Atlanta
Falcons

The touchdown put the Falcons ahead 14-0 and helped them to cruise to a 31-17 victory that ended a two-game losing streak.

Dropping back into zone coverage, Hill snagged a Jason Campbell pass that skidded of the hands of tight end Fred Davis. Hill, noted for his blinding speed that won him two Atlantic Coast Conference sprint titles at Clemson, was off to the races.

"I was trying to show my running back skills," said Hill, who played running back in his freshman season at Clemson before switching positions.

Hill's big play was a highlight for a pass defense that entered the game ranked 31st in the league and had given up three consecutive 300-yard games.

The Falcons were worried about their secondary in the preseason after San Diego's Philip Rivers and Baltimore's John Beck had fun picking on cornerbacks Chris Houston and Brent Grimes. So the Falcons signed cornerback Brian Williams, who was released by Jacksonville.

He was starting at left cornerback, but he suffered a season-ending injury in October.

Aided by a fierce pass rush, the Falcons held Washington to 176 passing yards and one touchdown pass. Hill appears to have earned the job at left cornerback opposite Chris Houston.

A year after the Falcons struck gold with a preseason trade for cornerback Domonique Foxworth, Hill appears to be proving general manager Thomas Dimitroff's acumen again.

While with the Rams, who took Hill with the 15th pick of the 2006 draft, Hill played just 12 games in 2007 and 2008 in injury-shortened seasons. St. Louis was willing to part with him in the preseason.

"My attitude was, I wanted to come in and work hard and prove that I'm still what I thought I was coming up," Hill said. "I just wanted to work hard, basically, and earn a spot on the team."

To get caught up on the defense, Hill said he met individually with defensive backs coach Alvin Reynolds and has been able to present his questions.

"I'm blessed to be here," Hill said. "I couldn't ask to be traded to a better place."

--Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton thought the defense relaxed after the Falcons built a 24-3 lead against the Redskins.

"We have to keep the same intensity," said Lofton, who leads the league with 84 tackles. "They came out and played ball."

--Linebacker Mike Peterson and Lofton were credited with the key fourth-and-1 stop of Mike Sellers.

"We definitely didn't want to lose three games (in a row)," Peterson said.

The defense still wants to put together an entire game.

"We are getting ready to enter the third quarter of the season," Peterson said. "We had a little good and a little bad."

--The Falcons have opened the last three games with touchdown drives on their first possession, but then seem to get bogged down once they are off their script.

"It's just a little bit of inconsistency," Pro Bowler Roddy White said. "Getting penalties and stuff like that is hurting us."

--The Falcons totaled 5.0 sacks in the first half against Washington, tying a team record that was set on three other occasions. The Falcons had sacks from Abraham, Kroy Biermann, Chevis Jackson and 2.5 from Jonathan Babineaux.

--RB Michael Turner ran for 36 of his 166 yards on the Falcons' opening drive.

--TE Tony Gonzalez caught the first touchdown pass of the game to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. The TD catch was the 80th of his career and the fourth between himself and QB Matt Ryan this season.

--DE Kroy Biermann tallied his team-leading fourth sack of the season on a third-down play in the first quarter.

--DT Jonathan Babineaux posted 2.5 sacks, dropping QB Jason Campbell each time in the second quarter. The sacks set a new single-game career high for the five-year veteran.

--WR Roddy White caught three passes for 27 yards against Washington.

REPORT CARD VS. REDSKINS

PASSING OFFENSE: C-minus -- Matt Ryan passed for just 135 yards while completing 17 of 24 passes. He threw one absolutely horrid interception. The pass was intended for Marty Booker, but there were three players around Booker, and the throw which was picked off by LB Rocky McIntosh. Ryan had a passer rating of 81.1, ending his streak of three consecutive sub-70 outings.

RUSHING OFFENSE: A-plus -- Michael Turner ran for 166 yards and had a key 58-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that gave the Falcons some breathing room. He ran with some authority on 18 carries, and he also busted a 30-yarder for a touchdown. After Turner has run for 317 yards over the past two games, folks are not asking Turner if he feels he's lost some of his running burst.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus -- The pass defense was aided immensely by a strong pass rush in the first half. The Falcons had five sacks and put Washington QB Jason Campbell under siege in the first half. They forced the Redskins to go to shorter drops and quicker throws. The Redskins had some success throwing some slants and some screen routes.

RUSH DEFENSE: C -- The Redskins rushed for 136 yards on 32 carries (4.3-yard average). They got rolling in the second half, when they ran for 104 yards on 23 carries. Clinton Portis only had 4 yards on four carries before he left the game with a concussion. Campbell became the latest quarterback to hurt the Falcons running the ball. He had 40 yards rushing.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus -- KR Eric Weems continues to put the Falcons in good field position with his electrifying returns. He had a 38-yarder. The punt coverage unit kept Washington's DeAngelo Hall in check. P Michael Koenen averaged 42.7 yards on three punts and placed all of them inside the 20.

COACHING: C -- The Falcons coaches were nearly too slow to adjust to the Redskins in the second half. The Redskins went to their quick game because they couldn't block long enough for their five- and seven-step-drop packages. They were hitting some seam routes and slants. Washington also worked in some well-timed screens and closed within a touchdown before Turner iced the game with his 58-yard touchdown run.