The Atlanta Falcons heard all week how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to mop the floor with them. Up until around the eight-minute mark in the fourth quarter, that was not the case. The Falcons hung with the Super Bowl champions for much of this game. Then, the Bucs showed why they were the Super Bowl champions. The last eight minutes of play saw the Bucs pass-rush cause two interception touchdowns for Mike Edwards. That pushed the Buccaneer lead to 48-25 and would ultimately end up being the final score. There were points that the Falcons looked as if they were ready to contend for the lead. However, these untimely mistakes got the Falcons down quickly to Brady and the Bucs and eventually would mark catastrophe for the Atlanta Falcons.
Untimely Mistakes from Atlanta Falcons Mark Catastrophe
Mistake #1: Not Attacking the Outside in First Half
The Falcons started last week’s game running for 86 yards in the first quarter, not the first half, first quarter. This week, the Falcons kept their run game inside, and it stayed there the entire first half, to the tune of nine carries for 21 total yards. The Bucs seemed to beat the Falcons to the spot every down offensively and defensively. That could be the reason why Arthur Smith did not feel comfortable utilizing the speed this team has.
The Falcons started their first drive of the second half with an eight-yard run to the outside for running back Mike Davis. A stark contrast to their inside-run scheme implemented in the first half. While the next play was an interception, that one play sparked the offense’s surge for the next 13 minutes of gameplay. The Atlanta Falcons ended the game with only 55 rushing yards but were exponentially more effective in the second half. The Falcons continued to stretch the defense as they fought to get the score back to a 3-point game. But as Falcons fans know, if your team is behind against Brady, it’s very tough to come back. That is especially true if the play-calling is also questionable throughout the game.
Mistake #2: Questionable Play-Calling
Last week, Arthur Smith’s conservative play-calling doomed the Falcons throughout the day. This week, it was not his conservatism necessarily as he was aggressive, going for it on fourth down four times. However, the play-calling on those fourth-down calls was puzzling.
The first puzzling call came on a fourth and one at the Tampa Bay 49. Cordarrelle Patterson was stuffed on an inside zone run on third and one. So, the Falcons lined up in punt formation on fourth down. However, instead of punting, they brought Russell Gage under center to force the Bucs to jump offsides. Maybe Arthur Smith believed the undisciplined nature of the Bucs would rear its ugly head? They did end up with nine penalties for 83 yards at the end of the day. But, the execution of the play seemed very rushed and mediocre, at best.
Another questionable call happened on the very next drive at the Atlanta 45 yard-line. There was an obvious wonder as to why Arthur Smith did not go for it on fourth down on the drive before. After this play, Falcons fans were hoping that they never had to go for it on fourth down again. The strength of the Bucs defense is up the spine of their defense, from the tackles up to the linebackers. The strength for the Falcons is on the outside at the tackle spots and tight end. Instead of going off-tackle with either Mike Davis or Cordarrelle Patterson, Smith decided the perfect play was a Matt Ryan sneak from the shotgun formation.
This is not to take away from the outstanding play of Mr. Thomas Edward Brady. Brady shined throughout the game for 276 yards, five touchdowns, and no interceptions. He played a game that one would expect from Tom Brady: efficient, not many mistakes, and surgically moving defenders through the secondary. The Bucs did end up breaking the game wide open at the end but there were positives to be had for the Falcons. They fought hard to make it a three-point game late. Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley started to get into their grooves offensively. And this cannot be stressed enough, Cordarrelle Patterson showed everyone in the league that he is a grown man. Many things need to be improved but the overall improvement was evident from week one to week two.
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