Winning the games you're supposed to win: saying it is easy, doing it is hard. The Atlanta Falcons say it and do it, the latest being Sunday's 31-17 pasting of the Washington Redskins.
The Falcons have entered five games -- Miami, Carolina, San Fran, Chicago, Washington -- as favorites. They've won 'em all. Four have unfolded at the Georgia Dome, where feisty coach Mike Smith -- who rumbled with ex-Falcon pain-in-the-butt DeAngelo Hall -- is 11-1 and never allows his team to peek a week ahead.
Two encouraging sidebars from Sunday:
--Five sacks by the Falcons' heretofore MIA pass rush. Quarterback pressure helped cause a pick-six by cornerback Tye Hill and kept tattooing Jason Campbell, who needed to borrow smelling salts from concussed Clinton Portis.
--Michael Turner, with mojo back, rumbled to a second straight 100-plus-yards game and busted two long ones, 30 and 58 yards, for touchdowns. Even crusty pros responded to criticism, which Turner did after hearing that his kick-ass 2008 season was a one-and-done.
So, they win when they're supposed to. Now, having lost at Dallas, San Diego and New Orleans, if the Falcons could only get a W when it's unexpected.
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