ATLANTA — Roddy White, Harvey Dahl and the Atlanta Falcons’ final-minute offense, many in the state of Georgia thank you.
Over in Athens, people are actually thinking good things about the Ray Goff era these days, thanks to Georgia’s 1-4 start lowlighted by a mistake-prone loss stolen from the jaws of victory Saturday at Colorado.
Georgia Tech’s comeback win at Wake Forest didn’t exactly light up the Yellow Jackets’ fan base, which is still puzzled by last week’s home loss to N.C. State by 17 points. The Wolfpack promptly took that momentum and lost 41-30 to Virginia Tech.
Tech fans then undoubtedly did that reverse football score comparison thing, and are grumpy now that the Jackets lost to a team (N.C. State) that lost to a team (Virginia Tech) that lost to an FCS team (James Madison). Let’s not mention that Kansas, a winner over the Jackets, was hazed 55-7 by Baylor on Saturday.
One testy Georgia Tech fan offered that the way things are going, the Tech-Georgia game in November will be for bowl eligibility.
Sunday came and brought with it dreamy weather. Stuck inside, the Falcons played at times like they just would rather be outside, maybe tailgating.
Could millions of football fans in the state handle Atlanta losing to winless San Francisco? And doing it at home, a week after that tasty win in New Orleans?
They were that close to doing exactly that, which would have meant great early-week business for liquor stores and pharmacies throughout the state.
But for the grace of God, hustle you don’t see often on the pro level — from a wideout, who can move, and an offensive lineman, who can’t — saved the Falcons’ feathers.
Nevertheless, struggling so much against the 49ers will bring great consternation and worry, which, to a point, it should.
Still, taking advantage of what’s given is what matters. Stopping mistakes at crunch time is huge, and making the plays — better late than never — is what defines a quality team, even on a day when the quality is fairly minimal.
The Falcons raved about the 49ers’ offensive changes with a new coordinator, how hard they played on both sides. It is possible to give other teams credit for not curling up into a ball when things are rough, and Atlanta did, without blinking.
Remember, it was pointed out, that this San Francisco team took the defending Super Bowl champs to the wire, too, and still has plenty of talent. But Atlanta has more, and the Falcons are now the kind of team that can play bad and avoid the upset, like, for example, Indianapolis couldn’t against Jacksonville.
Atlanta will tighten up, thanks to the 49ers, and the Falcons can seriously put the New Orleans win in the rearview mirror and refocus for the run to the playoffs.
And the Falcons better, because I’m not sure how much more flimsy — and worse — football many fans in the state can take.
Contact Michael A. Lough at 744-4626 or mlough@macon.com
