Falcons Beat Broncos, 27-21, Thanks To Peyton's Picks

Brock Osweiler Was Ready To Replace Peyton Manning For Hail Mary

Peyton Manning had one of the shakiest games of his career during Denver's 27-21 loss to the Atalanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Three interceptions in the first quarter gave the Falcons a quick way to build a lead, and they were able to hold onto it as the game went along. Even so, the Broncos managed to claw their way back at the end of the game thanks to two Willis McGahee touchdowns and had the score within one touchdown with time running down.

Unfortunately for Denver, their defense couldn't stand up against Atlanta in the end and the Falcons kneeled down to end the game. There would have been an interesting story in the final drive for Denver had the defense stopped them, as Brock Osweiler was reportedly ready to come in for Peyton Manning if a Hail Mary had been in the books:

"I was going in for the Hail Mary," Osweiler said. "I'm not sure what the dividing line was as far as me going in, but I was getting ready to go in."

Osweiler will have to wait for his first NFL action, but we can probably expect to see the strong-armed rookie if the Denver offense has a need for big yardage late in a game some time in the future.

For more on this game, please be sure to check out our blogs Mile High Report and The Falcoholic along with SB Nation Denver, SB Nation Atlanta, our Football Hub and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

Michael Turner Arrested: Falcons Issue Statement

The Atlanta Falcons released a statement following the arrest of their starting running back Michael Turner on Tuesday morning. Turner, just hours after helping lead the Falcons to a 27-21 win against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding.

He was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail and released on a $2,179 bond, according to reports.

Here is what the Falcons had to say about the situation:

Falcons statement: "We are aware of the situation involving Michael and are in the process of gathering more information."

— SB Nation Atlanta (@SBNAtlanta) September 18, 2012

Falcons statement: "Because this is now a legal matter, the club will have no further comment at this time."

— SB Nation Atlanta (@SBNAtlanta) September 18, 2012

Turner had 17 rush attempts for 42 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game on Monday night.

Read more on the Falcons at The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta.

Broncos Vs. Falcons, Week 2: Atlanta Wins A Thriller

Monday night's marquee NFL matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos was exciting from start to finish. But the much anticipated showdown between Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan didn't exactly live up to the hype -- at least not from the Broncos' perspective.

The Falcons' defense forced Manning to throw three interceptions in his first three drives, and the Broncos found themselves down 20-7 by halftime. Ryan, on the other hand, was solid on Monday night. He threw for 219 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the game.

Atlanta led, 27-7, going into the final quarter, but the Broncos made a late push to cut the deficit to 27-21. But that would be the final score of the game, as the Falcons moved to 2-0 on the season.

The Falcoholic's Dave Choate was pleased with the victory, Ryan's play and, especially, the Falcons' defense. But he says that despite the win, Atlanta still has a few things to learn as it moves forward in the season:

Let's be clear: The Falcons have plenty to learn here. They need to learn to finish on sacks, they need to learn to keep up the defensive intensity all game and they need to call a better game that somehow gets the ground game rolling. It wasn't a perfect effort, and while I didn't expect one, they left points on the field. No question.

For more on the Atlanta Falcons, head over to The Falcoholic, and be sure to check out SBNation's dedicated NFL hub for news and analysis.

Michael Turner Arrested For DUI After Falcons Beat Broncos, According To Report

Not long after helping the Atlanta Falcons defeat the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, Falcons' running back Michael Turner landed in the Gwinnett County Jail, charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding, according to a report by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution containing jail records.

Turner, 30, of Suwanee, was booked into the jail just after 5 a.m., and was released about two hours later on $2,179 bond, the report said. There were no details on the arrest.

Just hours earlier, Turner had 17 rush attempts for 42 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons avoided a late-game rally by the Broncos to improve their record to 2-0. Turner's touchdown was the first of the game, coming on a short, three-play drive following an interception thrown by Peyton Manning.

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Broncos Vs. Falcons Game Recap: Early Mishaps Prove Costly For Denver In 27-21 Loss

In the first quarter the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos turned the ball over four times, and although the team was able to avoid turnovers in the remaining three quarters, the damage had already been done as the Falcons jumped out to a 20-0 lead.

While Manning led the Broncos on a furious comeback in the fourth quarter to bring them within a score, the Falcons managed to hold off Denver and earn a 27-21 victory.

In his first eight passes on Monday night, Manning threw three interceptions before a Willis McGahee fumble led to a fourth turnover in the waning seconds of the first quarter. The turnovers led to 13 Falcons points and a Tony Gonzalez touchdown with under five minutes remaining in the second quarter expanded the Atlanta lead to 20.

The Broncos stopped the bleeding some with a 17-yard Manning touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas just before halftime, but a Matt Ryan touchdown pass to Roddy White early in the third quarter expanded the lead back to 20.

In the fourth quarter, Manning led a comeback with two drives that ended in two 2-yard Willis McGahee touchdowns, but the Broncos' defense was unable to stop two first downs on the final drive of the game and the Falcons were able to kneel out the clock.

Manning finished the game 21-of-32 passing for 200 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. McGahee eclipsed 100 yards with 113 yards on 22 carries including two touchdowns. However, it was Ryan and White that stole the show, connecting eight times for 102 yards. Ryan finished 24-of-36 passing for 219 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 2-0 as they continue to hold the sole spot atop the NFC South standings while the loss drops the Broncos to 1-1 and in second in the AFC West standings. Atlanta will next travel to San Diego to face the Chargers at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, and the Broncos will host the Houston Texans on Sunday at 4:25 p.m.

For more on this game, please be sure to check out our blogs Mile High Report and The Falcoholic along with SB Nation Denver, SB Nation Atlanta, our Football Hub and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

Chris Owens Injury: Falcons CB Out With Head Injury

The Atlanta Falcons are losing cornerbacks left and right. On Monday night against the Denver Broncos, Chris Owens left the game in the first half with a head injury.

According to Lindsay Jones via twitter, Owens is out at least for the remainder of the evening.

The Falcons already lost Brent Grimes with a torn ACL in their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. If Owens does indeed have to sit for a time, it could make Atlanta very thin in the backfield.

Asante Samuel was also shaken up in the game with a neck injury, but he has since returned.

The fourth-year corner out of San Jose State has seen some time in the past three years, playing a reserve role but getting on the field often. In 2011, Owens appeared in 14 games and amassed 35 tackles, three passes defended and a sack.

For more on the Falcons, please be sure to check out our blog The Falcoholic along with SB Nation Atlanta, our Football Hub and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

Replacement Referees Screw Up, Give Broncos Extra Yards

The replacement referees have found themselves in another doozy. Instead of walking off a 5-yard defensive holding penalty late in the first half of the Broncos-Falcons game, the refs walked off 11 yards.

Why? Who knows?

Fox's Mike Pereira noticed the mistake and looking back at the replays he's right. The Broncos had a 4th-and-1 from the Falcons 43-yard line.

The ball is spotted right at the 43-yard line. On the play Falcons cornerback Dominique Franks was hit with defensive holding, a five yard penalty plus a first down. So that should've put the Broncos in a 1st-and-10 from the Falcons 38-yard line.

Instead...

That's on the 32-yard line, a full six yards extra. A gift from the refs to the Broncos.

The Broncos would drive down the field and score a touchdown -- a touchdown that had to be reviewed and overturned, of course -- but who knows how the Falcons would've played things differently if the ball would've been spotted correctly.

Fox's Mike Pereira can't believe it.

They did actually march off 11 yards. Wow!

— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) September 18, 2012

For more on this game, please be sure to check out our blogs Mile High Report and The Falcoholic along with SB Nation Denver, SB Nation Atlanta, our Football Hub and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

Broncos Vs. Falcons Score Update: Atlanta Takes Advantage Of Manning Miscues, Leads 20-7

The Atlanta Falcons are throttling the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, leading 20-7 at halftime in the Georgia Dome.

The main story has been the play of Peyton Manning. After looking terrific in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Manning has tossed three interceptions and only one touchdown. All of Manning's errors occurred in the first quarter.

The initial pick was turned in by William Moore, who returned the gift to the Broncos 1-yard line. Michael Turner punched the ball in from there. The other thefts were courtesy of Thomas DeCoud and Robert McClain.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons have been able to dice up the Denver defense through the air. Matt Ryan has played well thus far, completing 13-of-19 for 103 yards and a touchdown to Tony Gonzalez.

The future Hall of Fame tight end is leading everyone in the game with five catches and 49 receiving yards.

For more on this game, please be sure to check out our Mile High Report and The Falcoholic blogs along with SB Nation Denver, SB Nation Atlanta, our Football Hub and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

The Broncos Should Probably Cover Tony Gonzalez

Tony Gonzalez is pretty good. Easily the best tight end ever and his numbers make him an important part of the conversation when talking about the league's best receivers in general.

So, yeah, the Broncos should've considered putting him into the defensive game plan because he is not covered on this touchdown pass.

There is one player in the history of the NFL who has caught more balls than Tony G. so keeping a body on him might be a good tip moving forward. I'm not sure how you don't get a body on him. From that position of the field (in the red zone), you A.) make sure you have enough bodies up front to stop Michael Turner and B.) make sure Tony G. is covered.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

What Is This Broncos Player Saying To Matt Ryan?

John Fox Angry After Discovering Replacement Refs Can Count To 12

As ESPN's Monday Night Football announcers were talking about the replacement refs losing control of the game with repeated mistakes, Denver Broncos head coach John Fox was ripping the replacement refs a new one after they issued a flag for 12 men on the field.

That penalty is black-and-white -- either there was 12 men on the field or not. Considering I've watched this game and seen the ineptitude of the replacement refs I assumed Fox was right as he got angrier and angrier at the referees.

But it can't be only the replacement refs making mistakes in this game. Replays showed the replacement referees actually got this one right (stunning, I know) and Fox was wrong.

So basically Fox was really pissed off that the refs could count to 12, which shows you how low the bar has been set.

Even though they got this one right they've been an embarrassment in the rest of the game, which may not be such a bad thing. The worse these refs do, the more pressure the NFL will feel to get a done with the real referees.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all yourFalcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Replacement Refs Are Making Themselves The Story Again

This is the worst call by the replacement refs this season.

— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) September 18, 2012

There IS going to be a bench clearing brawl very soon with these replacement refs. These guys r HORRIBLE, and r not able to control game.

— Masta Ace (@mastaace) September 18, 2012

These officials have absolutely no control out there and u better believe the players know it!!!!! #ReplacementRefs

— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisNFL) September 18, 2012

That's a horrible call.We recovered the ball.#replacementrefs.

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) September 18, 2012

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Broncos Turn It Over And It's Not Peyton Manning's Fault

The Denver Broncos have turned the ball over but it's not Peyton Manning's fault!

Progress? Maybe so.

Knowshon Moreno took a first quarter carry and thanks to a little help from the Falcons he fumbled the ball and gave it back to Atlanta. The Broncos fourth turnover in the first quarter.

It's almost impressive that this game is only 10-0 after one quarter.

As we've seen with many games, the replacement refs had some trouble making the call on the fumble. Right after the play ended the referee made the decision that the ball was recovered by Atlanta. Then they took their time doing something while the Broncos and Falcons players started pushing and shoving each other resulting in a personal foul for Atlanta's Ray Edwards.

Turnovers and replacement refs are the early story in Atlanta.

Manning threw three picks in the first quarter becoming the first player to throw three interceptions in the first quarter in four years. He avoided becoming the first player since Tom Brady 11 years ago to throw four interceptions in the first quarter.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Asante Samuel Injury: Falcons CB Leaves And Later Returns

Asante Samuel was forced to leave the field on Monday night in the Atlanta Falcons' game against the Denver Broncos after taking a knee to his head and suffering an apparent neck injury. He later returned.

Samuel appeared dazed while he stayed down on the field for a brief moment before running off under his own power. In his absence, Robert McClain stepped in and promptly intercepted Peyton Manning, who has now thrown three picks this evening.

He was on the sidelines being watched by trainers and his return was called questionable until he re-entered the game.

The loss of Samuel for any extended period of time would be a major blow to a secondary that saw Brent Grimes lost for the season after he tore his ACL in Kansas City. The newly-acquired Samuel is expected to be part of a terrific defensive backfield that includes Dunta Robinson on the other side.

For more on Asante Samuel, please be sure to check out our blog The Falcoholic, along with our Football Hub, SB Nation Atlanta and SB Nation for all the latest news and updates.

Peyton Manning Hits The Interception Hat Trick In 8 Minutes

Wow. That's all I can say after seeing Peyton Manning throwing his third interception in the first quarter of the Broncos-Falcons game. If you wanted to get the crowd out of it on the road this was not the way about doing it.

The first two Manning interceptions appeared to be mental mistakes, misreading the coverage. You can see both of those interceptions here.

The third Manning pick is a combination of an imperfect throw and some great defense from Falcons cornerback Robert McClain.

He lines up on the left side of the field and the Broncos have two players running deep. He stays between them both and leaves himself enough time to break on the ball and snag it for Manning's third interception. The throw appeared to be slightly high -- Manning's arm strength anyone? -- but you have to give credit for McClain making a play on it.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Peyton Manning Is 2-For-4 On Interceptions

The Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons less than 90 seconds into the game already featured two Peyton Manning interceptions, one of which was nearly taken back to the house, and a Michael Turner touchdown overruled via replay review.

Update: Make that three interceptions!

Manning's first interception came on his second pass and third offensive play of the game. It appeared he simply misread the coverage, not realizing that safety William Moore was there. Same thing on the second one.

From Manning's angle on the first pick you see the receiver appears to be open but Moore doesn't step in until the last second. Not only was it an interception in the Broncos own territory but Moore took the pick all the way back to the one yard line. It's Manning's first interception of the season.

The second one came with the Falcons in a two deep zone and Manning simply read the coverage wrong. Watch this pass below and see where the defenders are and where the ball lands.

The rare back-to-back bad decisions for Manning. Savor these because you don't see it very often. By the way, when was the last time Manning threw two consecutive interceptions?

Two plays after the first interception Turner punched the ball in from the one-yard line. Or so we thought. Turner took the carry and made a second effort to surge forward and get the ball into the end zone. As he stretched the ball out to cross the plane of the goal line, he briefly lost control of the ball. The key is, as he recovered the ball, it was no longer past the plane of the goal line. It was initially ruled a touchdown but the officials took a second look and reversed the call. The Falcons still got in on the next play, making it 7-0.

So two picks and a touchdown overruled touchdown in the first three and a half minutes of the game.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Broncos Vs. Falcons Inactives: Sean Weatherspoon Active For Atlanta

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Sean Witherspoon is active for Monday night's game against the Denver Broncos, as is offensive lineman Tyson Clabo. Both had been listed as questionable on the team's last injury report.

Players inactive for the Falcons tonight: quarterback Dominique Davis, safety Charles Mitchell, cornerback Terrence Johnson, offensive lineman Joe Hawley, offensive lineman Lamar Holmes, defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi and defensive end Cliff Matthews.

Related: Champ Bailey Is Not Surprised By Peyton Manning

Denver's list of inactives includes quarterback Caleb Hanie, offensive lineman Chris Kuper, wide receiver Andre Caldwell, cornerback Chris Harris, running back Ronnie Hillman, offensive lineman Philip Blake and defensive tackle Sealver Siliga.

The start of Monday night's game is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

For more Broncos coverage, visit Mile High Report and SB Nation Denver. For all your Falcons needs, visit The Falcoholic and SB Nation Atlanta. For more from around the league, stay tuned to SB Nation's NFL hub.

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NFL Picks Week 2: Broncos Vs. Falcons

The Peyton Manning era in Denver began with a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and now Manning and the Broncos will face another tough test when they travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons on Monday Night Football.

Both teams are coming off impressive wins with the Broncos defeating the Steelers 31-19 and the Falcons beating the Chiefs 40-24. The Falcons are three point betting favorites, but that hasn't stopped a number of NFL analysts from picking the Broncos.

Of the seven ESPN NFL analysts making picks, five picked the Falcons but Eric Allen and Merril Hoge picked the Broncos. Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports likes the Falcons while the eight CBS NFL analysts were split. Pete Prisco, Clark Judge Dave Ricard and Will Brinson picked the Falcons while Mike Freeman, Jason La Canfora, Josh Katzowitz and Ryan Wilson all went with the underdog Broncos.

If Denver is going to pull the upset, they are going to have to overcome a big home field advantage. Since 2008, Atlanta is 26-6 at home during the regular season.

For more on the Broncos, check in with Mile High Report. For more on the Falcons, visit The Falcoholic. And, as always, visit SB Nation's NFL hub for any and all pro football news, commentary, and analysis.

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After slapping the Chiefs around last Sunday, the Falcons are three-point favorites over Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos on Monday night.