(Sports Network) - If a Falcon gets eaten by a Colt, and no one sees it, did it happen?

Thanks to the NFL Network being broadcast in fewer homes than the Bea Arthur Network, the Falcons/Colts game on Thanksgiving Night was seen by few nationally.

The final saw the defending Super Bowl Champions winning by a score of 31-13.

The funny thing about this game was that the Falcons flew out of the gate. They opened a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, as the Colts must have been feeling the tryptophan.

Then the Colts became the Colts, the Falcons returned to being the Falcons, and it was Colts with a 21-13 lead at the half.

Starting quickly and sinking like a mob informant is a recurring theme for the Falcons this season. In two of the last three weeks, the Falcons have scored first, but are now 3-8 and basically eliminated from playoff contention.

"I think that is when some of our youth and inexperience showed up," said head coach Bobby Petrino. "There are times when we are doing well, the momentum swings and we have a hard time recovering. When you are playing a tough team like Indianapolis it is hard to overcome that."

Some of the swings resulted from questionable calls against the Falcons.

Demorrio Williams picked up a "running into the kicker" penalty against Colts' punter Hunter Smith. Williams slid under Smith, who was airborne from the kick. Smith landed on Williams' back, which makes for one interesting penalty considering the man that hit him was laying on his stomach.

"It was a tough call and I am not sure why it was called," admitted Petrino. "It didn't seem like we did a whole lot, but sometimes you get calls like that."

You get calls like that when you are one of the worst teams in the league, and the Colts are one of the best. To beat a team like Indianapolis, Atlanta needed to be close to perfect.

Dumb penalties and squandered early leads do not perfection make. Thursday night was just a microcosm of the season.

"Thus far, this has been a season where we have been close in games but just haven't been able to learn how to finish," said quarterback Joey Harrington. "Our wins this season have given us a taste of victory and we need to focus on those positives in order to finish on a good note."

Good luck finding positives.

FOUND ONE

Warrick Dunn, one of the most underrated backs of this generation, eclipsed the 10,000 yard mark in his career on Thursday night, early in the second quarter.

He finished the game with 17 rushes for 70 yards to become the 22nd player to join this club.

"Over the years all of the guys have helped me get to this point," the consummate pro said after the game. "But, for me the most important thing is winning. I'm happy about rushing for 10,000 yards, but at the same time, it's not as sweet as if we had won the football game."

Dunn's coach and teammates were happy for Dunn.

"It is a remarkable feat, especially when you look at his size and stature," said Petrino. "It says a lot of about him, his durability, his longevity and just how good of a football player he is. I am happy to be a part of it."

"Warrick has a tremendous work ethic and he is also very smart," said tight end Alge Crumpler. "I am proud to see him cross that mark."

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

With Michigan, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Arkansas and Washington State all canning their coaches or allowing them to "resign," think one of the hottest names in college coaching thinks about the openings?

"I haven't given that one bit of thought," said Petrino. "I certainly don't want to get into any speculations or rumors. I'm focused on our football team here and I'm focused on playing the Rams next week."

Petrino was Louisville's head coach last season and was always mentioned in moves up the college coaching ranks. That was until last year, when Arthur Blank plucked him to coach his Falcons.

With such a trying season under his belt thanks to a poor record, the Michael Vick situation, a rotation of two dreadful quarterbacks, his controversial canning of Grady Jackson and DeAngelo Hall acting like Gloria in "Wedding Crashers" when Christopher Walken's character won't let her bring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn to the private island, would anyone blame him if he took some calls?

NEXT WEEK

The Falcons visit the St. Louis Rams on Sunday afternoon in the first meeting between the two since the playoffs in 2005, when the Falcons crushed the Rams to go to the NFC Championship.

The Rams are 2-9, so the Falcons might get back to the winner's circle.

Might.