There is 3:52 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Atlanta Falcons have a chance to get to .500 for the first time since 2017. Matt Ryan has been dealing the entire game. It is the first time he’s looked comfortable all season. Instead of utilizing the short/intermediate passing game that got Ryan his four touchdowns, Arthur Smith runs it twice to the outside. He runs with Mike Davis, who at the time had 11 runs for 13 yards. The Falcons leave it up to their defense while giving the Washington Football Team more than enough time to drive down and bury Atlanta in their own mistakes. This game was controlled by the Falcons for most of the game, regardless of the 34-30 outcome. The Falcons missed opportunities throughout the entire game.
Atlanta Falcons Missed Opportunities in Week 4 Loss
Costly Drops
At the beginning of this year, Calvin Ridley stated that he was ready to become the primary target for this offense. He did have success on his 13 targets with his seven receptions and 80 yards. The first drop came early in the game. The Falcons go into their second drive after getting just a field goal on their first drive. They went 15 plays for 68 yards before stalling out and settling for three. After a quick three and out for Washington, the Falcons have an opportunity to drive down the field and gain momentum. Ryan gives Cordarrelle Patterson two runs for 14 yards. The offensive momentum is building. Ryan finds Ridley ready to turn up the field to gain even more yardage. Instead, Ridley drops it and forces a second and long.
If Ridley catches that ball, there is no telling where Smith and company can go next. The whole playbook is open to his disposal. Instead, Smith goes to Mike Davis and gets him stuffed in the backfield. The third-down play ends up with Matt Ryan getting sacked. The Falcons have to punt. Chances like that to break a game open don’t happen often. The Falcons had a couple in this game where they did not take advantage. The other two drops Ridley had been on a drive that ended up being a touchdown, but they were also in crucial situations. The Washington Football Team held to a field goal after getting inside the five-yard line on the drive before. The momentum was in favor of the Falcons. Smith thought it would be time to take their shots.
Ridley had two opportunities to stretch the ball down the field against Washington’s secondary. Both found their way out of his hands.
Turnover Opportunities
The key to winning this game was that when, not if, when Taylor Heinicke gave the Falcons turnover opportunities, take advantage. Erik Harris played a great game today as he found himself around the ball a ton. Harris ended the game with six tackles, four solo, and three pass deflections. But he had a chance to end the game and make one of those pass deflections into a crushing interception for the Falcons late in the game.
5:30 remaining in the game, Heinicke tried to fit a ball in between Harris and Moreau to give the Football Team the lead. But he was late. Heinicke being late should have cost Washington the football game as Harris converged on the ball. If Harris comes down with that ball, the Falcons have the turnover they needed and the momentum necessary to close the game out. Another example of missed opportunities for the Atlanta Falcons. One other example was Duron Harmon’s near-interception that could have kept the Falcons lead at four early in the game.
These missed opportunities from Atlanta led to Heinicke staying in rhythm late into the game. He was already getting into a rhythm early on with both his feet and his arm. He went 10/13 for 111 yards and a touchdown to accompany four carries and 33 yards on the ground in the first half.
The Falcons have found different ways to repeatedly lose throughout their history. There’s no reason to look at the win probability chart when playing the Atlanta Falcons. They will always be in it. Atlanta may have to seriously consider a rebuild of this roster from top to bottom. There were plenty of positives to take away from this loss. Matt Ryan looked the best he has this season. Cordarrelle Patterson can change a game with his versatility. Kyle Pitts still has not hit the end zone but is felt when drawing tons of bracket coverages. There are all of these positives offensively, yet another notch in the loss column follows. The Smith era won’t last very long if this type of inconsistency continues.
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