Even after all of their miscues, the Falcons had a chance to beat the Saints when Justin Hardy caught Matt Ryan’s pass and lunged ahead to get within range for a go-ahead field goal.
But a game official decided Falcons guard Andy Levitre was too aggressive at the end of the play. A flag was thrown for unnecessary roughness, and the 15-yard penalty pushed the Falcons back to the 43-yard line.
Instead of trying a 45-yard field goal, the Falcons were forced to punt. The Saints went on to a 20-17 victory on Kai Forbath’s 30-yard field goal as time expired Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
“I thought everybody played pretty tough,” Levitre said. “I got that unfortunate penalty at the end of the game and it cost us a field goal.”
Levitre’s infraction wasn’t clear from television replays. He ran toward a Saints defender as if to peel him away from Hardy but any contact appeared to be incidental and not malicious.
“I was just trying to help us get the first down,” Levitre said. “There was no intent to cheap shot anybody. I was just trying to help the receiver make a play. That’s all it was.”
The Falcons still had a chance to win after Levitre’s penalty. The defense forced a Saints three-and-out and the Falcons took over at their 24-yard line with 1:47 to play.
But Ryan threw an interception to safety Jamarca Sanford on first down. The Saints gained a first down to set up Forbath’s chip shot on the game winner.
“Nothing we can do about it now,” Levitre said. “The game is over. We’ve got a lot to build on for next season.”
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