The Atlanta Falcons put on an offensive show Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but it was not enough as the New Orleans beat them in overtime, 43-37.
Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan passed for 374 yards and five touchdowns, while rookie Calvin Ridley broke loose for a career high 146 yards and four touchdowns.
Here are 5 reasons why the Falcons lost
- A depleted defense: The Falcons were already down Pro Bowl defensive linebacker Deion Jones, safety Keanu Neal (out for the season), defensive lineman Takk McKinley, reserve Derrick Shelby, Corey Nelson but they also lost free safety Ricardo Allen who went down on a non-contact play. The losses were too much to overcome, no matter the Falcons’ valiant efforts.
“Don’t want to speculate too much, but it was serious enough that he was down for the game,” Quinn said of Allen after the game.
2. Trading field goals for touchdowns: After marching down the field to score a touchdown, the Falcons blinked in the second half. More disconcerting was the fact that the Falcons, who moved the ball pretty much at will for most of the game, had to punt with 44 seconds on the clock.
3. A Ridley-less fourth quarter: Ridley had managed his best game ever by scoring three touchdowns in the first three quarters alone. In the fourth quarter, the Falcons didn’t get the ball to the rookie, who absolutely torched the Saints secondary. “We had chances to finish the game today and we didn’t do that,” Ryan told reporters after the game. “That’s disappointing.”
4. Poor tackling: Nothing illustrates the Falcons’ sudden lack of sure tackling than the Brees rushing touchdown. There’s no way a 39-year-old man should be able to evade two careening defenders, Brian Poole and Robert Alford, five yards from the end zone. There were other tackling lapses throughout the game, but that one, with less than 1:15 left in the game, was a big one.
5. Lack of a running game: With Devonte Freeman on the sidelines, the bulk of the carries went to Tevin Coleman. Last week, against the Carolina Panthers, Coleman rushed for more than 100 yards and a score. But Sunday, things were different. The Falcons only managed 48 on the ground, 33 by Coleman (2.2 yard average).
There are other reasons why the Falcons came up short, such as offensive lineman Wes Schweitzer and the questionable schemes of coach Quinn.
The Falcons are now last in the NFC South, but hope to rebound next week. In the NFL, you must have a short memory.
The Falcons will again play in front of the home crowd next week when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They need to win two out of the next three games (the Steelers and Tampa Bay) to have a shot at returning to the Super Bowl, which will be in Atlanta.
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