5 things learned from the Falcons’ win over the Colts

But for the Falcons to swing back from such a low with their season in the balance, was stunning. They heard all of the discussions of firings, the owner’s committal/non-committal comments and thoughts on who should stay and who should go.

“I would also be lying to you if I told you we don’t pay attention to it,” Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke said. “Obviously, we do.”

So, the Falcons went out and did something about it.

“It’s something that you kind of keep in the back of your head, but you just go out there and play,” Heinicke said. “You can’t pay too much attention to it. At the end of the day, if you go out there and win, everything else will take care of itself.”

Here are the five things we learned from the Falcons’ win over the Colts:

Keep hope alive: The Falcons kept their playoff hopes alive. They can still win the division and possibly make it as a wild card.

We won’t get bogged down here with that quadratic equation, but there’s hope. Like the Rev. Jessie Jackson used to preach: “Down with dope. Up with hope.”

Heinicke gave the Falcons hope.

“Our main focus is just doing our jobs and getting a win,” Heinicke said. “... We’re just excited about this win, get back on Tuesday and get ready for Chicago.”

The Falcons didn’t get any help from the Jaguars, who were steamrolled by the Bucs on Sunday. Now, the Falcons are rooting for the Saints to beat the Bucs and for anybody who’s playing against the Rams, Seahawks, Packers and Vikings.

So, you say there’s a chance? The Falcons’ playoff probability is 10%, according to the league.

Colts left their turnover chain at home: The Falcons won the turnover battle 1-0.

The Colts entered the game with a plus-4 in takeaway/giveaway ratio. They had 24 takeaways (15 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries) and 20 turnovers (nine interceptions, 11 fumbles).

The Falcons forced the lone turnover in the game, a Jessie Bates III interception.

The Falcons did fumble a shotgun snap, but Heinicke pounced on his miscue.

“Fumbling that first snap (of the second half) wasn’t a good feeling, but we rallied after that,” Heinicke said.

The opening drive: The Falcons’ opening drive was key.

The Colts had scored, and the Falcons needed to answer quickly.

“Bijan (Robinson) had a big run,” Heinicke said. “It was awesome, getting a lot of juice going. Then on the play to Kyle (Pitts), we have a curl and a little corner (route) behind it. I saw the corner take that curl slash out. I saw the big area for Kyle in the end zone. I laid it out in the area and let him get it.”

The Falcons couldn’t afford to be sluggish against the Colts, who had won five of their previous six games and were welcoming back dynamic running back Jonathan Taylor.

“That’s how we want to start,” Heinicke said. “Start fast and put some points on the board and go from there. From start to finish, I thought we played pretty well.”

The 32-yard run was Robinson’s second longest run of the season. He broke loose for 38 yards against Jacksonville on Oct. 1.

“It was a huge play for us,” Robinson said. “Just to get going early. When we start fast and even off of that, get the ball to Kyle in the end zone. That’s when we are clicking, and that’s when we get everybody going in the offense early. It was definitely a good momentum starter for us in that game.”

Pitts finished with three catches for 49 yards and the 24-yard touchdown catch.

“We were intent, hoping they’d play a certain coverage to certain personnel, and they did,” Pitts said. “We executed.”

The Falcons knew they had to respond to the Colts’ opening drive.

“It was the mentality, attack,” Pitts said. “That’s what we were going into this week with and for the rest of the year. Just playing (hard).”

Pitts hasn’t been in a legitimate playoff race over his first three seasons in the league.

“Very big for us,” Pitts said. “For each week, just to keep putting the work in. Obviously, this being my third year, this was a pretty big game. Being in the hunt and fighting for the playoffs. It feels a little different.”

Situational football: The Falcons won the coin toss and deferred.

They were able to get two field goals late in the second quarter.

Getting the ball to start the third quarter, they didn’t waste the possession. They came out and ran the ball down the Colts’ throat until running back Tyler Allgeier scored from 31 yards out.

The combination of the drives before the half and the drive to start the third quarter, the Falcons took command of the game.

“It was huge,” Heinicke said. “(Coach Arthur Smith) talks about the middle eight (minutes) all of the time. You can win and lose games in those middle eight minutes around halftime.”

The Falcons would have preferred touchdowns in the second quarter, but the field goals were better than not scoring at all.

“Going down there and getting those three points and then coming out in the second half and scoring a touchdown, that was huge for us,” Heinicke said. “It was a 10-point swing. It helps in all phases of the game.”

Sack attack: The Falcons attacked Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew and finished with six sacks.

It was the most sacks by the Falcons since Week 15 of the 2018 season in a game against the Cardinals, when they had seven in a 40-14 rout.

Overall, the Falcons had six sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Rookie Zach Harrison had two sacks, defensive end Calais Campbell had 1.5 sacks, safety Richie Grant and inside linebacker Kaden Elliss each had a sack and outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie had half of a sack.

“We were a little more aggressive, too,” Smith said. “That was more pressure than we’ve called in a while.”

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