What they said after the Falcons’ 27-13 loss to the Bears Sunday:
Falcons coach Mike Smith on loss: “We continued to have woes on third down on both sides of the football – third-and-longs giving them up on the defensive side and some critical drops on the offensive side. We weren’t able to score any points in the fourth quarter. When you don’t score in the fourth quarter, it’s tough to win.”
Smith on blown coverages: “There was some confusion on deep routes and we’ve got to be much better at it. They weren’t always the same coverages. They were different coverages. We have to make sure we are seeing it the same way.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan of offensive woes: “We have to play better, first and foremost. Across the board, in the last two weeks, we have to make more plays than we have. I don’t think it’s anything that we have to re-invent the wheel. We have to play better, starting with myself and when there are opportunities to make plays and convert, we’ve got to do it.”
Ryan on drop passes: “That is part of the game. Sometimes physical mistakes are going to happen. You have to battle through those.”
Center Peter Konz on loss: “We played well early on but were too inconsistent today. Our lack of consistency is the main reason why we lost to the Chicago Bears. We have to give them a lot of credit because they came into our house and controlled the tempo throughout the game. We weren’t able to gain the momentum on either side of the ball. We need to get better at getting in the end zone on offense. I felt like we had productive offensive drives but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard.”
Tight end Levine Toilolo on three drops: “It was a tough day at the office. I need to play better to help our team with ball games. I feel like I let my team down a bit, but I am willing to work to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I look forward to practice next week for work on my game.”
Running back on Antone Smith on his six touches: “That’s not for me to determine. I’m okay with the touches I get. If I get more, that’s great too.”
Linebacker Paul Worrilow on pressuring Bears quarterback Jay Cutler: “Cutler has big arm, so it is important to try to him as uncomfortable as possible. If you just let him sit back there, then he is going to hit you and hit you for the long pass.”
Defensive end Jonathan Massaquoi on breakdowns: “What happened is that you have to give them their due. At the end of the day, they won. Obviously, they were the better team and we just have to go back and find out where we made those critical mistakes.”
Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall on fan support in Atlanta: “No, I wasn’t surprised. It was surprising two years ago when I first got here. I remember traveling in Jacksonville, Florida and there may have been 1,000 people in our hotel when we arrived. I thought that was amazing and that’s why I always say that I love the city of Chicago. I’m always appreciative for this opportunity to be a Chicago Bear.”
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler on passing game: “It was nice. We hit a few things versus man and a few things versus zone down the field. We did a good job of mixing it up. We ran the ball effectively as well.”
Bears defensive end Jared Allen on pressuring quarterback Matt Ryan: “We knew as a defensive line, we knew they were having troubles was in their O-line. They had guys playing out of position so we really wanted to attack that and take some of the pressure off them. I thought up front we were able to do that.”
Bears coach Marc Trestman on Alshon Jeffery 74-yard catch: “The protection was there number one because there was a big gap. We had Alshon on a deep route and more than anything we had the protection. Alshon split the safeties, who were in a shell cover. He split the safties and really the ball could have gone to either guy, Alshon was open deep and Brandon (Marshall) was open in the crossing route.”
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