The Bow Tie Chronicles: Another sad football love song

Late in the fourth quarter with the Falcons needing a first down to seal a victory running back, Mike Davis is stopped short on a third-and-9, turning it over to the Washington Football Team for their game-winning drive Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

Credit: Curtis Compton / curtis.compton@ajc.com

Credit: Curtis Compton / curtis.compton@ajc.com

Late in the fourth quarter with the Falcons needing a first down to seal a victory running back, Mike Davis is stopped short on a third-and-9, turning it over to the Washington Football Team for their game-winning drive Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. (Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@ajc.com)

In the 287th episode of The Bow Tie Chronicles podcast, Falcons coach Arthur Smith and quarterback Matt Ryan stopped by to help explain the 34-30 loss to the Washington Football Team on Sunday. The Falcons couldn’t run out the clock with the lead and 3:52 left on the clock. Was Smith too conservative with his play calling? Should he have passed? Did he run the right running back? Was the blocking to blame? Where were the fans? Why was the defense so leaky as they gave up 412 yards and six explosive plays of 20 yards or more?