"That wasn't mere urgency at their backs on that final drive. It was utter desperation. The Falcons can read the schedule and the standings, and they know the difference between 6-5 and 5-6 is more than one game, especially when the opponent tipping the balance arrived at 1-9.

"Going under .500," Roddy White would say later, after he'd caught the fourth-down touchdown pass that won it, "that's desperation."

The Falcons escaped Sunday's game with a season's worth of hopes still alive, but with every week those hopes are tempered by mounting reality. They started 4-1. Then they lost four of five. They were one play from making it five of six against an overmatched opponent coached by a man seemingly determined to keep both teams in the game. And even after they'd won, this was the verdict of Todd McClure, the center: "One of the ugliest wins I've ever been involved with."

Said Mike Smith, the coach who works hard to say nothing: "We tried numerous ways not to win the game."

Eventually the Falcons overcame it all - on this given Sunday. The next two might not be so kind. Philadelphia plays here next week, and then the Saints. And there's no guarantee the Falcons will have their starting quarterback or starting tailback for either game.

Per infuriating team policy, Smith would say nothing about the injuries to Matt Ryan's big toe or Michael Turner's ankle. "We'll know more Wednesday," he said, perhaps referring to the Wednesday before Memorial Day. But the Falcons lost players at such a dizzying rate Sunday - two offensive linemen were also hurt - that erosion has to be factored into any calculation regarding playoff chances.

The locker room was full of happy talk afterward - beat the Bugtussle Bovines on fourth-and-goal and you're excited - but there was reality interspersed. The Falcons were outgained and largely outplayed by a Tampa Bay team working behind a rookie quarterback. Their only touchdown in the first 59 minutes and 37 seconds came on a gimmick play. Their quarterbacks were sacked six times. They missed (another!) field goal. They had a punt blocked. They lost a fumble. They were lucky as heck to win.

"That was a good football team we played today," said Smith, lying.

Said Tony Gonzalez, who caught four Chris Redman passes on the frantic final drive: "We had so many things going against us … Winning this game is really a credit to the way we work.""