When looking at Sunday’s 23-19 win over the Arizona Cardinals, you might point to the 1-yard touchdown run by Michael Turner as the saving moment of the game as it proved to be the one that lifted the Falcons.

But perhaps you might overlook Chris Owens’ efforts in securing the Falcons’ ninth win.

But it’s true: Owens is as much to credit for the Falcons’ win as anyone else on the field, because of what he was able to sniff out that hardly anyone noticed.

As the Cardinals lined up to kick a field goal that would break a 16-16 tie at the start of the fourth quarter, Owens noticed something not quite right off to the Arizona sideline. The Cardinals had lined up for a fake field goal.

“We practiced it and we knew it was coming all week in practice, so it was just preparation,” Owens said. “It looked like they were having Fitz (Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald) talk to (someone on the sideline) and play it off like it wasn’t a play, and it happened to be a fake.”

Owens noticed it and immediately dropped back into coverage. The Cardinals had to bail on the idea. Had it been successful, the Cards could have taken a 23-16 lead into the start of the fourth quarter.

“They were trying the old sleeper play that San Francisco ran on St. Louis, the Chicago Bears ran on Monday night years ago, where people are in the transition of the skilled personnel leaving the field and the field goal personnel coming on and somebody just slides off to the side,” special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong said. “We talk about it every day and he saw it and picked it up.

“I teach them to check the sideline every time, especially when you’re to their sideline. … Check their sideline and you should be OK. He saw it and they had to take a delay of game and backed it up.”

If you’re lucky enough to be tailgating in the Yellow Lot on any gameday at the Georgia Dome, make a point to stop by the ATL Falcoholics setup and you’ll find Mark Cooper there entertaining and feeding the masses.

Cooper and his group showed us amazing hospitality as we sought them out for our new Feed AJ feature on the site, but he gave us even more as he grabbed the mic and performed his own Falcons-related version of Rick Ross’ “B.M.F.” for us.

Watch the video of Cooper’s performance above and make sure to follow him on Twitter @HangNwitCoop.

Head coach Mike Smith said during his weekly day-after press conference that the injury outlook this week looks much better than it has in past weeks, even after Julio Jones, Asante Samuel and Peria Jerry all went out with injuries during Sunday’s win over the Cardinals.

Peria Jerry left the game with a thigh injury in the second half while Julio Jones left the game for a while with what appeared to be a re-aggravation of the ankle injury that kept him out of practice all last week.

Samuel left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury and went to the locker room, not returning to the sideline until after halftime. He spent the first part of the third quarter there, but returned to the game for a few plays only to again be pulled due to the injured shoulder.

“Asante came back in and was able to come back and participate,” Smith said. “He was in getting treatment this morning and we will see how he feels on Wednesday before we’ll be able to give a report. I will say this: We’re feeling much more confident about the guys who were scratches because of health reasons in the ballgame last week.”

Smith said during his postgame press conference Sunday that he was expecting LB Sean Weatherspoon — who has missed the past three games with an ankle injury — to return to practice this week.

The situation was so close to identical, it was eerie.

Facing a game-winning situation from the 1-yard line, the Falcons lined up Sunday just the way they had a week before with the game on the line. The play call was the same — Michael Turner up left guard.

Last week, it was stuffed. On Sunday: redemption

Turner found the end zone on the 1-yard run that had confounded the Falcons just seven days earlier, and it was enough to be the game-deciding score.

“I was pretty pumped, man,” said center Todd McClure, who showed his excitement after Turner’s score on the run. “The situations that happened last week and little do you know, it comes right back up. (First)-and-goal, game on the line and we got it done.

“It was a rough week for everybody (after the loss to the Saints) and there’s definitely a little added pressure there. The first third-and-short we didn’t get, but I don’t know if you want to use the word ‘redemption,’ but we got it done (Sunday) and we know we’ll have to get it done the rest of the season.”

As McClure said, the third-and-short problems continued in Sunday’s game against Arizona as the Falcons were stuffed in the second quarter when Jason Snelling went up right guard and got stopped short. Later runs on third-and-short, however, worked as Turner scored on the 1-yard run and RB Jacquizz Rodgers earned the crucial first-down conversion on third-and-2 with a 6-yard gain that allowed the Falcons to take a knee the rest of the way.

While the Falcons only rushed for 33 yards as a team Sunday against one of the NFL’s toughest defenses, the run was there when it counted and the Falcons weren’t afraid to use it when they needed it.

“That shows that (offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter) has confidence in his guys,” McClure said. “He’s got confidence in us up front. He’s got confidence in Mike running the ball. We just got it in. It was about will (Sunday) and we got it in when we needed it.”

Below are the playing time percentages and number of snaps each of the Falcons played in Sunday’s game. (ST = special teams)

Playing Time Percentage
Offense
T Tyson Clabo – 73 snaps offense, 5 snaps ST (100% offense, 15% ST)
G Justin Blalock – 73 snaps offense, 5 snaps ST (100% offense, 15% ST)
T Sam Baker – 73 snaps offense, 5 snaps ST (100% offense, 15% ST)
G Peter Konz – 73 snaps offense, 5 snaps ST (100% offense, 15% ST)
QB Matt Ryan – 73 snaps offense (100% offense)
C Todd McClure – 72 snaps offense (99% offense)
WR Roddy White – 69 snaps offense (95% offense)
TE Tony Gonzalez – 65 snaps offense (89% offense)
WR Harry Douglas – 53 snaps offense (73% offense)
WR Julio Jones – 35 snaps offense (48% offense)
RB Jacquizz Rodgers – 34 snaps offense, 11 snaps ST (47% offense, 33% ST)
RB Michael Turner – 33 snaps offense (45% offense)
FB Mike Cox – 21 snaps offense, 6 snaps ST (29% offense, 18% ST)
TE Michael Palmer – 19 snaps offense, 15 snaps ST (26% offense, 45% ST)
RB Jason Snelling – 18 snaps offense, 15 snaps ST (25% offense, 45% ST)
WR Drew Davis – 14 snap offense, 21 snaps ST (19% offense, 64% ST)
G Mike Johnson – 3 snaps offense, 11 snaps ST (4% offense, 33% ST)
TE Chase Coffman – 1 snap offense, 8 snaps ST (1% offense, 24% ST)
C Joe Hawley – 1 snap offense, 5 snaps ST (1% offense, 15% ST)

Defense
S Thomas DeCoud – 58 snaps defense, 13 snaps ST (100% defense, 39% ST)
LB Akeem Dent – 58 snaps defense, 9 snaps ST (100% defense, 27% ST)
S William Moore – 58 snaps defense, 5 snaps ST (100% defense, 15% ST)
CB Dunta Robinson – 56 snaps defense (97% defense)
LB Stephen Nicholas – 52 snaps defense, 9 snaps ST (90% defense, 27% ST)
CB Robert McClain – 51 snaps defense, 24 ST (88% defense, 73% ST)
DT Jonathan Babineaux – 50 snaps defense, 5 snaps ST (86% defense, 15% ST)
DE John Abraham – 50 snaps defense (86% defense)
DT Corey Peters – 41 snaps defense (71% defense)
DE Kroy Biermann – 38 snaps defense, 19 ST (66% defense, 58% ST)
DT Peria Jerry – 29 snaps defense, 5 ST (50% defense, 15% ST)
CB Chris Owens – 25 snaps defense, 28 ST (43% defense, 85% ST)
LB Mike Peterson – 23 snaps defense, 9 ST (40% defense, 27% ST)
CB Asante Samuel – 16 snaps defense (28% defense)
DT Vance Walker – 15 snaps defense, 6 snaps ST (26% defense, 18% ST)
CB Dominique Franks – 9 snaps defense, 8 snaps ST (16% defense, 24% ST)
DE Cliff Matthews – 5 snaps defense, 18 snaps ST (9% defense, 55% ST)
DE Jonathan Massaquoi – 4 snaps defense, 13 snaps ST (7% defense, 39% ST)

Special Teams
RB Antone Smith – 21 snaps ST (64% ST)
LB Robert James – 19 snaps ST (58% ST)
P Matt Bosher – 14 snaps ST (42% ST)
S Chris Hope – 12 snaps ST (36% ST)
LS Josh Harris – 9 snaps ST (27% ST)
K Matt Bryant – 5 snaps ST (15% ST)

Matt Ryan earned the nickname Matty Ice for a reason. It was his cool, calm demeanor in the face of ridiculous adversity that gave him the moniker that would follow him to the NFL.

Perhaps it should be no surprise then that, during a game that saw him throw five interceptions, Ryan came into the huddle at one point with a smile on his face and inspiration at the ready.

According to running back Michael Turner, Ryan entered the huddle, smiled and said, “I don’t know what I was thinking. All right, now let’s go.” The tension of being struggling with the Cardinals at the time immediately broke and the Falcons just went right to work.

“The quarterback cannot be rattled,” Turner said. “He can’t show signs of being rattled or being bothered by the game. He knew we were going to have his back.”

It’s good to have that support during what is probably the toughest game statistically of Ryan’s career. He went 28-of-46 for 296 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions.

According to ESPN’s Stats & Info Twitter account, it’s the first time a quarterback threw five picks and no touchdowns in a win since Green Bay Packers quarterback Bart Starr did it in 1967.

“I’m in good company,” Ryan said with a laugh after the game. “Bart’s one of the greats of all time. It doesn’t happen very often. It really doesn’t, but I’m surrounded by really good teammates that picked us up today and made the plays that we needed.”

Ryan’s right. It doesn’t happen often.

Sunday’s win was only the third time Ryan threw three interceptions in one game in his career. Prior to Sunday’s game, he was 1-1 when throwing three picks. It was also the first time he had thrown four or more.

Yet, through the struggles offensively, Ryan never lost his confidence.

“I’ve said it before: he never changes, if he throws five touchdowns or five picks,” center Todd McClure said. “He never changes. He stands in there. He takes some hits. He had blood coming out of his mouth at one point today and he was back up and ready to go again. Unbelievable guy, and a great guy to play with.”

Falcons running back Michael Turner earned some redemption Sunday as he busted a touchdown in during the fourth quarter on first-and-goal from the Cardinals’ 1-yard line.

The score tied Turner for second most all-time touchdowns as a Falcon with Andre Rison. The touchdown was Turner’s 56th as a Falcon.

No, this isn’t a repurpose of last week’s post. Wide receiver Julio Jones is questionable to return to Sunday’s game against the Cardinals with an ankle injury.

No word yet on if it’s the same ankle that kept him out of practice all week, but we’ll have an update when available.

Head coach Mike Smith found out about a little-known rule the hard way during the second half Sunday.

After Jason Snelling had fumbled and the ball appeared to have been saved from going out of bounds, thus allowing the Cardinals to recover, the Falcons head coach threw the red challenge flag after seeing the replay on the jumbotron.

Problem is, all turnovers are automatically reviewed and there’s a rule for coaches who jump the gun on those particular plays. After a bit of conferring, the refs came to the conclusion that the Falcons would be charged with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty because the flag was thrown on an automatically reviewed play and that, as a consequence, there would be no replay, giving the Cardinals the ball back.

Asante Samuel left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury in the first half and hasn’t yet returned.

Samuel made a big pass breakup in the second quarter, but came up holding his right shoulder. He left the field and was taken to the locker room. He didn’t return to the sideline until after halftime. His return to the game is questionable.

UPDATE: Samuel returned to the game in the fourth quarter.

If you had defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux scoring the Falcons’ first touchdown of Sunday’s game in your office pool, congratulations.

Babineaux picked up a fumble forced by defensive end John Abraham on a sack of Cardinals QB Ryan Lindley and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown to put the Falcons within three of Arizona’s first-half lead.

The touchdown is the second of Babineaux’s career. Babs’ first score came in 2010 on a fumble recovered in the end zone at Seattle two seasons ago.

Quarterback Matt Ryan knew he’d be under pressure from the most-blitzing defense in the NFL, but he probably didn’t expect that to turn into three interceptions all game, let alone in the first quarter.

The Cardinals have come right after Ryan and the Falcons signal-caller has had to make some quick decisions. The first time he was picked off was a pass that went right off Roddy White’s hands. The second was gathered in by cornerback William Gay. The third was the result of a Darnell Dockett tipped pass.

This is the third time Ryan has thrown three interceptions in a game in his career. The Falcons are 1-1 in the previous two games.

Sunday’s game hasn’t exactly started out the way the Falcons envisioned. Going to the pass right away, Matt Ryan tried to find Roddy White over the middle on the game’s first play, but the ball went off White’s hands and skipped into the waiting arms of Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson.

The Cardinals took over first-and-goal from the Falcons’ 10-yard line and punched it in two plays later on a run by LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Things didn’t go much better on the next series as the Falcons went three-and-out and the Cardinals drove back down the field and added a 48-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead.

The Falcons will be in their red tops and white pants as they host the Arizona Cardinals at the Georgia Dome.

Our @FalconsEquip account tweeted the photo above earlier this morning.

Today’s game kicks off at 1 p.m.

Cpl. Todd Love and SFC. Michael Schlitz were all smiles Friday as they stood on the sidelines in Flowery Branch as the Falcons made their final preparations for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals at the Georgia Dome.

Love and Schlitz, who service members severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, were special guests of the Falcons as the organization has joined forces with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation to help raise enough money to build “smart homes” for the two heroes.

The two veterans will also be honored at Sunday’s Salute to Service game at the Dome.

Click here to see a photo gallery of Love and Schlitz’s visit to Flowery Branch

The two spent the late part of Friday morning on the field with the Falcons as players approached them and chatted for a few minutes. The linebackers of D-Block requested a photo with the two heroes and the secondary followed suit, as each unit broke drills to come visit with Love and Schlitz.

“It’s just amazing,” said Schlitz, who was burned over 85 percent of his body and lost both of his arms in Iraq when his vehicle hit an IED. “Any time someone opens their doors that they normally don’t open, it’s very humbling. I’m grateful for the opportunity to see these guys practice. They’ve been doing great this year, so to see what the behind-the-scenes looks like, it’s fun.”

Once practice wrapped up, Love and Schlitz were invited by the team to join them on the field, where head coach Mike Smith made a short speech to his players and then presented the two veterans with Salute to Service game balls.

Love, who lost both of his legs and his left arm after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan in October of 2010, was invited to hold a field goal attempt by kicker Matt Bryant before both of them posed for a team photo with the Falcons and then broke practice down in the huddle.

“For me, it was lots of fun because I got to hold the ball,” Love said. “That was the best part today. I got to hold the ball and they kicked it. It was fun. Too bad it wasn’t at a game. That’d be cool.”

Click here to find out more about Tunnel to Towers.

Falcons fans were hoping for some better — or at least clearer — news today, but the Falcons’ Piedmont Healthcare Injury Report provides neither as the team heads into the weekend’s matchup with Arizona.

LB Sean Weatherspoon and WR Julio Jones did not practice again Friday, but both are listed as questionable to participate in Sunday’s game.

Along with Spoon and Jones, DE John Abraham, RB Michael Turner and DT Vance Walker are questionable with injuries.

WR Kevin Cone and S Charles Mitchell have both been ruled out of Sunday’s game.

On the Cardinals’ side, QB Kevin Kolb has been ruled out of the game, meaning QB John Skelton will likely get the nod under center.

Head coach Mike Smith said Julio Jones and Sean Weatherspoon were again held out of practice Thursday, but is pleased with the progress both are making in returning from ankle injuries.

Smith said that a decision on whether each will play could come down to the last possible moment, which would be kickoff of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals at the Georgia Dome.

“These guys are so close and moving in the right direction that we’ll make a determination as late as we possibly can,” Smith said. “We can do it as late as we possibly can. They’re working hard to get back and we’re hoping that they’ll continue to progress (Friday), Saturday and Sunday morning.”

Smith said he doesn’t have a rule where if players don’t participate in Wednesday and Thursday practice that they won’t be available for the following game.

This is just way too good not to point you toward. Check out the awesome moves of these Falcons fans.

Stuff like this makes me sad that I’m barely flexible enough to tie my own shoes.

Well done, fans!

Cliff Matthews. Jonathan Massaquoi. Lawrence Sidbury.

Players with something to prove.

The release earlier this week of defensive end Ray Edwards means that Cliff Matthews, Jonathan Massaquoi and Lawrence Sidbury have a gigantic opportunity in front of them. An opportunity each of them has been waiting for.

While it appears Kroy Biermann will be getting the start in the vacant DE spot across from John Abraham, Matthews, Massaquoi and Sidbury will be vying for that all-important playing time, and it started Wednesday with the first practice of the week.

“I’m approaching this week just like I approach every week,” Matthews said. “Just continue to work hard in practice, trying to get better. Now that the opportunity is there, I’ve just got to go take advantage of it.”

That’s how his other two counterparts have approached this week, as well. Not much has changed — there’s just more of a payoff at the end of the week.

It’s unclear which of the three will get the most snaps come Sunday, but the opportunity is one Lawrence Sidbury has been waiting a while for.

Productive in his first three seasons with the Falcons, Sidbury has been a player that fans have had high expectations for. With five sacks in his career — four last year, which was good enough for second on the team — Sidbury has a bit of a chip on his shoulder to show that he can get the job done on a consistent basis.

“I’m just a competitor. It’s nothing personal,” he said. “I think that’s why we all play this game. Every time you go out, you have something to prove at practice and definitely in the games. It’s nothing personal against someone saying I have something to prove, but as a competitor, I want to be great. Everybody wants to be good and do their best.”

Expectations are also high for Matthews, a seventh-round selection by the Falcons in 2011. At 6-foot-4, 268 pounds, Matthews presents a sizable challenge for opposing tackles, but has the versatility to do the other things that defensive coordinator Mike Nolan asks — like dropping into coverage or acting as a 3-4 linebacker.

The wildcard in the mix is the rookie Massaquoi, who was active for the first time last week against the Saints and played five snaps on special teams.

One of the Falcons’ fifth-round selections in April, Massaquoi is another versatile option the Falcons could turn to. And the rookie is hungry.

“I’m going to come out and show that I’m worthy of the position, just like I have been doing,” Massaquoi said. “It just so happens that this week is my opportunity. They always say you’re one play away and this week, I am one play away. I got some reps in last week on punt return, so I got a taste of blood and now I’m ready to get after it.”

Of all the luck. Wide receiver Tim Toone got an opportunity with the Falcons after training camp had gotten underway and Toone knew it was his last shot.

Out of practice squad eligibility, Toone had to make the most of the chance in Atlanta or else it would likely be on to another line of work. During the preseason, Toone began to turn the heads he needed to turn, both as a wide receiver and a punt returner.

When the time came to either cut Toone or keep him around, the Falcons chose to add him to the 53-man roster as the likely punt return candidate.

When the business of cuts was over, it was time to get to work on the Falcons’ first regular season game of the year. Toone was ready.

On the very last play of the first practice that week, the worst happened: Toone got injured.

“This’ll be my third year and I haven’t been active yet. You finally do that and I was excited for the game and trying to get ready and do different things,” Toone said Wednesday. “It was just bad luck. It was pretty heart-breaking, but I’m back now and I’m ready to go.”

The Falcons and Toone came to an injury settlement and the wideout was on his way elsewhere. He went back home to Utah and worked to get back in shape after healing up.

Earlier this week, the improbable happened when Toone got a phone call from the Falcons, inviting him back.

There is no indication on how Toone will be used just yet, but however the Falcons plan to use him, he’s just thankful to get yet another chance at making football his profession.

“I’m excited,” Toone said. “Atlanta’s the one that gave me a shot and I kinda had bad luck. They’re giving me another shot, so hopefully I can do it justice and help us out.”

Quarterback Matt Ryan’s name has been mentioned quite a bit with the league’s MVP award, so it’s no surprise that Ryan is among the top vote-getters for the Pro Bowl.

Ryan is currently ninth among most voted-for players in the league with 236,002 votes.

In the NFC race, tight end Tony Gonzalez leads his position in votes with 211,581. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers leads all NFC quarterbacks in votes.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE FOR YOUR FALCONS

NFL Leading Vote-Getters
1. Peyton Manning, Broncos, 376,981
2. Tom Brady, Patriots, 345,036
3. Arian Foster, Texans, 333,396
4. Aaron Rodgers, Packers, 320,307
5. Adrian Peterson, Vikings, 298,323
6. A.J. Green, Bengals, 258,405
7. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots, 258,042
8. Victor Cruz, Giants, 257,016
9. Matt Ryan, Falcons, 236,002
10. Drew Brees, Saints, 227,106

NFC Position Leaders
OFFENSE
QB – Aaron Rodgers, Packers, 320,307
RB – Adrian Peterson, Vikings, 298,323
FB – John Kuhn, Packers, 80,488
WR – Victor Cruz, Giants, 257,016
TE – Tony Gonzalez, Falcons, 211,581
T – Matt Kalil, Vikings, 74,615
G – Mike Iupati, 49ers, 64,094
C – Jeff Saturday, Packers, 123,626

DEFENSE
DE – Jared Allen, Vikings, 150,611
DT – Henry Melton, Bears, 98,957
OLB – Clay Matthews, Packers, 156,688
ILB – Patrick Willis, 49ers, 91,609
CB – Tim Jennings, Bears, 116,347
SS – Charles Woodson, Packers, 53,531
FS – Ronde Barber, Buccaneers, 43,953

SPECIAL TEAMS
P – Tim Masthay, Packers, 41,141
K – David Akers, 49ers, 60,113
ST – C.J. Spillman, 49ers, 35,857
KR – Percy Harvin, Vikings, 50,994

Click here for the Falcons’ Piedmont Healthcare Injury Report

FRIDAY
Did Not Participate
QB Kevin Kolb – Ribs (Out)

Limited Participation
DE Calais Campbell – Calf (Questionable)
CB Jamell Fleming – Back (Questionable)
TE Todd Heap – Knee (Questionable)
CB Greg Toler – Hamstring (Questionable)

Full Participation
FS Kerry Rhodes – Back (Probable)
G Adam Snyder – Quadricep (Probable)
TE Jeff King – Knee (Probable)
LS Mike Leach – Back (Probable)

THURSDAY
Did Not Participate
DE Calais Campbell – Calf
QB Kevin Kolb – Ribs

Limited Participation
CB Jamell Fleming – Back
TE Todd Heap – Knee
TE Jeff King – Knee
LS Mike Leach – Back
CB Greg Toler – Hamstring

Full Participation
FS Kerry Rhodes – Back
G Adam Snyder – Quadricep

WEDNESDAY
Did Not Participate
DE Calais Campbell – Calf
QB Kevin Kolb – Ribs

Limited Participation
CB Jamell Fleming – Back
TE Todd Heap – Knee
TE Jeff King – Knee
LS Mike Leach – Back
G Adam Snyder – Quadricep
CB Greg Toler – Hamstring

Full Participation
FS Kerry Rhodes – Back

Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon and wide receiver Julio Jones were held out of practice Wednesday as both are recovering from injuries.

Weatherspoon, who has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, made progress Wednesday as he began running with the athletic performance group.

“He moved around. We’ll ramp that up (Thursday) and see how he feels in the morning,” Smith said. “Then, we’ll determine what his workload will be for (Thursday).”

Asked if the game was tomorrow, would Weatherspoon be ready, Smith said he couldn’t speak to that, but said that Weatherspoon had a good workout Wednesday. Weatherspoon told Smith he was excited about what he got accomplished with the athletic performance team today.

Smith said he wanted to keep Jones off his feet today and that he’ll be evaluated Thursday to see how much work he can do. Jones left Sunday’s game with a leg injury but returned in the second half and played the rest of the game.

Jones is listed on today’s Piedmont Healthcare Injury Report as having an ankle injury.

Head coach Mike Smith spoke to the media Wednesday for the first time since defensive end Ray Edwards was released by the team Monday night.

Smith had this to say about the decision to move forward without him: “It was a decision we made that we felt like was going to make our football team better today and in the future. That’s what you’ve got to do when you make decisions — you’ve got to make decisions for your football team.”

Smith said that the move wasn’t made with any sort of idea to put the rest of the locker room on notice.

“I don’t want to get into sending messages and whatnot,” Smith said. “We evaluate every day. We evaluate after every game from top to bottom. We talk about it all the time and it starts with me. Again, it was a decision that we made and we feel like it makes our team better today and it’ll make our team better in the future.”

Here’s a look at what the Falcons had to say in the locker room Wednesday:

S Thomas DeCoud On the mood in the locker room after the loss: “I like the mood. I feel like it was kind of a wake-up call for us. We’re coming back even more hungry. We know that we have to play at our best because everybody that we’re going to play is going to be playing at their best against us. We have a new resolve to come out and practice hard, make sure we have good weeks of practice because last week, early in the week it was kind of lethargic and it felt like it kind of carried over into Sunday.”

WR Roddy White on the end of the winning streak: “We didn’t get a trophy for that one. Nobody does. At the end of the year we want to win Super Bowls. That’s all that matters to us.”

WR Tim Toone on being back with the Falcons: “I’m excited. Atlanta’s the one that gave me a shot and I kinda had bad luck. They’re giving me another shot, so hopefully I can do it justice and help us out.”

S William Moore on the prospect of matchup up one-on-one with Larry Fitzgerald: “I wouldn’t mind it, man. I’ve gotta redeem myself. I had a bad play against (New Orleans TE Jimmy) Graham last week and that’s one of those plays I wish I could take back, but at the same time, I know that’s going to make me a better player down the road. You can’t sleep on anybody, so I look forward to the matchup we’ve got this week with (Cardinals TE) Todd Heap.”

OL Mike Johnson on C Joe Hawley’s dropped passes earlier in the year and Johnson’s TD Sunday: “I had his back the entire time when he dropped his, so I felt bad for him and I was thinking, if I was in the same situation, I don’t know if I’d be able to do any better. But I came up with it. My eyes got really big during the play. I was treating it like it was a raw egg, but I caught it and made a play for us.”

DE Lawrence Sidbury on the new opportunity in front of him and whether he has something to prove: “I’m just a competitor. It’s nothing personal. I think that’s why we all play this game. Every time you go out, you have something to prove at practice and definitely in the games. It’s nothing personal against someone saying I have something to prove, but as a competitor, I want to be great. Everybody wants to be good and do their best.”

LB Mike Peterson on staying loose even after a loss: “You keep it loose, but you don’t want to get too loose. You move on, win or lose. When you win a game, you don’t pat yourself on the back, printing T-shirts. When you lose a game, you don’t want to gripe all week. You’ve got to prepare for the next week. That’s the slogan in the NFL.”

The Falcons fell one spot in our sampling of Power Rankings around the Web, with the exception of FoxSports.com’s Brian Billick, who dropped the Falcons to No. 3 behind the Texans and Broncos.

NFL.com Power Rankings – “Atlanta Falcons fans have been complaining for weeks that they don’t get credit for being a dominant ballclub. If winning one-score games and losing to a 3-5 team is dominant … then Atlanta is truly dominant.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

NFL.com Week 10 Power Poll – The Falcons didn’t receive any of the alloted 13 first-place votes, but finished No. 2. This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

ESPN.com Power Rankings – “The Falcons are returning home, where QB Matt Ryan has a 30-4 regular-season record as a starter.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

CBSSports.com Power Rankings – “Now that they’ve lost a game, they can quit worrying about the undefeated season. They need to concentrate on improving the defense.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

FoxSports.com Power Rankings – “The Falcons had been flirting with disaster and they finally came up short on a fourth-quarter comeback attempt. This loss may be good for them in the long run.” This Week: 3; Last Week: 1

Bleacher Report Power Rankings – “I was ready to move the Atlanta Falcons down considerably on Sunday night, and then the 49ers managed a tie and the Patriots nearly lost to the Bills. Thanks to the poor play of other top teams, Atlanta moves down just one spot. Now that they’ve played a “real team” and lost, critics will be quick to pounce on the Falcons as posers, but this is still an 8-1 team. And they fought and clawed until the end against a very good New Orleans Saints team. Had Julio Jones been healthy or had any number of plays gone a little differently, this game could have been a ninth win for Atlanta instead of a first loss. Fickle fans and writers will snub Atlanta this week, but when I look at the Falcons, I still see a team with the talent and coaching to win a Super Bowl.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

Pro Football Weekly: – “Rushed for 46 yards, allowed 148. That will end an undefeated season..” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1

Pro Football Talk: – “The Saints helped the Falcons get some national media attention.” This Week: 2; Last Week: 1