The Falcons faced one of the worst defensive teams in recent NFL history on Sunday at the Georgia Dome but they couldn’t take advantage.
The Falcons scored 17 points on eight total possession with no points scored after halftime in the 20-17 defeat. In what’s been a recurring theme this season, the Falcons had plenty of yards (419) but not many points to show for them because of miscues and missed chances.
The difference this time was that the Falcons were facing the league’s most inept defense. The Saints rank last or next-to-last in the league in nearly every major defensive category but they were able to stymie the Falcons.
“I thought we were on a good run right there when we scored 17 points in the first half,” Falcons wide receiver Roddy White said. “I was looking at the scoreboard thinking if we score 17 in this half, we will be OK. But we didn’t get any points in the second half. We didn’t get anything done. We kept having long drives but we didn’t get any points out of them.”
They entered the game having already have allowed an NFL record 43 passing touchdowns. Football Outsiders has calculated its Defensive-Value Over Average metric since 1989, and the Saints ranked the worst-ever defensively through 15 weeks.
The Falcons couldn’t do much early. Their opening drive stalled on Matt Ryan’s incomplete pass on third-and-three, and they settled for Shayne Graham’s 51-yard field goal. The Falcons’ next drive resulted in Tony Moeaki’s 71-yard touchdown catch but Graham had his 45-yard field-goal attempt blocked on the Falcons’ third drive.
The Falcons scored a touchdown on their final drive of the half with an assist by the Saints. New Orleans stopped Freeman for no gain on third-and-four at its 47-yard line but a face mask penalty against linebacker Ramon Humber extended the drive.
But the Falcons’ four second-half possessions ended with a punt, a fumble, a punt and an interception. In the third quarter White dropped a potential touchdown on second down from the Saints’ 46-yard line, leading to a punt, and early in the fourth quarter Falcons running back Devonta Freeman lost a fumble on first-and-goal early in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons had a chance at a 43-yard, go-ahead field goal erased by Andy Levitre’s personal foul penalty. Ryan threw an interception to set up the game-winning field goal by Kai Forbath.
“The personal foul kicked us out of field-goal range,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “We had two turnovers in the fourth quarter and ended up finishing minus one in turnover ratio. We can’t do that and expect to have good results at the end.”
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