Take 5: Extra points, third downs and more takeaways from Falcons’ 24-23 loss

The Falcons will be kicking themselves for this loss.

Kicking was, in fact, the issue — again — as a missed extra point on a potential game-tying drive went wide right, and the Falcons couldn’t get another score, falling to the New England Patriots, 24-23, Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

It’s another case of close, but not close enough.

The Falcons trailed 21-7 late in the first half, but a big play by their top two rookies on defense and a frenetic drive in the final period made the game close.

But not close enough.

Here are some quick takeaways from the Falcons’ matchup against the Patriots:

Extra, extra

The story of the game will be the missed extra point by Parker Romo with the opportunity to tie the game in the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Kicking has been a bugaboo this season, with Romo taking over for Younghoe Koo after some early difficulties this season.

Missing an extra point isn’t inexcusable, but it’ll get a ton of attention moving forward this week because of the critical situation in which it came in Sunday’s game.

The Falcons did have another possession after that, but they had a penalty for intentional grounding that pushed them to third-and-20, and they decided to punt on fourth-and-20 to end the drive.

Romo hasn’t been bad this season. He’s 12-of-13 on extra-point attempts and 11-of-14 overall on field goals, with one miss in each major distance (30-plus, yards, 40+ and 50+). Those aren’t damning numbers, though the special-teams critics are likely to emerge from the woodwork this week.

From 9 to 5

The offensive combo of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London was back on track for the Falcons. Penix (No. 9) and London (No. 5) connected for a pair of touchdowns in the first half, keeping the Falcons close.

London had just two touchdowns so far this season, so adding three on Sunday was a big improvement on what was projected to be a potent connection this season. London had his best overall game, with some highlight-reel plays, including some difficult catches in the end zone on the touchdown plays. There’s still more to get from that combination, and this may have been the breakout game for them.

London finished with nine catches for 119 yards, but the trio of touchdowns was the biggest takeaway, in showing defenses something more than Bijan Robinson as the primary option. There wasn’t much contribution from other receivers, but just getting the ball to London is a step forward for the offense.

Finding sacks

The Falcons were able to generate pressure and get to Drake Maye, to the tune of six sacks. That’s a big number for this defense, which has been able to put hits on quarterbacks this season, but it was more pronounced against the Patriots.

The biggest play was a sack-fumble caused by rookie Jalon Walker, which helped turn the tide in the game.

Where it was missing was on third downs, where the defense couldn’t get off the field consistently and the Patriots were able to extend drives and wear down the Falcons’ defense throughout the first three quarters.

Third downs

The big difference through the first three quarters was the Patriots’ ability to convert on third downs, coupled with the Falcons’ inability to do so. The Falcons were 1-of-6, while New England was 6-of-8. Those extended drives led to several scores, but more importantly, getting touchdowns instead of settling for punts or field goals.

Most of those conversions came in the passing game for the Patriots, and Drake Maye seemed to be more comfortable in the pocket in being able to pick up the first downs, while Penix either didn’t have enough time or enough space in the throwing lanes to find open receivers.

One of the big plays for New England was a 58-yard pass play to DeMario Douglas that broke open a drive in the first half, and the Patriots turned that into a touchdown for a 21-7 lead.

The Patriots had another big third-down play in the fourth quarter, when they were in a third-and-12, but Maye found Stefon Diggs for a 21-yard pass play, extending the drive.

Combo meal

The Falcons’ rookie duo of Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. combined for a huge play just ahead of halftime. Walker got a sack on Drake Maye and picked up the fumble and returned it to the Patriots’ 6-yard line.