Mistake-prone Falcons cough up chance at 6-0 as Saints save season
In their 5-0 start, the Atlanta Falcons had won their games in just about every way imaginable. In their first loss of the season on Thursday to the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons lost for every reason imaginable.
Turnovers, penalties, dropped passes and mental mistakes plagued the Falcons, ending head coach Dan Quinn’s unbeaten run to start his Atlanta tenure, giving the 2-4 Saints a badly needed 31-21 win in the Superdome.
The Saints brought back memories of the past in the victory, using a pressure defense, a big-play tight end and a blocked punt for a touchdown to beat their heated rival.
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The pressure helped knock Matt Ryan (five sacks) around the way the playoff-caliber Saints of the recent past were able to dial up. With Jimmy Graham off to Seattle, the Saints called on an unlikely source — tight end Ben Watson — to fill his void with a career night. And Michael Mauti’s blocked punt and return for a score nearly blew the roof of the dome, evoking Steve Gleason and his incredible play in the 2006 season opener that might be the most famous play in franchise history.
It was the kind of game the Saints have had far too few of the past two seasons. They avoided a 1-5 start with a season-saving victory.
The Mauti block, scoop and score gave the Saints a 14-0 lead and set the tone for the game. Although the Falcons moved the ball on almost every drive in the first half, they were undone by a fourth-down stop at the New Orleans 34-yard line, the Mauti block, a Tevin Coleman fumble at the New Orleans 9 and a botched Ryan handoff that was recovered by the Saints’ Dannell Ellerbe (game-high 14 tackles), starting in place of rookie Stephone Anthony.
Plus the Falcons defense had no answer for Watson. Playing in his 153rd regular-season game in the NFL in his 11th season at age 34, Watson set career highs for catches (11) and receiving yards (127) and scored a third-quarter touchdown that essentially put the game out of reach. The Falcons never adjusted to him being the primary receiver, and with his big game Watson now has more catches and yards (and the same number of TDs) this season as Graham does with the Seahawks.
Over the first five games, the Falcons overcame second-half deficits to win in four of them. On Thursday, the Saints kept them at arm’s distance all game, and the Falcons shot themselves in the foot too often.
The Falcons have only to look inward these next 10 days. The schedule is favorable until the Week 10 bye, but mistakes like the ones they committed — five fumbles (three lost), seven penalties, umpteen dropped passes — could be the kind of thing that could prevent the Falcons from taking that proverbial next step as a team. Drew Brees carved them up for 312 yards on 30 of 39 passing despite him not having safety blanket Marques Colston, and Mark Ingram scored two short touchdowns.
Saints defensive end Cam Jordan (six tackles, three sacks, forced fumble, fumble recovery) lived in the Falcons’ backfield, raising concerns about an offensive line that had overachieved prior to Week 6. Although Devonta Freeman (156 yards from scrimmage, TD receiving, TD rushing) had another big game, it was not enough.
The Falcons are still in good shape in 5-1, but they’re the only NFC South team without a division win yet and will need to clean things up significantly to rebound. Quinn might be a favorite for Coach of the Year, but his best and most important work might have to be in front of him.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
