Falcons 38, Panthers 20
RAHEEM MORRIS: Third in a row, proud of the guys for how they played and the maturity of the team to get better and better every single week, for things not to go perfect but to come out on winning side of the ball became is always great and with that I'll open up to questions
Q. Breaking down the defense in the second half, slowing them down?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Yeah, it was great. Went out there and got a couple stops. Held them to a couple three-point plays, a couple three-point drives there, and really giving us a chance to really get rolling on offense, allowing us to right now the football, getting the ball back a couple times with A.J. getting his first pick in a long time getting his first pick in the game to seal that deal is really big for all of us.
It's all growing moments and obviously we'll talk about how do we get our pass rush better and we'll do those things, and you have a chance to keep working at those things while you're winning, and that's always a good thing that we want to do.
Q. Feels like you tried to a few things offensively and fell into what you want to be and stylistically on offense, is that accurate?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know, man. We went up last week and they gave us a pass and we threw the ball a bunch. This week we got out and we got a chance to establish the run and we went out and did it with a nice one two punch with Tyler and d John, the O-Line really took a lot of credit, and London, being that sixth O-lineman so to speak and what he's able to do in the run game and all those guys going out there and block, I think we take what they are giving us right now. And the guys are going out and doing it.
We have got enough people in all areas. Terry did a great job of just putting people around. We'll look the film and stats sheet, you guys ask me about somebody being more offensive side of the ball and that's just always going to be the case when you've got that many good players, Tyler, Bijan, Kyle Pitts, you have Booney, Drake London. Somebody is going to get left out in these type of wins and that's the type of team we have and that's the type of stuff I'm proud of.
Q. How big was the last touchdown drive and the offensive line putting that game away?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I just think any time you score a touchdown in this league big but there's nothing bigger than when you can run it down, control the football, eat up clock, score touchdowns, and then just walk away with a win. Those things are huge for us and huge for our development. That is huge for our football team. That is huge for what we want to go and what we want to be. I loved it.
Q. The interception, could have gone for the score -- unselfish what do you think about that?
RAHEEM MORRIS: That's this football team. There's a bunch of guys that give a bunch of stuff on the sideline for not scoring but I tell what you that, is a young, heads-up play by a young man to end the football game there and not put the defense back out there and allow so many yards to come up and to do those things and end the football game. You win games and that is a smart play by a young football player and I'm so proud of them.
Q. Winning three in a row against the division foe --
RAHEEM MORRIS: Any time you talk about playing the south, we talk about out-running the south and you have a chance to get three wins in the south and back-to-back fashion, that is always awesome and that's what we want to be about. You know, you don't want to put any extra credit on three wins in a row but why not just keep winning. Why not us? Somebody's got to do it.
Q. How does Tyler's running style impact the second half of games?
RAHEEM MORRIS: He already wrote this story but Josh, he is heavy, he is a tough tackle. He can run through arms and he can run through people. He can force his will on his opponent at any given moment. You know, I tease him all the time but he is certainly hard to tackle and he enjoys doing it and he likes doing it and he embraces his role.
Q. Defensive point of view, with your defensive hat on, how demoralizing is that late in games if your defense is tired when a team does what y'all did to them?
RAHEEM MORRIS: That's tough when you have to go out there and try to stop people from running the football and try to get your offense some more possessions and you can't and you've got two running backs that look fresh and the O-Line coming off the ball with the way they come off the ball with the speed off the ball like we teach and preach. You didn't give effort, Fletch (ph), Nick Jones enough credit for front behavior and how we out there and played, our coaching staff for staying with it.
Two different styles in how we win football games and that is impressive. You have to look at tape and cut ups and say, they can do anything they want to do. That's impressive by our offense.
Q. Talk about not looking at the past but looking forward, but to win a game and close it out, first time you had a win like this in the season, can you talk about the growth of the team and what they have grown and what they have learned from this win?
RAHEEM MORRIS: You know, I think you learn more from the other games, right, the one-possession games where you have to stay poised and stay in the moment, and I think these guys this week getting in the lead and staying in the moment and staying poised allowed us to finish the right way because you have to play till the last whistle and that's what they did.
The development and growth of this football team, I hate to call them young because they are playing at such a mature level, I love it. It's the teaching that's involved and support that's involved. It's everything all around the board. They did a nice job.
Q. What did you see -- finished a lot better?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know, I think when you go out there at quarterback, there's always going to be throws you miss and throws you want back. I thought he managed the situation well and thought he played well. I'm not sure exactly what his stats say. But I know he was able to go out there and get critical touchdowns. We are 70 percent in third downs. Not counting the kneel downs and things of that nature but I was fired up with that performance on an offensive standpoint and I was fired up with the team all around. There are always things you want to go back and correct. There are always things you want to go and have back for Kirk or for whoever. But the nature of the beast, man, we got some wins.
Q. A.J. got his first interception. How big was that stop?
RAHEEM MORRIS: A.J. could not get interceptions until I came back (Laughter) he just showed you guys today, no, just kidding.
It was fun to watch A.J. -- go ahead and finish the question, I'm sorry.
Q. How big was that interception?
RAHEEM MORRIS: My time A.J. gets his hand on the ball and makes those kind of plays, that's what's going to separate him from being one of the very good corners in the league to one of the elites. We feel like we've got one of the elites and that's why we are fortunate to have him on our football team. We are were fortunate enough to draft him and fortunate enough to be able to keep him. Fortunate to be able to roll him over and get him a new deal. You know it's the right decision when the team reacts how they react the when we gave him that deal. He's just showing improvement to us every single week. We gave him touch matchups against some of the best wide-outs in the world and he had another one today in Johnson and he went out and answered the bell and he was awesome for us.
Q. Aside from finding the end zone, Tyler and Bijan, the little things that they do to help this offense go, how important is that between the two of them?
RAHEEM MORRIS: We talked about it the whole year but to watch those guys pick up blitzes and put their face on big people and big men running through gaps, trying to hit Kirk and keep people off of him, that is impressive. To watch those guys take the hand off and take the fake to open our playaction game, that's impressive. Those guys have been big for us all year no matter what the stats say, no matter what we ask them to do, they do. They play together. They are each other's biggest supporters and I'm so proud of them.
Q. Seemed like the second quarter gave them separation, two touchdowns.
RAHEEM MORRIS: We did.
Q. What was working well in the second quarter?
RAHEEM MORRIS: Everything at that point. Able to run the football, throw the football and we were able to get a couple stops and until that last drive, if we can have that back, that's how you want to be able to close out halves, that would be the difference between it being a little bit closer than it was.
You always are going to search for those things. This is an imperfect game where you're searching for perfection. Those things will always happen and we'll always be able to correct those things.
Q. Abernathy and simple response?
RAHEEM MORRIS: I don't know but Abernathy didn't look great. I'd better get you something on that. Simmons we took out precaution air -- inaudible -- good to see him go out there and play well.
Q. What do you feel like was the difference in the run game from last week?
RAHEEM MORRIS: This wasn't so many people in the box. He put that many people in the box and dictate terms on how you throw the football, and you know, we got yards off at a good clip last week and a good average, and we throw it 58 times. Looked really good. Threw for 500 yards and this week we are able to run it for 200. That's a good football team. That is a sign of a really good football team when you've got to find ways to beat them and they are taking what you are giving us and going out there and dealing.
These guys are bored. I'm out of here, guys.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports