MICHAEL VICK______The NFLs Best QB?

CINCINNATI, Ohio--

Atlanta rode the accurate arm of QB Michael Vick, who threw for a season-high 291 yards and three touchdowns, as the Falcons defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 29-27 in Paul Brown Stadium.

Vick completed 20-of-28 passes, including scoring tosses to three different receivers as the Falcons erased an eight-point second quarter deficit to the Bengals on the way to their second straight victory.


Atlanta held a 29-20 lead with 7:42 to play in the game after K Morten Andersen's third field goal of the contest, a 39-yarder to go with 42 and 40-yard kicks in the first half. Cincinnati used a 55-yard TD connection from QB Carson Palmer to WR Chris Henry with 3:41 to play to cut the margin to 29-27, but the Falcons burned the clock in the final two minutes which left the Bengals with only a desperation drive with 30 seconds remaining.
With 13 seconds to play, Palmer fumbled after a sack by Falcons DE Patrick Kerney and Atlanta LB Michael Boley recovered at the Bengals 25 with two seconds left.
The victory moved the Falcons (5-2) into a first place tie in the NFC South with New Orleans, which lost to Baltimore at home. The victory also snapped an eight-game home win streak for the Bengals (4-3) vs. NFC opponents.
The Falcons used a balanced offensive attack as Atlanta gained 420 total yards of offense (277 passing and 143 rushing) and dominated the time of possession as they held the ball for a season-long 37:08. The Falcons defense also held the Bengals to just 73 yards rushing for the game.
"It was a good, hard-fought win on the road against an outstanding team," said Falcons Coach Jim Mora. "I am proud of the way our guys hung in there. I am also proud of the way our defense stuck in there in the second half against a very fine offensive team with some tremendous skilled players and a very good quarterback. When you go on the road and get a win, we'll take it."
Mora also praised the play of Vick, whose three passing TDs gave him seven in the last two games -- both Atlanta victories. Seven different receivers caught passes from Vick, including four for 72 yards and one TD to TE Alge Crumpler.
"Michael Vick played well," Mora said. "He was putting the ball where it needed to be. He was seeing the field well. We had good protection today, and that allowed him to make some big throws. Guys were getting open, and he put the ball where it needed to be."
"There is a certain comfort level and a groove that you get into when you can throw the ball around the field," Vick said. "The more completions you get, the more comfortable you get."
When asked to evaluate his play over the last two games (38-58 passing, 523 yards, 7 TDs, 27 passing first downs, 119.5 passer rating), Vick said simply, "Those were the best two games I've had in a long time. I'm not satisfied, though. I'm never satisfied."
The Falcons took the opening kickoff and drove for a quick 3-0 lead. Vick converted a key third-and-2 from the Atlanta 27 when he threw a touch pass that WR Ashley Lelie brought in for a 28-yard gain to the Bengals 45. Vick ran for 14 yards on the next play, but the drive stalled at the Cincinnati 24, where Andersen made a 42-yard field goal with 11:24 left in the first quarter.
Cincinnati answered on their first possession of the contest as the Bengals drove 74 yards in 10 plays for a 7-3 lead on a one-yard scoring run by HB Rudi Johnson. Cincinnati was helped by a pair of Atlanta penalties during the drive, including a 15-yard unnecessary roughness call on the first play from scrimmage.
Atlanta cut the Bengals lead to 7-6 late in the quarter. Vick went over the 10,000-yard mark in career passing on an 18-yard catch by WR Michael Jenkins along the Falcons sideline at the Cincinnati 25. Four plays later, Andersen made his second field goal of the game, a 40-yarder with 56 seconds to play.
Palmer helped extend the Cincinnati led to 14-6 with 7:13 to play in the second quarter. After a 13-yard gain on a reverse by WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the first play of the drive, Palmer moved the Bengals offense with passes of 19 yards to Houshmandzadeh and 11 to HB Chris Perry before he threw a 12-yard TD pass to WR Chad Johnson.




Vick went back to work after the Bengals score as he converted a third down situation with an eight-yard pass to WR Roddy White out to the Falcons 32, and later, an 18-yard pass to Lelie on second-and-13 to the Bengals 43. On the next play, Vick threw a swing pass to RB Jerious Norwood in the backfield and Norwood turned it into a 32-yard gain to the Bengals 11.
After a false start moved the Falcons back to the Bengals 16, Vick threw a bullet down the middle to Crumpler, who turned upfield for the final two yards and the touchdown with 1:54 to play before halftime as the Falcons trimmed the Cincinnati lead to 14-13 after the 81-yard, 10-play march.
In the two-minute offense after the ensuing kickoff, the Bengals moved from their 20 on a 11-play drive to push their advantage to 17-14 on a 51-yard field goal by K Shayne Graham with 15 seconds to go in the half.
Atlanta took the lead on their first possession of the second half. Vick picked up first downs on runs of 10 and 12 yards during the drive and then threw a 26-yard pass into the back of the end zone which settled into the hands of Jenkins for the touchdown and a 20-17 lead with 9:55 left in the quarter.
Cincinnati tied the game with 4:34 to play in the quarter after a red zone defensive stand by the Falcons. The Bengals had first-and-10 at the Atlanta 14 and Rudi Johnson picked up six yards on first down to the Atlanta 8. Johnson got the ball again on second down, but NT Grady Jackson dropped him in the backfield for a two-yard loss. Palmer threw a swing pass on third down, but the Falcons stopped Houshmandzadeh after a two-yard gain. Graham then kicked a game-tying 26-yard field goal.
Graham's next kick was not as accurate, as his kickoff went out of bounds at the Falcons' 3, which gave Atlanta the ball at their 40. After a three-yard run by RB Warrick Dunn, Vick completed a 22-yard pass to Crumpler and a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty against the Bengals was tacked on at the end of the play as the Falcons moved to the Cincinnati 20. Vick ran for seven yards and Dunn got five more to the Bengals 8. Vick then threw a eight-yard TD pass to FB Justin Griffith with 2:22 left in the quarter.


Vick passes Falcons past Bengals, 29-27


On the extra-point kick attempt, the snap bounced toward holder Matt Schaub. The backup quarterback rolled out and threw a pass toward TE Eric Beverly, but a Cincinnati defender knocked the ball away at the goal line.
Once again, the Falcons defense held the Bengals and Cincinnati was forced to punt. Atlanta took over at their 26 as the fourth quarter began and Vick took the Falcons on a time-consuming drive of over seven minutes as he completed passes of 17 yards to Crumpler and a pair of first down passes (21 and 13 yards) to White. Cincinnati held firm and Andersen kicked his third field goal of the game, a 39-yarder, for a 29-20 lead with 7:42 to play.
Lelie added three catches for 55 yards and Jenkins had three catches for 53 yards and one TD for the Falcons. Dunn had 57 yards on 20 carries and Vick contributed 55 yards on nine rushes.
Palmer was 24-of-36 passing for 266 yards and two TDs for the Bengals. Chad Johnson caught six passes for 78 yards and one TD and Houshmandzadeh added six receptions for 70 yards. Rudi Johnson led all Bengals ballcarriers with 46 yards on 12 attempts.
The Falcons are back on the road next Sunday as they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions (1 pm ET; FOX) in Ford Field. The Bengals travel to Baltimore next Sunday to play the Ravens (1 pm ET) in M&T Bank Stadium.



Falcons Postgame Quotes - Sunday, October 29, 2006:
HEAD COACH JIM MORA

Head Coach Jim Mora opening statement:
"Health-wise, I think we came out of the game fairly well, but you never know until Monday. It was a good, hard-fought win on the road vs. an outstanding team. I am proud of the way our guys hung in there. I am also proud of the way our defense stuck in there in the second half against a very fine offensive team with some tremendous skilled players and a very good quarterback. When you go on the road and get a win, we'll take it. These games in the NFL are always so close. The talent on each side is generally close, along with the coaching. It many times comes down to guys going out and winning. You have to win each down. If it is a key down, then it helps you. Michael Vick played well today. He was putting the ball where it needed to be. He was seeing the field well. We had good protection today, and that allowed him to make some big throws. Guys were getting open, and he put the ball where it needed to be."
On if QB Michael Vick become a better passer the last two games and if he could explain the seven TD passes the last two weeks:
"No, I can't explain it. It's just football. He is always growing. Everyone on our team is always growing. We are always striving to get better and Mike is no different than anyone else. We take things one game at a time. We play the season in one-game increments. I know this: I think our protection has been good and that is going to help any quarterback. Guys are catching the ball well and making plays after the catch a little bit better than we have in the past. We have not lost the ability to run the ball affectively as we have progressed. We want to try to get better every game."
On what he made of the showdown between Bengals WR Chad Johnson and Falcons CB DeAngelo Hall:
"I just ignored it. It is a lot of noise to me. I am just trying to get our team to the game in a good place, and today we were."
On what changes he made after halftime to limit Cincinnati from putting up points
"We worked on the no-huddle all week, so we were prepared for it in the end of the game. Carson Palmer is excellent at reading defenses. To their credit, they do a great job of using a smart quarterback and setting him up under center early, giving him time to watch the defense shift around. In the second half, we mixed up some of our looks. We got a little bit more aggressive with some of our calls. We put in some new calls at halftime. We felt as coaches that it was up to us to put our players in position to make plays. Lets give these guys an opportunity, and they have to make plays when given opportunities."
On if he felt his team has made progress these last two weeks?
"We have played two very good teams. One at home and one on the road. You must find a way to stick in there. Sometimes it hasn't been so pretty, but we have found ways to grow these last two games. We have learned valuable lessons these last two weeks. Going through overtime last week showed we can move the ball when we have to. Today we were able to finish the game. Had we lost the last two games, these lessons would suck your confidence away. This is a hard-working, good-character group. We have really gained confidence."
QB MICHAEL VICK
Can you explain your emergence the last two weeks?
"I'm just getting more opportunities to throw the ball. There is a certain comfort level and a grove that you get (into) when you can throw the ball around the field. The more completions you get, the more comfortable you get."
How important is that for your offense?
"We're still a running football team. That's our goal each and every football game -- to run the ball effectively. It's my job to step up in the passing game -- and also the receivers' job -- to make some plays. Whichever one is working is the one we'll go with."
It seemed like you had the Bengals on their heels...
"We had them on their heels the whole game. We were doing a lot of things that they couldn't adjust to -- a lot of shifts, and a lot of movements. We took advantage of what their linebackers did in pass coverage."
What do the last two wins do for the confidence of this team?
"It gives us a great deal of confidence. Playing through adversity -- the highs and the lows -- and coming out successful builds character and boosts confidence."
After coming off the loss, can you evaluate your play over the last two games?
"Those were the best two games I've had in a long time. I'm not satisfied, though. I'm never satisfied."
CB DeANGELO HALL
How do you think the matchup between you and Bengals WR Chad Johnson turned out?
"I've been saying it all week. It's not about me and Chad. I was matched up on him quite a bit out there, but they have weapons all around. Carson Palmer is a great quarterback. I think he's the next Peyton Manning. Just the way he commands that team and that offense. At the end of the day, all I wanted wasn't an interception or a big hit on Chad -- it wasn't keeping him out of the end zone -- it was to win the game. That's what we did."
During breaks in the game, Chad Johnson would make his way over to the line and make comments. What would he say?
"I don't know. I was kind of towards the back of our huddle mostly, talking to the D-line and the linebackers. There was something about this game that motivated me. Maybe that's just how it is when you go up against some of the best. There is a different preparation for different guys. He drew a lot of attention this week with his comments and all those other things. I definitely wanted to come out here and give him a great show."
Did you and him talk after the game at all?
"Yeah. We talked after the game. We said good game. Then we prayed together. We prayed for both of us to stay healthy for the rest of the season and that we would see each other at the end of the season in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. He came over to the hotel and brought my mom tickets to the game. They had met during the Pro Bowl, so she sat with his family. He was putting on a nice show for the fans. Chad's an entertainer."
Were you trying to send Chad Johnson a message on that first play?
"Definitely. For the first play of the game, I asked for a particular coverage to the coaches. I told him that was the only time I was going to be in coverage, and I wanted him to feel it."
Is Chad Johnson going to cut his Mohawk?
"I told him after the game that I have the clippers. If he's a man of his word, he'll be cutting it. If not, then we're obviously going to see the Mohawk. I'm not going to hold him to it. Like I said, it's all in fun; it's all entertainment."
RB WARRICK DUNN
Was ball control key today?
"We ball control every week. We run the football, and we make plays in the passing game. I just thought that today was going to be one of those games. Those guys control the ball well also, and they make plays. We really wanted to come out and dominate. We wanted to try to make plays in the running game. We had to throw the ball and make plays there."
Do you feel like you dominated the game upfront?
"They played hard. They did a lot of things. They gave us fits. They hit us a few times, but we hit them more. I'm just happy we came out with a win."
WR MICHAEL JENKINS
Is 5-2 much different than 4-3?
"It's a whole lot different. We have a whole lot of people that we have to keep up on. Chicago hasn't lost a game yet, so we have to catch up with those guys. As long as we continue to win, things will take care of themselves."