So are the Falcons any good? Or are the Ravens over rated? especially the defense. those 2 last minute td's lead me to beleive the Falcons are pretty good and Matt Ryan is maturing into a helluva qb.

They still have to go to Tampa the 1st week in December and also play the Packers at home Thanksgiving weekend. If they can win those two, then they'll bring a lot of people over to their side. Baltimore's defense might be a little over-rated. But you're right about Ryan. He was clicking with Roddy White when it mattered.

I think the Ravens are solid defensively, but its NOT anywhere near the level of the 2000 team that simply dominated and overpowered its opponents. For one year, that defense rivaled some of the best in NFL history. They had tremendous playmakers at virtually every position.

I think the casual fan still equates todays Ravens with that defense (after all they still see Rey Lewis jumping on piles to make tackles). Its not. Certainly, they are a top tier defense by today's standards, but not anything special. Great defenses do not allow a team to drive 80 yards in 45 seconds to win a game. That being said, the Ravens are still going to be in the playoff mix throughout the season. Most likely, they are a 10-11 win team.  

Big win for the Falcons. Ryan really looked cool under pressure. They certainly put themselves in a position to challenge for home field throughout the playoffs in the NFC. They will have a HUGE game against the Saints coming up.  

-- Modified on 11/12/2010 3:30:49 AM

I've been a Ravens fan from the first season. They are not that good. Offensive line sucks, Flacco can't see open receivers waving at him mid-field, and the defense no longer punishes the other team. They miss tackles, don't drive ball carriers and QBs into the turf like they used. I like hard-hitting Madden football.  The Ravens are lucky to have as many wins as they do. Absolutely no reason for any decent defense to give up a 80 yard drive to lose a game. Ravens allowed Falcons to move the ball on that last drive, didn't blitz, etc. Ryan looked fresh at the end of the game. The old Ravens would have worn him out by halftime.

I think they said late in the game that it was Matt Ryan's 11th 4th quarter come from behind victory. That's pretty darned good for a guy in only his 3rd year!