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Falcons face Rams with shot at NFC South crown

Dec 23, 2008 - 5:47 PM St. Louis (2-13) at Atlanta (10-5) 1:00 pm EST

ATLANTA (Ticker) -- The Atlanta Falcons' miserable 2007 season seems like a distant memory thanks to a rookie quarterback and head coach.

Having already clinched a playoff berth, Matt Ryan and Mike Smith look to help the Falcons move closer to their first NFC South Division title since 2004 when they host the woeful St. Louis Rams.

Amazingly, Atlanta has rebounded from last year's nightmarish 4-12 season - one that was even worse than its record indicated.

The season began with star quarterback Michael Vick being indicted on federal dogfighting charges, and ended with head coach Bobby Petrino resigning with three games to play to take the same job at the University of Arkansas.

The Falcons began rebuilding the team by hiring the former Jacksonville defensive coordinator Smith and selecting Ryan - a former Boston College star - with the No. 3 pick in April's draft.

The duo, along with key free-agent addition Michael Turner, has helped Atlanta exceed all expectations.

Ryan threw a touchdown and Turner - the league's second-leading rusher - scored his 16th TD as the Falcons clinched a playoff berth with a 24-17 win over Minnesota last week. It is a story that even Hollywood would scoff at, and one that not even Smith could have foreseen.

"We set milestones and we've reached those milestones at a much quicker pace than we had anticipated," Smith said.

"It's huge for us," said guard Justin Blalock, who recovered a fumble by Ryan in the end zone for a score. "To come from the beginning of this year, the negative expectations, the negative talk around our camp, it feels pretty good to be here."

And the story gets even better.

If the Falcons, who are 6-1 at home, beat St. Louis and Carolina (11-4) loses to New Orleans on Sunday, Atlanta will win the South for the first time since 2004. That year the imprisoned Vick was darting around the Georgia Dome.

"It feels so good," cornerback Chris Houston said. "Just to come from where we came from last year, it's a big step."

Atlanta may find little resistance from the Rams, who have lost nine straight - their longest losing streak since dropping 10 straight in 1991. St. Louis has blown late leads the past two weeks.

The Rams allowed Seattle to score 10 points in the final 2:47 in a 23-20 loss to Seattle, then blew a 13-point lead in a 17-16 setback to San Francisco last week.

"I don't know if we're cursed," said running back Steven Jackson, who ran for 108 yards on 32 carries. "But you know, I mean, it hurts. It hurts when you feel like you've outplayed your opponent literally for almost eight quarters going back to last week."