Falcons vs. Lions: 3 Falcons up, 3 Falcons down after sixth loss of the season

The Falcons are not a good football team. There’s talent, but sometimes talent isn’t enough. We have a rough road ahead, Falcons fans. There’s just no sugarcoating it.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the best and worst performances from yesterday’s loss.

3 Falcons Up

Calvin Ridley

Rid had 5 receptions on 7 targets, racking up 69 receiving yards, including a 27 yard reception and a touchdown reception. Ridley can basically be counted on to catch a touchdown pass or put up 100 receiving yards every single game, a feat he’s managed to pull off in all but one game this season.

Julio Jones

Julio had 8 receptions on 9 targets, racking up 97 receiving yards, including a 28 yard reception. This is Julio’s second straight bounce back game, setting aside concerns about any regression on his part, at least for now.

A.J. Terrell

Terrell was flagged for roughing the passer during the first quarter. It should’ve been a Matt Stafford sack, but the ref was clearly not paying attention and Terrell plays for the Falcons, so these things happen. Here’s the play in question:

According to Pro Football Focus, Terrell was targeted only 3 times yesterday, allowing all of 2 receptions for 34 yards. Terrell is living up to his first round pedigree, meeting and exceeding the Falcons’ expectations during his first professional season.

3 Falcons Down

Dirk Koetter

From calling a wildcat play during the second quarter that went absolutely nowhere to targeting Luke Stocker in the end zone, Koetter continues to do things an NFL offensive coordinator should never do. Koetter’s continued presence is, in a word, infuriating.

Todd Gurley

It’s odd to include anyone with 2 rushing touchdowns in the “3 Down” category, and I’m not sure I actually blame Gurley for scoring instead of taking a knee with a little over a minute to play in the 4th quarter, but the blame has to be laid at someone’s feet. Whether I think it’s fair or not, Gurley acknowledged his screw up, which has to count for something.

Gurley’s second quarter touchdown was primarily the result of an excellent block by Chris Lindstrom. He racked up only 63 rushing yards on 23 attempts; and his longest rush of the day went for 13 yards. What’s more, on a 2nd and 5 with 13:14 to go in the 4th quarter, Gurley tried to run around the play and created a 6-yard loss that set up a 3rd and long and eventually a turnover on downs.

Luke Stocker

Can we stop calling plays that require franchise quarterback Matthew Thomas Ryan to throw passes to Stocker, a blocking tight end with a career 65 percent catch rate? Or at least not in the end zone. Please and thank you.