Another reason the curse was reversed in Hotlanta on Sunday was the play of Falcons’ defense.

The Falcons' D finished the season strong, holding the listless Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 206 net yards. They kept the Bucs out of the red zone all but one time in the 20-10 win.

Therefore, the grades should be good for the unit in Week 17. I wish I could say the same for Atlanta’s special teams unit, which struggled in this one.

Let’s get a look at the Falcons’ D, special teams and coaching staff’s last term grade. A final report card will be forthcoming later this week.

Defensive Line: Granted, the Falcons' front line only sacked rookie Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman once. However, the Falcons terrorized the rookie for a lot of the afternoon, forcing Freeman into a pair of interceptions. They also kept the Buccaneers’ rushing attack at bay, holding Cadillac Williams to just 40 yards on the ground. Grade: A

Linebackers: Overall, solid. Stephen Nicholas finished second on the club with four tackles and an assist. Tampa Bay finished with just 13 first downs in the game and only had 174 yards in the air. The linebacker corps avoided getting burned by an opponent for the second week in a row, a testament to their solid play. Grade: A-

Secondary: CB Brent Grimes showed the doubters why he should have gotten some Pro Bowl consideration with yet another interception for the Falcons. Rookie CB Chris Owens also had another pick, while SS Eric Coleman notched five tackles and two assists. FS Thomas DeCoud forced a fumble. The unit held an opponent under 200 yards in the air for the second consecutive week. Grade: A

Brent Grimes picked off his sixth pass of the season Sunday. He had one INT in his first two seasons combined.

Special Teams: Definitely the Falcons’ Achilles' heel in this one. Eric Weems fumbled away the opening kickoff. Matt Bryant had a field goal blocked. Michael Koenen averaged just under 32 yards per punt. Not the best of days for the unit. Grade: D

Coaching: Mission accomplished. Coach Mike Smith and his crew somehow managed to once again keep the team focused when they could have easily packed it in. The Dirty Birds have not been in the playoff hunt for three weeks now; however, the team rallied around the goal of posting back-to-back winning seasons. While this one was not as pretty as the demolition of the Buffalo Bills in Week 16, the coaching staff’s game plan got the job done. Grade: B+

-- PHIL FOLEY