Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was not happy.
He knew the offense, even with a revamped offensive line, had to carry the team to victory.
But the unit failed miserably in the red zone before the line collapsed in the second half as the Falcons, who kicked away a double-digit, second-half lead, were defeated by the New York Giants 30-20 before 80,307 fans at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
“We took the lead right there and then we kind of faded away on offense,” White said. “We had a chance right there to put them away, but we didn’t handle our business on offense.”
The Falcons road woes continued.
The team, which has not won an outdoor game on the road since Nov. 2012, dropped to 2-3. They are 2-0 at home and 0-3 on the road this season. The Giants improved to 3-2.
The offense, the strength of the team, couldn’t take advantage of two first-half scoring opportunities and had to settle for 20-yard Matt Bryant field goals. Also, the unit struggled on third down as they converted just 2 of 13 on third down.
“We didn’t convert enough in the red zone,” White said. “We didn’t get the touchdowns that we needed.”
Quarterback Matt Ryan did a good job of escaping pressure most of the day, but could not convert on a pivotal fourth-down gamble. He completed 29 of 45 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s very tough when you have 10-point lead in the second half,” Ryan said of losing. “You feel like you have some momentum. … It’s difficult.”
White had a chance to score on one of the third downs right before halftime, but the pass was incomplete as he was bracketed by two defenders.
“Matt kind of threw in a position after the backer kind of buzzed out,” White said. “It is just a tough throw to hit and we couldn’t get it in there and completed. That was a tough one.”
Instead of going up 17-10, the Falcons took a 13-10 lead in the halftime.
Earlier, they didn’t score a touchdown after Eric Weems recovered a fumble on New York’s 21-yard line.
They went up by 10, after running back Antone Smith scored on a 74-yard reception with 5:37 left in the third quarter.
“I knew that we needed (touchdowns) down there,” White said. “I was kind of (angry) when we were just kicking field goals. At the end of the day, when you are inside the 5, you’ve got to go in there and punch them in. We were right there kicking field goals from the 2-yard line. That’s just not good in this league.”
The Falcons’ defense, which was ravaged for 558 yards last week by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings, came here with a chip on its shoulders.
While there still wasn’t much of a pass rush, the defensive front played much better against the run and kept the big plays to a minimum.
The effort was good enough for the Falcons to mount a 20-10 lead late in the third quarter, but as the offense sputtered, the Giants scored 20 unanswered points.
“Anytime that you’re up by 10 – under-manned, over-manned — it’s the Atlanta Falcons that are out there playing,” coach Mike Smith said. “Injuries happen. Guys had to step up.”
The secondary, without the benefit of a pass rush, started to implode.
Second-year cornerback Robert Alford was targeted by Giants quarterback Eli Manning and had tough day. He was called for illegal contact, holding and pass interference. He had the holding and the pass interference on the same play.
After Andre Williams score a touchdown to make it 20-17, the Giants regained possession and Manning found rookie Odell Beckham Jr. open with Alford in coverage for a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Giants the lead for good with 10:02 left to play.
“I could have just done better,” Alford said. “I always feel like can do better. I never want to give up a pass or a touchdown, but I will bounce back though.”
The Falcons haven’t won a game outdoors since topping Tampa Bay on Nov. 25, 2012. Their only road victory in 2013 came against the Bills in Toronto with the roof closed at the Rogers Centre.
The Falcons will try to rebound when they host the Chicago Bears at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
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