DW
Those types of losses are hard to get over. Inches missed on a field goal. Dropped pass that would have extended a drive. Yet another no-call on a clear pass interference. Two mind-numbing false starts. An awful interception. A missed tackle for loss that turns into a first down conversion. This loss wasn’t about one big thing as much as it was about a lot of small, ugly things. I would caution not to read too much into this loss, even if it hurts like hell. This team can still bounce back so long as they can clean up the plethora of little things that haunted them today.
Caleb Rutherford
I’ve felt every emotion from acceptance to pure rage since the Matt Ryan interception. Quite simply, this game was total team failure. The sad part of it all is...you knew it was going to happen. The 4th and 1 call was the worst offensive play call of the season thus far. The two consecutive false starts prior to the INT were unfathomable and unacceptable. I have no doubt the INT doesn’t happen without those. The missed DPI (once again) was a contributing factor to our loss. I’m just sick and tired of this. I have a much longer rant on Twitter. I won’t clog up Falcoholic space here with it, just check it out (@FalcoholicZippo).
Kendall Jackson
That’s a bad loss. You absolutely cannot lose those types of games at home. The Falcons either rise up from here or start to crumble.
Dave Choate
If the team’s season turns on this game, it’ll likely be because the Falcons couldn’t overcome two weaknesses yesterday’s game brought into the harsh light of day. The first is that Atlanta couldn’t stop Philip Rivers and the Chargers from getting short routes going, particularly over the middle of the field. The second issue is that the Falcons were once again wholly reliant on Julio Jones through the air and Devonta Freeman on the ground in the second half, and we don’t yet know if critical piece Tevin Coleman is going to miss significant time. I’m hopeful this game will prove to be a bit of a fluke, but those issues are legitimately concerning.
Matt Chambers
Football is a finicky thing. The Falcons were robbed last week but looked strong in defeat on the road. This week they bumbled a heavy lead against a struggling team. Every team has ups and downs during their season, but at the same time plenty of teams look great through small stretches. After last season’s historic collapse, I wonder if this team is different or just one or two injuries away from awful. It is too early to know which way the Falcons will fall but concern is obviously mounting.
Kyle McClendon
Wow. That was a painful game to watch. Three points in the second half by the best offense in the league. I really don’t want to believe that the team we saw yesterday is who the Falcons are, and I don’t think it would be right to say that--if we look at the body of work this season, the Falcons are a better team than that. A team with a powerful offense and a really young, inexperienced defense going up against a great quarterback and a good offense--that’s what happened yesterday. I’m hoping that we avoid a collapse like last year but this team is not doing themselves any favors in exorcising those demons. If they look that bad again this week, we’ll be able to worry some more, but if they get back on track against Green Bay, there should be more optimism in Falcons-land.
Torgo
Yep, this one hurts, but I’ll continue to press two key points about this year’s team. One is that the divisional games mean everything. If we can take care of business in the games against Tampa, New Orleans and Carolina, the rest will probably sort itself out. The second key, which is now starting to work against us, is a lack of depth. In the last three weeks we’ve lost Sean Weatherspoon and Derrick Shelby for the season, and now we may be without Tevin Coleman for a few games. Long time fans will remember how the Falcons started out hot in both 2005 and 2006 but fell apart as injuries took their toll over the course of the season. Keep your fingers crossed that we don’t see too many more significant injuries, as certain units of the roster just don’t have the depth to withstand much attrition.