Falcons Answer Some Questions, Raise Others in Last-Second Win

ATLANTA, Ga -- Everyone loves last-second touchdown passes to win games in the NFL. It doesn't matter if it happens in the preseason.

The Atlanta Falcons' first-team offense moved the ball well in the first half, but quarterback Chris Redman and the second- and third-string units stole the show on Saturday night, as the Falcons beat the San Diego Chargers 27-24 on a touchdown pass from Redman to Eric Weems with nine seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

Redman, who came into the game in the third quarter, completed 15-of-19 passes for 134 yards and compiled a 113.6 quarterback rating. He threw the game-winning pass, but also ran for a 10-yard touchdown earlier in the game.

"Redman did a great job," said Falcons head coach Mike Smith. "He threw the ball efficiently and made a big-time play on fourth down [to win the game]."

Redman, who spread the ball around to eight different receivers, also handed out praise to teammates: "The offensive line had unbelievable protection for all the drives I was in there."

The same could be said for the line when Matt Ryan was on the field. Both Atlanta quarterbacks had plenty of time to find receivers, thanks to excellent blocking.

Redman also answered a burning training camp question on Saturday about who would serve as Ryan's backup, even if Smith wouldn't directly say as much. "Chris certainly helped himself in this ball game," Smith said. "He is the most experienced quarterback behind Matt [Ryan] and he did a very nice job moving the team down the field."

Redman has been locked in battle with D.J. Shockley and John Parker Wilson for the spot behind Ryan at the quarterback position. Shockley, who played extremely well in the early part of camp, has seemingly played himself out of the competition with two poor preseason showings. Redman made a statement on Saturday night, leaving no doubt that he was the best option behind Ryan.


As good as the offense looked for the Falcons, though, a potent Chargers offense exposed holes in the Atlanta defense.

The Falcons were only able to get enough pressure to come up with one sack during the game, and that came from Brent Grimes on a corner blitz. The front seven for the Falcons had trouble all night getting to the quarterback -- that poses many questions, as the Chargers allowed four sacks in the first half of their game last week against Arizona.

The Falcons also had trouble stopping the Chargers on third down, especially third-and-long situations. "I was disappointed with the way that we played on third down", said Smith, when asked about the play of the defense. "We got them under some very good third-down situations: third-and-24, third-and-14, third-and-15, and third-and-nine, [but] they converted seven out of eight [on third down] in the first half"

The Chargers used screen passes very effectively -- not just on third down, but to move the ball at will against the Falcons, all night. San Diego threw eight screen passes for a total of 121 yards gained and a touchdown.

On a bright defensive note for Atlanta, second-year linebacker Curtis Lofton came up. Whether it be on special teams, against the run or dropping back into coverage, Lofton seemed to be everywhere on Saturday night making plays.

"I know there were a couple of very big hits," Smith said after the game. "I heard the ooohs and aaahhs from the fans in the stands."

Lofton, who finished with 108 tackles as a rookie, had seven solo tackles on Saturday and one assist. He should see more action this season, as he'll be on the field during third-down situations. But, he's still got a lot of learning to do.

"He [Lofton] it's a work in progress," Smith said. "He never played in the sub package last year; he only played on first and second down."