future, I wouldn’t be coaching,” Morris said. “I’m going to go to work tomorrow
until they tell me to stop.”

The Falcons led 42-0 when they began resting some starters, including quarterback
Matt Ryan
and Turner, late in the first half.

“We had opportunities the week before and just didn’t make the plays,” Ryan said. “Today, we made the plays and I think that’s
what we needed moving forward.”

Ryan was 6 of 9 for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 17 and 48 yards to Jones in the first quarter.

Tampa Bay, which finished 10-6 last season and started 4-2 this season, is left with its longest losing streak in one season
in 34 years. The Buccaneers also lost 10 straight in 1977. They lost 11 straight between the 2008 and `09 seasons.

“This is not the season we wanted or expected, but we will need to rededicate ourselves and get ready for this offseason,”
Morris said.

Turnovers were a problem for the Buccaneers all season. Freeman began the day tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions
before completing 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

With Atlanta leading 42-0, Freeman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to
Dezmon Briscoe
with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half. Freeman threw a 5-yard TD pass to Briscoe in the fourth quarter.

Tampa Bay’s other touchdown came on
Elbert Mack
‘s 40-yard interception return against Falcons’ backup
Chris Redman
in the third quarter.

Turner ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an 81-yard scoring run late in the first half. The score capped the
Falcons’ run of six unanswered touchdowns.

The Falcons led 21-0 after the first quarter and then put the game away with three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

The strong showing was important for the Falcons. Last week’s loss at New Orleans was the worst in four seasons with Smith.

“The main thing we wanted to do was flush out of our system last week,” tight end
Tony Gonzalez
said.

The Falcons announced before the game Gonzalez, 35, has signed a one-year contract extension, ending speculation he might
retire after this season.

The Falcons had the No. 1 seed in the playoffs last year before losing to the Packers.

Despite the team’s lower seed, Gonzalez said the Falcons are prepared for a longer postseason run.

“Honestly, I’ve said it all year: I think we’re a better team than we were last year,” Gonzalez said.

Rookie
Jacquizz Rodgers
scored on a 1-yard run for his first career touchdown to start the Falcons’ scoring. Rodgers lost a fumble at the Tampa Bay
2 in the fourth quarter.

After Ryan’s first TD pass to Jones,
Dominique Franks
‘ interception on Tampa Bay’s first down gave the ball back to Atlanta.

On first down from the Buccaneers 48, Ryan again threw to Jones, who fought off safety
Tanard Jackson
for the catch. Jones then jumped up from the turf, hit cornerback E.J. Biggers with a stiff-arm and then dragged Biggers into
the end zone.

Turner had two touchdown runs and
Curtis Lofton
returned an interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Matt Bryant
kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter after the Buccaneers were stopped on fourth down at their 10.

Notes: Ryan passed Jeff George for the Falcons’ most yards passing in a season. George threw for 4,143 yards in 1995. Ryan
has 4,177. … Turner has 50 rushing touchdowns in four seasons with the Falcons, passing Gerald Riggs’ team record of 48.
… WR
Roddy White
also celebrated a milestone, passing Terance Mathis for the most yards receiving with the Falcons. Mathis had 7,349 yards
from 1994-2001. White finished the game with 7,374 for his career. … By playing in his 225th game with Tampa Bay, CB
Ronde Barber
passed Derrick Brooks for the team record.

© 2011 STATS LLC

The Atlanta Falcons grabbed the lead _ and the No. 5 seed in the
playoffs _ and wouldn’t let go.

Julio Jones caught two touchdown passes in a span of 26 seconds,
Michael Turner ran for two scores and the Falcons used a
team-record 42 first-half points to cruise to a 45-24 win over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to clinch the No. 5 seed in the NFC
playoffs.

The Falcons (10-6) and Detroit (10-6) are the NFC wild cards.
Atlanta, which beat Detroit on Oct. 23, won the tiebreaker with the
Lions for the more favorable seeding. The Falcons will play at the
winner of Sunday night’s Dallas-New York Giants game in the first
round of the playoffs.

“We wanted to play our final regular-season game with a lot of
intensity and energy, and I think we did that in all three phases,”
Falcons coach Mike Smith said.

Josh Freeman threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the
first half as the Buccaneers (4-12) closed their season with their
10th straight loss, leaving the status of coach Raheem Morris in
doubt.

The Falcons led 42-0 when it began resting some of its starters,
including quarterback Matt Ryan and Turner, late in the first
half.

Tampa Bay, which finished 10-6 last season and started 4-2 this
season, is left with its longest losing streak in one season in 34
years. The Buccaneers also lost 10 straight in 1977. They lost 11
straight between the 2008 and `09 seasons.

Turnovers were a problem for the Buccaneers all season. Freeman
began the day tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions before
adding three to the dismal total, including one with 1:39
remaining.

Freeman completed 31 of 45 passes for 274 yards with two
touchdowns and three interceptions.

With Atlanta leading 42-0, Freeman threw a 2-yard touchdown pass
to Dezmon Briscoe with about 2 minutes remaining in the first half.
Freeman threw a 5-yard TD pass to Briscoe in the fourth
quarter.

Tampa Bay’s other touchdown came on Elbert Mack’s 40-yard
interception return against Falcons’ backup Chris Redman in the
third quarter.

Turner ran for 172 yards and two touchdowns, including an
81-yard scoring run late in the first half. The score capped the
Falcons’ run of six unanswered touchdowns.

The Falcons led 21-0 after the first quarter and then put the
game away with three more touchdowns in the second quarter.

The strong showing was important for the Falcons, who were
coming off a 45-16 loss at New Orleans that was the worst loss in
four seasons with Smith.

“We had some things we needed to get fixed from the previous
game and I’m really proud of the way the guys bounced back,” Smith
said.

Ryan was 6 of 9 for 106 yards, including touchdown passes of 17
and 48 yards to Jones in the first quarter.

Rookie Jacquizz Rodgers scored on a 1-yard run for his first
career touchdown to start the Falcons’ scoring. Rodgers lost a
fumble at the Tampa Bay 2 in the fourth quarter.

After Ryan’s first TD pass to Jones, Dominique Franks’
interception on Tampa Bay’s first down gave the ball back to
Atlanta.

On first down from the Buccaneers 48, Ryan again threw to Jones,
who fought off safety Tanard Jackson for the catch. Jones then
jumped up from the turf, hit cornerback E.J. Biggers with a
stiff-arm and then dragged Biggers into the end zone.

Turner had two touchdown runs and Curtis Lofton returned an
interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Matt Bryant kicked a 20-yard field goal late in the fourth
quarter after the Buccaneers were stopped on fourth down at their
10.

Turner’s two touchdowns gave him a team-record 50 rushing scores
with the Falcons, passing Gerald Riggs’ record of 48.

Roddy White also celebrated a milestone, passing Terance Mathis
for the most yards receiving with the Falcons. Mathis had 7,349
yards from 1994-2001. White began Sunday 44 yards behind Mathis and
set the mark in the third quarter.

TAMPA — The Falcons could have a very limited ability to impact their playoff position in Sunday’s game against the Bucs, but Atlanta maintains it will play to win.

Coach Mike Smith suggested Wednesday that he would not rest his starters or coach differently, but he wasn’t entirely specific.

“Our preparation week is going to be no different than any other week,” Smith said. “We know there are some things that are set in concrete. We know we’ll be playing the following week. We don’t know who or where or when, and we’ve just got to go through our normal preparation and prepare to beat Tampa Bay.

“That’s our entire focus this week. We’re not thinking about the second season.”

The Bucs (4-11) hope to end the season by snapping a nine-game losing streak.

The Falcons (9-6), meanwhile, will know by the 4:15 kickoff if their game affects their playoff seeding. If the Lions defeat the Packers earlier in the day, the Falcons are the sixth seed, no matter the outcome of the Bucs game. But if the Lions lose, the Falcons can grab the fifth seed with a win.

All-Pro TE Tony Gonzalez said the Falcons want to play to win after their 45-16 thumping at the hands of the Saints on Monday night.

“It’s business as usual around here,” Gonzalez said. “We’re going to try to go out and win a football game against a really good team that beat us earlier in the season. I don’t think anybody’s mind-set around here is that we’re going to go ahead and rest, especially after last week the way we performed against the Saints. We have to go out there and put on a good performance going into the playoffs.”

WELL DESERVED: RG Davin Joseph‘s selection to the Pro Bowl this week didn’t surprise QB Josh Freeman. And it probably shouldn’t have surprised some of the Bucs’ opponents, either.

“I remember Ndamukong Suh before the first game said, ‘Man, you’ve got to keep (No.) 75 from cheap (shots),’ ” Freeman said of the Lions’ defensive tackle. “I’m like, ‘Are you really telling me this? You of all people?’ Guys throughout the year said the same thing. (Texans LB) Brian Cushing comes to mind. They know about Davin. They know what a great player he is, and it’s great to have him on our team.”

For his part, Joseph, headed to his second Pro Bowl, said he’d take team accomplishments over individual ones.

“If you give me 10 wins, I’d trade it all in,” said the 2006 first-round pick out of Oklahoma. “It just shows we have talent, and there’s no doubt we put in a lot of work. It just hasn’t panned out for us right now. But, soon, it will.”

In a season full of negatives, Joseph’s play has stood out, according to Freeman: “Davin has been a major bright spot, the effort that guy gives, his intensity. I hear guys all the time talk about, ‘You’ve got to keep that No. 75, watch out for him. Tell him to cut out the cheap shots.’ (They) are not cheap shots. They’re hustle plays.”

INJURY REPORT: The Bucs are limping into their final game as decimated by injuries as they’ve been all season. The injury report includes seven players who were unable to practice Wednesday in any capacity: WR Arrelious Benn (neck), DE Michael Bennett (toe), DT Albert Haynesworth (knee), DT Roy Miller (back), DT Brian Price (ankle), WR Preston Parker (concussion) and RT Jeremy Trueblood (concussion). The defensive line is particularly thin, with only three defensive tackles available Wednesday: Frank Okam, new signee Jovan Haye and practice squad member Lamar Divens.

Staff writer Rick Stroud contributed to this report.

Drew Brees set the NFL record for yards passing in a season, breaking a mark that Dan Marino had held for nearly three decades, and New Orleans clinched the NFC South title with a 45-16 victory over the Falcons on Monday night.

Brees threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns, the last a 9-yard strike to Darren Sproles that set the record with 2:51 to go.

Falcons coach Mike Smith was quick to congratulate Brees and also to criticize his own squad, which came in hoping to remain in the hunt to repeat as division champions.

“We didn’t really play well enough in any phase of the game to give ourselves a chance to win,” Smith said. “There were some opportunities early on, and then it kind of got out of hand there at the end. … It’s not the type of effort that you want to have with so much on the line with what the outcome could have meant to our team.”

Matt Ryan had 373 yards passing and one TD, including a 21-yard scoring strike to Julio Jones that gave the Falcons (9-6) a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter. But that turned out to be Atlanta’s only touchdown and the Saints (12-3) took the lead for good on their next drive when Brees hit Marques Colston for an 8-yard score.

“We have to get a lot better in the red zone,” Ryan said. “We needed a lot more touchdowns than the field goals we got out there.”

Atlanta finished with 469 total yards, six more yards than New Orleans, only to lose by more than four touchdowns. However, a lot of the Falcons’ yards came through the air after they were behind and had to abandon the running game, which accounted for only 35 yards.

Jones had eight catches for 128 yards and Roddy White had 11 catches for 127 yards.

Brees broke Marino’s record on his final throw of the game and it gave him 5,087 yards passing — with one game still to play. Marino finished with 5,084 yards for the Miami Dolphins in 1984.

Minutes after Brees broke the record, Marino offered congratulations on his Twitter account.

“Great job by such a special player,” Marino wrote.

As Sproles spiked the ball, Brees thrust his fist triumphantly in the air and started walking toward midfield while the Superdome crowd went wild and his teammates chased him down. Offensive guard Carl Nicks was the first one to get there and tried to lift Brees onto his shoulder, but couldn’t do it as teammates swarmed around.

“If I could have put him on my shoulders and paraded him around the whole stadium I would have done that. He deserves it,” Nicks said. “It’s like a movie, man. Just a movie ending. It’s beautiful. … You could tell by everyone’s reaction after he did it how much people care about that guy. We all love him.”

Brees’ four touchdown passes gave him 276 for his career, moving him ahead of Joe Montana (273) and Vinny Testaverde (275) for ninth all-time. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to pass for more than 5,000 yards twice — he had 5,069 in 2008.

Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith said twice Thursday he believes New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is, “having an MVP season.” Brees, who leads an 11-3 New Orleans against Atlanta this Monday night, could break Dan Marino’s single-season passing yardage record in that game.

Smith, echoing Falcons running back Michael Turner, carefully heaped praise on the Saints as the second 2011 installment of one of the NFL’s better rivalries approaches.

“I can’t say enough about the team down there, especially what they’ve been doing offensively,” Smith said with a chuckle. “They’ve just been off the charts in terms of what they’ve been able to accomplish. Drew, who always plays at a high level, is playing at an even higher level right now. Just to watch him operate in that offense is very impressive.

“Drew’s having in my mind an MVP season, there’s no doubt about that,” Smith continued. “He’s distributing the ball extremely well. They’re a top 10 team in running the football, the No. 1 team in total yards, No. 2 in points. Just to watch him operate, he looks very comfortable back there running the offense. It’s just amazing to watch him go out and run that offense. I hope he’s at his highest level because if he plays any better I don’t know if there’s any way to stop him.”

For two consecutive weeks the New Orleans Saints defense has faced accusations from its opponent of dirty play. Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner says that’s not an element of Saints play he’s familiar with. “Nah, typical football game,” he said. “There’s going to be some physical-ness, some pushing, some shoving. It might get a little chippy out there with the rivalry and all the emotions that are going into this ballgame. But you’ve got to just stay focused and do your job and try to do what’s best for your team.”

The Saints (11-3) and the Falcons (9-5), the premier teams in the NFC South the last few seasons, have seen three consecutive games decided by a field goal, two of them in overtime. Turner said that kind of closeness reflects the intensity of the rivalry.

“We know the Saints are going to be there, in the running every year,” he said. “We know we’re going to play the Saints twice; we’re going to try to get the best seeds possible in the playoffs.”

Turner also said the Falcons did not dwell on their failed fourth-down attempt in overtime against the Saints in Atlanta on Nov. 13 that gave New Orleans the ball in Falcons territory and led to John Kasay’s 26-yard winning field goal.

“I don’t think it was difficult at all,” he said when asked how the team put the ending behind it. “It was one of those things that Coach (Mike Smith) decided to do. We moved on from that and I believe we won our next ballgame, too. So that’s behind us.” 

Read More: Michael Turner (RB – ATL), Julio Jones (WR – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints

In one of the more memorable games of the 2011 season, the New Orleans Saints were able to get by the Atlanta Falcons 26-23 on November 13th that will be remembered for the yard that wasn’t gained and the talent that wasn’t on the field for that game.

Michael Turner was stuffed on 4th and 1 on their own side of the field that helped the Saints defeat the Falcons in overtime. The offensive line was banged up, wide receiver Julio Jones went out with a hamstring injury and for many in Atlanta they feel like they let one get away.

Coach Mike Smith spoke on Wednesday on having the entire arsenal of offensive weapons prepared for the second matchup with the Saints:

“We certainly are in better shape in terms of the health of the players in the wide receiver group right now than we were the first time we played them.”

The Saints will host the Falcons on Monday Night Football on the day after Christmas.

For all news and information on the Falcons, please visit The Falcoholic. For everything Saints, check out Canal Street Chronicles.

ATLANTA – Matt Ryan likes how the Atlanta Falcons are playing with two games left in the regular season.

He is even more pleased that the Falcons can rest this weekend while other NFC playoff contenders compete.

Atlanta (9-5) has won four of five and closes the regular season with games at New Orleans on Dec. 26 and at home against Tampa Bay on Jan. 1. The Falcons seem poised to make consecutive post-season appearances for the first time in their 46-year history.

“Four or five days off couldn’t come at a better time,” said Ryan, who threw three touchdown passes in a 41-14 victory over Jacksonville on Thursday night. “I think everybody will use this extended little break that we have to let our bodies heal a little bit so that we can be fresh when we go down and play New Orleans.”

Ryan believes his team is brimming with confidence even though it’s coming off consecutive wins over teams with a combined 8-19 record. The Falcons ripped off 65 consecutive points from the start of Sunday’s third quarter at Carolina to the 2:12 mark of Thursday’s third quarter.

“That’s what we need,” Ryan said. “We’re in a position where we have two games left now, and I think still control our own destiny. That’s the kind of football we need to play moving forward, and I think it’s good that we’re doing it at this time.”

Atlanta trails the NFC South-leading Saints by 1 1/2 games. New Orleans, which earned a 26-23 overtime victory five weeks ago at the Georgia Dome, takes a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota.

With the top three NFC playoff spots likely to going to Green Bay, San Francisco and New Orleans, the Falcons would benefit if New York, Detroit, Chicago or Dallas loses this weekend. Atlanta currently has the fifth-best record in the race for the NFC’s six post-season berths.

The Falcons moved past a disappointing 17-10 loss at Houston two weeks ago by returning to the core principles that have fuelled their success under fourth-year coach Mike Smith.

They jumped out to a fast start against Jacksonville in all three phases of the game, building a 27-0 halftime lead with big plays on offence, defence and special teams.

Sean Weatherspoon helped Atlanta pull away with a key fumble recovery after Jacksonville muffed a punt in the second quarter. He fell on the loose ball at the five, and Michael Turner ran for a touchdown on the next snap to make it 17-0.

“Winning on a short week is never an easy proposition, but I really think our team handled it very well and I really think it showed the way that they worked in the ballgame,” Smith said after the Falcons improved to 27-1 in his tenure when they win the turnover battle.

“They started fast and I think that they played well for most part of the ballgame. I liked their effort and I liked that the guys played, and we got the result that we wanted. Now it’s an opportunity to try to go get (victory) No. 10.”

A 41-0 lead allowed Smith to rest Ryan for the final 17 minutes, a deserved break after his quarterback threw three touchdown passes in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Ryan completed 19 of 26 passes for 224 yards and is 22-0 when he records an NFL passer rating of 100 or higher.

Three-time Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones, the league’s No. 6 overall draft pick, combined to catch 15 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

“I feel like we played a good three quarters,” White said. “The fourth quarter, the starters were out, so we didn’t get a chance to see what we could do then. The first three were really, really good. We got after the quarterback, scored a lot of points on offence, and got down in the red zone and scored.”

Atlanta (9-5) has won four of five and closes the regular season with games at New Orleans on Dec. 26 and at home against Tampa Bay on Jan. 1. The Falcons seem poised to make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time in their 46-year history.

“Four or five days off couldn’t come at a better time,” said Ryan, who threw three touchdown passes in a 41-14 victory over Jacksonville on Thursday night. “I think everybody will use this extended little break that we have to let our bodies heal a little bit so that we can be fresh when we go down and play New Orleans.”

Ryan believes his team is brimming with confidence even though it’s coming off consecutive wins over teams with a combined 8-19 record. The Falcons ripped off 65 consecutive points from the start of Sunday’s third quarter at Carolina to the 2:12 mark of Thursday’s third quarter.

“That’s what we need,” Ryan said. “We’re in a position where we have two games left now, and I think still control our own destiny. That’s the kind of football we need to play moving forward, and I think it’s good that we’re doing it at this time.”

Atlanta trails the NFC South-leading Saints by 1½ games. New Orleans, which earned a 26-23 overtime victory five weeks ago at the Georgia Dome, takes a five-game winning streak into Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota.

With the top three NFC playoff spots likely to going to Green Bay, San Francisco and New Orleans, the Falcons would benefit if New York, Detroit, Chicago or Dallas loses this weekend. Atlanta currently has the fifth-best record in the race for the NFC’s six postseason berths.

The Falcons moved past a disappointing 17-10 loss at Houston two weeks ago by returning to the core principles that have fueled their success under fourth-year coach Mike Smith.

They jumped out to a fast start against Jacksonville in all three phases of the game, building a 27-0 halftime lead with big plays on offense, defense and special teams.

Sean Weatherspoon helped Atlanta pull away with a key fumble recovery after Jacksonville muffed a punt in the second quarter. He fell on the loose ball at the 5, and Michael Turner ran for a touchdown on the next snap to make it 17-0.

“Winning on a short week is never an easy proposition, but I really think our team handled it very well and I really think it showed the way that they worked in the ballgame,” Smith said after the Falcons improved to 27-1 in his tenure when they win the turnover battle.

“They started fast and I think that they played well for most part of the ballgame. I liked their effort and I liked that the guys played, and we got the result that we wanted. Now it’s an opportunity to try to go get (victory) No. 10.”

A 41-0 lead allowed Smith to rest Ryan for the final 17 minutes, a deserved break after his quarterback threw three touchdown passes in consecutive games for the first time in his career.

Ryan completed 19 of 26 passes for 224 yards and is 22-0 when he records an NFL passer rating of 100 or higher.

Three-time Pro Bowl receiver Roddy White and rookie Julio Jones, the league’s No. 6 overall draft pick, combined to catch 15 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.

“I feel like we played a good three quarters,” White said. “The fourth quarter, the starters were out, so we didn’t get a chance to see what we could do then. The first three were really, really good. We got after the quarterback, scored a lot of points on offense, and got down in the red zone and scored.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By Jason Kirk

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Dec 11, 2011 – After beating the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith was overheard on 790 The Zone telling his players it was time to quickly switch from Panthers week to Jacksonville Jaguars week. He made it clear the time to celebrate win No. 8 would need to be abridged, and the drive for win No. 9 on Thursday would begin immediately.

Hours later, he was hospitalized for chest pains, but is expected to make it to Atlanta on Monday.

Smith also told his players to ready for walkthroughs on Monday, another short week necessity. Smith’s medical condition may complicate what was obviously a carefully constructed schedule, but, as he made clear, the plan was already in place for this week even before Sunday’s game against Carolina.

In a statement on his condition, the Falcons said the following:

Following the Falcons game vs. Carolina today, Head Coach Mike Smith was transported to a hospital in Charlotte for a non-emergency matter. Coach Smith is resting comfortably, his tests reaffirmed his health, and he is expected to be in Atlanta on Monday. The Falcons will provide further information as it becomes available.    

For more on Smith and the Falcons, stay tuned to Falcons blog The Falcoholic.

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