The Falcons played a relatively clean game against the Buccaneers in regards to penalties but coach Mike Smith was able to use their few infractions as teaching moments.
“It was very good to put the penalty report up with the players and talk about importance of playing smart football,” Smith said. “When we did have a penalty we weren’t able to overcome it.”
The Falcons had five penalties for a season-low 30 yards but were set back by penalties in key situations.
The Falcons had a first-and-goal at the Tampa Bay 10-yard line in the second quarter when Ryan Schraeder was called for a false start. The ensuing first-and-15 led to a sack for a loss of seven yards and Devin Hester dropped a third-down pass in the end zone before the Falcons settled for Matt Bryant’s 37-yard field goal.
In the third quarter the Falcons had a drive stall when Jake Matthews was called for a false start on second-and-three.
“The great thing is we had five penalties (with) none in the fourth quarter and none on third down,” Smith said.
After Sunday’s games, the Falcons ranked tied for 22nd among 32 NFL teams with 58 accepted penalties and 18th in total penalties with 75.
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