Falcons Pound Jags To Take Control Of NFC Wild Card Spot

The NFC Wild Card race is one of the wilder races in the 2011 NFL playoff picture. Not only are presumed contenders in the NFC East and NFC North falling out of it, but the NFC West’s got two of the hottest teams in the mix.

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Via Charlie Bernstein

Robinson may want to avoid using “wide receiver” and “hit them in the head” in the same sentence, but point taken.

The Atlanta Falcons scored the first 41 points of the game on Thursday Night Football, running the Jacksonville Jaguars off the field in a 41-14 win. It was downright ugly for Jacksonville as the Falcons did whatever they pleased on offense while limited Blaine Gabbert to negative passing yards, with sacks, through three quarters. Gabbert finally broke through into positive yardage in the fourth, but it didn’t matter.

Julio Jones opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game, taking a short past and breaking free for a 29-yard touchdown. Atlanta added a field goal on its next possession, then found the end zone again on a Michael Turner touchdown following a muffed punt.

The outcome of the Thursday Night Football matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars hasn’t been in doubt at all, and the only question that remained was whether or not the Jags would be shutout. It’s been that bad for the Jags, who fell behind 41-0 midway through the third quarter. You read that right.

It wasn’t the offense finally breaking through for the Jags, though. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that Jacksonville will begin marching down the field. Factoring sacks in, Blaine Gabbert still has negative passing yards on the night, a sign of how rough of a time it’s been.

It’s probably the way Peters chased down the ball, then stopped and stared at it to make sure he could pick it up. In other words, he did exactly what most defensive lineman would do when faced with a loose ball and nobody within a five-yard radius.

See? Isn’t it just poetry in motion? And with that, we can probably bury the Jags, who now trail 34-0.

Typically, a vicious stiff arm is reserved for an opponent in pursuit. A well-placed, powerful stiff arm can be one heck of a highlight reel play, as well as allowing the ballcarrier to get free for a big gain. Everybody loves a good stiff arm.

As an added bonus, Turner’s teammate toss served as a block. All he did was fling Weems into two defenders, allowing him to pick up some extra yards. It was a productive toss!

The Atlanta Falcons are quickly turning Thursday Night Football into a rout as the Jacksonville Jaguars struggle to keep up. Atlanta has now scored the first 17 points of the game, and the Jags have failed to answer. After Atlanta scored on its first two drives -- taking a 10-0 lead -- the Jacksonville managed to force a punt, only to immediately give the ball back.

The Falcons were gifted excellent field position, thanks to a muffed punt that set them up inside the five.

Matt Ryan came out firing, completing his first six passes as the Atlanta Falcons marched down the field on their first two drives of the game. After scoring a touchdown to open the game, Atlanta drove into field goal range on its next series, but stalled in the red zone. Matt Bryant’s 33-yard attempt was true, giving the Falcons a 10-0 lead.

Julio Jones found the end zone first, catching a short crossing route and racing into the end zone just over four minutes into the game. In case you were wondering, Jones is still fast.

Game Date/Time: Thursday, December 15, 8:20pm ET

Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia