Maybe the Buccaneers were the medicine for what ailed the Falcons running game.
We’ll find out this weekend.
It’s no secret the Falcons will need to run the ball to be successful in the playoffs. The Falcons play at the winner of the NFC East, either the Giants or the Cowboys, in the opening round and a strong rushing attack will open up a multi-faceted passing game. That philosophy has been the mantra of the Mike Smith coaching era the past four seasons.
In preparation for the postseason, the Falcons exploited the Buccaneers’ woeful rush defense for 251 yards Sunday. Michael Turner, who has been held in check the past five games, ran for 172 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns in less than a half in the 45-24 win. His 81-yard touchdown run with 7:03 remaining in the second quarter gave the Falcons a 42-0 lead and ended his afternoon early. Sunday’s total was just four yards short of his previous three games against the Saints (39), Jaguars (61) and Panthers (76) combined.
Along the way Turner put his name at the top of two franchise records.
Turner had a 26-yard run on the first play from scrimmage to set the tone. The Buccaneers entered the game ranked 31st in the NFL against the run, allowing 149.7 yards per game. Jacquizz Rodgers capped the Falcons’ opening drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, but Turner carried six times for 39 yards. Matt Ryan threw two touchdown passes to Julio Jones on the Falcons’ next two possessions to go up 21-0. Following Jones’ second score, the Falcons had three touchdowns compared to four plays from scrimmage for the Buccaneers.
“That was the talk all week, with the O-line and myself,” Turner said of wanting to re-establish the running game. “We have to get production out of the run game. We’ve been lagging a little bit. We’ve been winning some games, but that’s not the way we want to play.”
Turner scored one a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal with 11:40 remaining in the second quarter. It gave the Falcons a 28-0 lead. It was Turner’s 49th rushing touchdown for the Falcons, breaking the franchise record of 48 that Gerald Riggs held for 23 years. Turner carried all seven plays of the 30-yard drive set up by a sack and fumble recovery by John Abraham.
“As long as it’s been standing, it’s about time” said Riggs after watching his mark fall in person. “It’s well deserved.”
On the Falcons’ next offensive possession, which came a series after Curtis Lofton returned a Buccaneers interception for a touchdown, Turner broke several tackles and raced down the left sideline for the 81-yard run. He tied Riggs for the franchise record of 25 100-yard rushing games. It was Turner’s sixth 100-yard game of the season. Turner, along with several offensive starters, were spectators the remainder of the game.
Turner’s 50 touchdowns as a Falcon are third in team history behind wide receivers Terance Mathis (57) and Andre Rison (56).
Over the first 11 games of the season, Turner had 200 carries for 888 yards (4.4 yards per carry) with eight touchdowns. Over the next five games, Turner had 84 carries for 280 yards (3.3 yards per carry) and one touchdown.
Turner appeared on the team’s injury report with a groin problem in Week 12, but has insisted that issue has not been the reason for the drop in production.
“You want to fix the things that you don’t do well the previous week,” coach Mike Smith said. “…You hope that it’s not just a one-week fix. It’s something that we knew we were trending down in terms of our yardage rushing the football. You’ve got to be able to run the football. That’s what we believe. We got it fixed today.”
Turner finished the regular season with 301 carries, second-highest in the league behind the Jaguars’ Maurice Jones-Drew with 368 carries.
Turner said he believes Sunday’s performance can be a springboard into the postseason.
“[The playoffs are] a different animal, but you want to come in with some momentum,” he said. “Go in on a good note, knowing that we can go out there and do some great things. We have improved today and [we’ll] take it from there and keep going.”
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