Hot-lanta!
Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and highstepping Devin Hester led the Falcons to one of the biggest wins in franchise history.
Ryan threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, Jones hauled in nine passes for 161 yards and a couple of scores, and Hester set an NFL record with his 20th return for a TD as the host Falcons routed the hapless Buccaneers 5614 on Thursday night.
The Falcons (21) led 350 before the Buccaneers (03) picked up a first down. Ryan and the other offensive starters left the game after Steven Jackson’s 3yard touchdown run made it 490 before the midway point of the third quarter.
Atlanta had a stunning 560 lead heading to the fourth quarter. Tampa Bay scored two meaningless touchdowns to avoid the worst loss in franchise history.
“I’ve never been in a game quite like this in the NFL,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said.
It was the secondlargest win in the Falcons’ 48year history, eclipsed only by a 627 rout of the Saints in 1973. It was only the fifth time Atlanta has won a game by as many as 40 points.
Hester and Jones provided the signature moments.
With the Falcons already up 280, Hester took a punt at his own 44, found a seam up the middle of the field and zipped around the last man with a chance to tackle him, punter Michael Koenen. The 56yard play was Hester’s 20th career return for a touchdown, breaking the mark he shared with former Falcons star Deion Sanders.
Sanders, now a television analyst, watched Hester’s return from the sideline at the Georgia Dome. Hester highstepped the last 10 yards are so, his left hand bobbing be hind his ear — a tribute to Sanders’ signature move.
“It’s tough to break the record of the guy who is my No. 1 mentor,” Hester said. “I’m kind of emotional right now.”
Prime Time didn’t mind a bit. He smiled broadly and waved to the crowd when he was shown on the video board, the Hall of Famer’s record falling in the stadium he once pro claimed as “my house.”
VIKINGS: Minnesota released Jerome Simpson following the revelation of more trouble for the wide receiver: three misdemeanors related to a previously unreported incident this summer.
Simpson is facing charges of driving on a limited driver’s license, possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle and having an open bottle in a motor vehicle, according to Rick Hart, deputy police chief in Bloomington, Minn. Hart said Simpson was cited but not arrested July 7, declining to make further information public because the case is considered open. The citation was issued shortly after midnight on a road less than a mile from the team’s suburban headquarters in Eden Prairie.
Simpson has a Nov. 3 arraignment in Hennepin County court, but with him already serving a threegame suspension for violating the league’s substanceabuse policy the Vikings didn’t wait to assess his status. He would have been eligible to return to the active roster Monday. CHIEFS: Running back
Jamaal Charles showed up for practice, albeit in a limited capacity, despite a high ankle sprain sustained last Sunday against Denver.
Charles did not participate Wednesday and there were fears that one of the game’s dynamic playmakers could miss several weeks. Chiefs coach Andy Reid has not said whether there’s a chance Charles will be available for Sunday’s game in Miami.
PACKERS: Defensive lineman B.J. Raji will need six to nine months to return from right biceps surgery, though it’s unclear if he will be back with the Packers.
REDSKINS: DeSean Jackson (sprained left shoulder) remains unable to practice as the Redskins prepare to face the Eagles. JAGUARS: Wide receiver
Marqise Lee (hamstring) won’t play in Sunday’s home opener against Indianapolis.