Fifth NFL season as head coach, Mike Smith, is bringing sparkling results for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers 30-28 in the final moments of the game played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Sunday.
The Falcons have an unbeaten record of 4-0 this season. It would be interesting to see how they perform against Washington Redskins at FedEx Field on Oct 7.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan's 59-yard pass to Roddy White was brilliant and it was instrumental in Bryant's 40-yard field goal. It was a very close game, but the Falcons managed to taste victory.
The Falcons wasted a 24-14 lead in the 2nd half, needing a crucial fumble by Cam Newton to give them a chance. When the Panthers downed a punt with just final 60 seconds remaining, victory seemed a distant dream.
In a sensational moment, Ryan dropped back, throwing it as far as he could and relying on White to make the catch. White did it successfully between two defenders and Bryant's kick won it for the Falcons with just 5 seconds remaining.
"We made the plays when we needed to," Ryan said. "That's what you need to do week to week in this league. I threw it high and far to the spot we talk about.
"Roddy went up and made a great catch. When you're in that situation late in the game, that's what you have to do."
Roddy White had eight catches for 169 yards, which included a pair of touchdowns, his best being the last catch.
An elated White said: "Matt told me he was going to throw it up there. Just make a play. Not for one second did we think we were going to lose the game."
"That was exciting," Smith added. "Whew! Every time it looked bleak, every time it looked like we didn't have a chance, we were able to overcome it."
Cam Newton, whose last minute fumble proved costly for the Panthers, said: "You have to protect the football. That was a key focus going into this game, and I fumbled.
"There's a lot of guys that are trusting the ball carrier, and I was the ball carrier that particular play to get the job done. And I dropped the ball."
"I want to apologize to my teammates and the fans that were watching out there. Everybody was doing their job. I clearly had the first down, but I've just got to hold onto the football."
This is the best start for the Falcons since 2004 when they reached the finals of the NFC championship.
Even though the offensive line seemed to be struggling for a large part of the game to keep Ryan upright against Charles Johnson and the rest of the Panthers' defense, Ryan gave credit to them saying: "The offensive line did a great job. If you're going to throw the football that far down the field, you need some time. The guys did a great job of pass protection, giving us time to throw it down there."
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