|
Atlanta converts seven of 13 third downs to control the ball and defeat Cincinnati. Michael Vick isn't a tough guy to track. He leaves a trail of angry, frustrated and confused defenders everywhere he goes. Atlanta's quarterback darted and danced, sliced and diced, and slipped and slithered around and through the Bengals defense, using his cannon arm and fleet feet to lead the Falcons to a 29-27 victory in front of 65,978 spectators at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday. The Falcons (5-2) soared into a first-place tie with New Orleans in the NFC South, while the Bengals prepare to visit Baltimore for a first-place showdown in the AFC North.
"I can't explain it," Falcons head coach Jim Mora said about Vick's seven TD passes in victories over Pittsburgh in Cincinnati. "He is always growing. We're always striving to get better and Mike is no different than anyone else." Oh, yes he is. Vick's 8-yard TD pass to Justin Griffith snapped a 20-all tie at 2:21 of the third quarter, then his 21-yard laser to Roddy White on third-and-16 led to Morten Anderson's third field goal, a 39-yarder with 7:42 to go. Carson Palmer's 55-yard TD pass to Chris Henry pulled the Bengals within 29-27 at 3:41, but the Falcons all but killed the clock with Vick at the controls. Atlanta converted 7 of 13 third downs (54 percent) and held the ball for 37 minutes, 8 seconds to the Bengals' 22:52. "He's just a different animal," Bengals defensive tackle Bryan Robinson said. "Clearly, third down was our Achilles' heel. We had 'em in a couple third and longs, and the magic of Michael Vick came out." Star of the Game Vick completed 20 of 28 passes for 291 yards, three TDs and no interceptions for a 140.6 passer rating. He also rushed nine times for 55 yards (6.1). "We're still a running team," Vick said. "But it's my job to step up in the passing game. I'm just getting more opportunities to throw the ball. The more completions you get, the more comfortable you get." Goat of the Game Bengals right cornerback Tory James showed his age (33). He got burned by Michael Jenkins for a 26-yard TD at 9:55 of the third quarter and eventually was replaced by Jonathan Joseph. Turning Point With the score tied at 20, Bengals linebacker Ahmad Brooks was flagged for roughing the passer after Vick tossed a 22-yard pass to Alge Crumpler. Three plays later, Vick hit Griffith for the go-ahead TD. Quote of the Day "I'm concerned every time we don't score 100 points. If we don't win, and win big, and make plays, then I'm concerned. We've got a lot of things we need to do better." Marvin Lewis Dayton Daily New http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/bengals/2006/10/29/ddn103006bengals.html |
