The Falcons looked uncharacteristically disheveled for the majority of Sunday’s game against the Washington Redskins but still came out victorious to land the team their first 5-0 start in franchise history. While the key to the Falcons’ success at the satrt of this season was their ability to get points on the board first and fast, they since have shifted to their current fourth quarter comeback capabilities.

The entire Falcons team did not appear to be at their best but their offense was particularly shaky. QB  Matt Ryan had a second quarter pass intercepted by Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan who returned it for a touchdown to leave the Falcons trailing. Passes were being dropped left and right and Ryan also gave up Atlanta’s first lost fumble this season. Falcons offense started to redeem themselves in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 points and it looked like the team may be able to cling on for dear life until Redskins’ Santana Moss caught a 77 yard touchdown pass from rookie QB Kirk Cousins. Cousins stepped into the game for RGIII after a hit from Falcons’ Weatherspoon sent Redskins’ starter QB to the locker-room with what is currently being called a mild concussion.

With the game tied at 17-17 and 5:40 left in the fourth, the Falcons got the ball on their own 31-yard line. Ryan was able to rally his team for a late fourth quarter comeback victory. Atlanta’s shining offensive player was TE Tony Gonzalez coming up huge with 13 catches for 123 yards and his 99th career touchdown. However impressive and exciting was the comeback,  the victory rightfully goes to Falcons defense. Atlanta’s defense was able to stop the first 7 third-down opportunities the Redskins had and secured two fourth quarter interceptions.

While the game was a bit sloppy, the victory was a sweet one as it pushed the franchise record to new heights. The good news is that even at less than their best, the Falcons were able to take home the win but this will not work all season. Hopefully their shaky Sunday will enable them to re-focus and sharpen back up so we can continue on this exciting ride and push the team to even more new records and new titles. Stay tuned.