NFC South: Falcons' Turner one-ups former mentor

Football Betting Lines

12/02/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -- Michael Turner was deemed expendable by the San Diego Chargers this past offseason, but there's no denying that the talented running back has been vital to the Atlanta Falcons' amazing turnaround in 2008.

Eight months after the Chargers allowed Turner to test the free-agent waters, the fifth-year pro made his ex-team pay for the decision with another top- notch effort that aided Atlanta's 22-16 victory over San Diego this past Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

Turner grinded out 120 yards on a career-high 31 carries in his return to San Diego, where the physical 26-year-old spent his first four professional seasons honing his skills as a change-of-pace alternative to perennial All-Pro LaDainian Tomlinson. That workmanlike performance, coupled with a superlative showing by an improving Atlanta defense, lifted the Falcons to their fourth win in the last five weeks and greatly enhanced the surprising club's chances of obtaining a postseason berth.

While Turner bullied his way to another productive afternoon, Tomlinson was completely bottled up by a determined Atlanta stop unit that delivered possibly its most impressive display of the season. The Falcons limited the one-time league MVP to a mere 24 yards on 14 attempts, while frustrating Chargers standout quarterback Philip Rivers throughout the day as well.

Atlanta held San Diego to just 201 total yards and prevented its opponent from putting together a long touchdown drive over the course of the game. The Chargers did reach the end zone twice on Sunday, but a muffed punt by rookie Harry Douglas deep in San Diego territory led to the first score, and the other came on an 86-yard fumble return from safety Eric Weddle.

"It was huge, man," defensive tackle Grady Jackson said of the play of the Falcons' defense. "The defense played great against a great team. Rivers leads the league in passer rating and is a great quarterback."

Not only did Turner get the better of Tomlinson on Sunday, but the former understudy is having the superior year of the two backs as well. Turner currently ranks third in the league with 1,208 rushing yards and delivered his sixth 100-yard game in the win, while Tomlinson has managed 794 yards in an injury-plagued campaign and has surpassed the century mark only twice this season.

More importantly, Turner's Falcons are knocking on the door of the playoffs with an 8-4 record that puts them one game off Carolina and Tampa Bay's lead atop the NFC South. The Chargers, on the other hand, fell to 4-8 with Sunday's loss and are on the verge of missing out on the postseason.

QUICK HITS: Wideout Roddy White compiled 112 yards on six catches against the Chargers and became the first Atlanta receiver since Terance Mathis in 1998-99 to have two straight 1,000-yard seasons. White is on pace for a franchise- record 1,447 receiving yards...In his first game since signing a five-year contract extension last week, defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux had two of Atlanta's three sacks of Rivers...Kicker Jason Elam booted a 35-yard field goal on the Falcons' first drive of the game, the sixth time this season the team has scored on its opening possession. Atlanta is 6-0 in those games...The Falcons finished 3-1 versus AFC West teams this year.

NEXT UP: The Falcons aim for back-to-back road wins when they head to the Superdome this Sunday for a divisional matchup with the unpredictable New Orleans Saints. Atlanta was a 34-20 victor when these teams squared off at the Georgia Dome in Week 10, but the Saints had taken four straight from the Falcons prior to that meeting.

CAROLINA: The Panthers maintained their share of first place in the NFC South with a gritty 35-31 road ousting of Green Bay over the weekend, setting up a pivotal Monday night showdown with co-leader Tampa Bay in Charlotte for Week 14.

Carolina jumped out to a 21-10 halftime lead before allowing the Packers to score 18 unanswered points to grab a 28-21 advantage early in the fourth quarter. However, a pair of touchdown drives in the game's final 11 1/2 minutes -- both of which were set up on long kickoff returns by reserve wide receiver Mark Jones -- allowed the Panthers to keep pace with the red-hot Bucs and avoid their first losing streak of the season.

Jones, who had runbacks of 51 and 43 yards in the fourth quarter, was one of a host of heroes for Carolina. Running back DeAngelo Williams put the Panthers ahead with his fourth rushing touchdown of the day, a one-yard burst with 1:30 remaining, while superstar wideout Steve Smith overcame a slow start to toast Green Bay's well-regarded secondary at crunch time.

Held without a catch during the entire first half, Smith hauled in four Jake Delhomme passes for 105 yards after intermission. His final grab was the longest and most important of the bunch, as the two-time Pro Bowl honoree got past Packers cornerback Charles Woodson for a 54-yard gain that paved the way for Williams' go-ahead score.

Smith and Delhomme also hooked up for a 36-yard completion to the Green Bay one-yard line with under 12 minutes to play. Williams crossed the goal line on the ensuing play to tie the contest at 28-28.

The victory was the third this season for the now 9-3 Panthers in a game in which they had trailed in the final quarter. Carolina also fought back from early 10-point deficits in home wins over Arizona and Detroit previously this year.

That's the thing about this team," said linebacker Jon Beason, who sealed Sunday's comeback with an interception in the final stages. "We believe in what we're doing and we believe in our scheme. That's our motto - to keep punching. Today we got it done."

QUICK HITS: Williams' four touchdowns established a new Carolina single-game best and he now has 13 (11 rushing, 2 receiving) on the season, which matches Smith's team record set in 2005...The Panthers recorded their first win at historic Lambeau Field since 1999, with the team having lost in its two most recent visits to Green Bay...Carolina amassed 130 rushing yards against the Packers and is 9-1 this season when getting 100 or more yards on the ground... Defensive end Julius Peppers had a pair of sacks in the game and now has a team-high 11 on the year, seven of which have come over the last four weeks... The Panthers agreed to a six-year extension with cornerback Chris Gamble through the 2014 season on Friday. NFL.com reported that the pact is worth a total of $53 million, with $23 million guaranteed.

NEXT UP: Not only will Carolina be playing for the inside track in the NFC South race this coming week, but Monday's clash with the Buccaneers presents an opportunity for the club to avenge a shocking 27-3 defeat in Tampa back in Week 6. The Panthers are a perfect 6-0 at home so far this season, although the Bucs did post a 20-7 decision at Bank of America Stadium last year.

TAMPA BAY: The Buccaneers will also be entering Monday's marquee matchup against the Panthers with a head of steam, as the defending NFC South champs ran their win streak to four straight games with a hard-earned 23-20 decision over visiting New Orleans over the weekend.

It was a victory as ugly as the wet and windy conditions that encompassed Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Quarterback Jeff Garcia completed only 9- of-23 passes for 119 yards and was sacked four times, while the offense managed an unimpressive 254 yards and 11 first downs as a whole. However, the unit did come through with a pair of critical touchdown drives in the third quarter, while Tampa's opportunistic defense intercepted Saints quarterback Drew Brees three times during the second half.

One of those picks came from strong safety Jermaine Phillips, who returned to action following a three-game absence due to a fractured forearm. The turnover, which occurred deep in New Orleans territory and the score knotted at 20-20 with under 2 1/2 minutes to play, was quickly converted into a 37- yard Matt Bryant field goal that accounted for the winning margin.

The Saints' quick-strike offense still had plenty of time to mount a comeback drive, but Brees was intercepted by cornerback Phillip Buchanon with 1:36 remaining to preserve the 100th career victory for Bucs head coach Jon Gruden.

It's also the third time during Tampa's winning run in which the team's margin of victory was six points or less.

"It may not be pretty, but we always find a way to win," remarked defensive end Greg White. We keep finding ways, whether it is high-scoring, low-scoring, exciting or boring."

The 45-year-old Gruden, who has achieved a 100-81 mark in 11 seasons with the Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, became the third-youngest coach to reach the 100-win plateau in the Super Bowl era. John Madden reached the milestone at 41 years of age, with Bill Cowher doing so at age 44.

QUICK HITS: Oft-injured running back Carnell "Cadillac" Williams accounted for Tampa Bay's first third-quarter touchdown with an eight-yard run on the opening possession of the second half. It was his first score since reaching the end zone in a win over St. Louis during Week 3 of the 2007 season...Bryant made good on all three of his field goal tries on Sunday and now has a league- leading 28 three-pointers for the year. The steady kicker also ranks second in the NFL with 110 points at the moment...Defensive tackle Jovan Haye left the contest in the second quarter with a sprained knee, an injury that will likely keep him out of this week's game at Carolina...The NFL announced on Monday that the Buccaneers and New England Patriots will play at London's Wembley Stadium during the 2009 season, with Tampa Bay to be the designated home team.

NEXT UP: The Buccaneers play the first of back-to-back key road tests against divisional foes that could decide the club's fate in the NFC South this coming Monday in Charlotte. Following the Week 14 meeting with the Panthers, Tampa Bay heads to the Georgia Dome on December 14 for an important battle with the high-flying Falcons.

SAINTS: While it's almost certain that Brees will be garnering a third career Pro Bowl nod at season's end, the prolific quarterback hasn't always played at an all-star level when the Saints have gone on the road this year.

Following Sunday's three-interception outing against the Buccaneers, Brees has now thrown 10 picks in the team's six away games in 2008. Seven of those miscues have come in New Orleans' road losses to fellow NFC South members Tampa Bay, Carolina and Atlanta.

In contrast, Brees has produced 14 touchdown passes and been intercepted only four times in his five outings at the Superdome this season, while completing just under 70 percent of his attempts over those games.

Turnovers have been a season-long problem for the Saints, who had a two-game win streak snapped by the Bucs and reside at the bottom of the competitive NFC South with a 6-6 record. After coming up with only one takeaway in Sunday's narrow loss, New Orleans now owns a division-worst minus-five turnover ratio through its 12 games.

"We were a few plays short against a good team and it ended up being the difference," said Saints head coach Sean Payton. "Certainly you look at the turnovers. There was an imbalance in the penalties, I think that hurt us some, but I was proud of the way we fought through."

While Payton can be proud of his team's effort, he's also fully aware that time is running out for the Saints to gain ground in the conference playoff race. With just four weeks remaining in the regular season, New Orleans is two games behind Atlanta and Dallas for the NFC's final Wild Card berth.

Needless to say, the Saints' season will essentially be on the line when the Falcons invade the Superdome this Sunday. Whether the team will have all of its players available for the crucial upcoming game, however, probably won't be determined until Tuesday, when the NFL is expected to give a ruling on the appeal of New Orleans players Deuce McAllister, Will Smith and Charles Grant.

The trio is subject to a four-game suspension for violation of the league's steroid policy after each tested positive for Bumetanide, a banned substance found in a weight-loss pill they were taking, although the players have argued that the product's manufacturer did not list the illegal diuretic among its ingredients.

Smith, a starter at right end and one of the Saints' top pass rushers, is the only one of the three likely to have an impact on Sunday's game. Grant is out for the season with a torn triceps and McAllister has fallen to third on the depth chart at running back, now that Reggie Bush has returned from his knee injury.

QUICK HITS: Bush, who had sat out the previous four games after undergoing a procedure on his knee in late October, caught five passes for 32 yards and gained zero yards on three carries in Sunday's loss...Wideout Lance Moore caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brees late in the first half, giving the Saints' leading receiver a scoring reception in five straight games...Fellow wide receiver Marques Colston led New Orleans with six receptions and 106 yards against the Bucs...The Saints placed veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn on injured reserve on Friday with a lingering ankle problem...Free safety Kevin Kaesviharn left Sunday's setback in the first half with a shoulder stinger and is doubtful to play against Atlanta.

NEXT UP: The Saints will be hoping to repeat their home success of 2008 in this weekend's skirmish with the rival Falcons. New Orleans is 4-1 at the Superdome this season, while NFC South clubs have combined for a sensational 22-2 overall mark as the host over the course of the campaign. Atlanta dropped a 22-16 decision to the Saints at the Superdome a year ago.