Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan’s performance in the 23-20 overtime loss to the Bucs was a bit uneven.
He was able to move the ball at will as the Falcons didn’t have to punt. But all of that good work was put on the back burner because of four turnovers, three of which Ryan had a personal hand in.
He put up huge numbers and rallied the team late, but he couldn’t overcome the 20 points the Falcons gifted to the Bucs through four turnovers.
Ryan failed to fall on a botched shotgun snap, threw an interception and botched a handoff.
“Three of our four turnovers were on the plus-side of the 50,” Ryan said. “That’s directly taking points off the board.”
The Falcons trailed 20-3, before they rallied with some help from Tampa Bay coach Lovie Smith’s bizarre decision-making.
“I thought we battled,” Ryan said. “We did kind of everything we wanted to offensively, other than protect the football. I think we had a few too many penalties as well.”
Ryan completed 37 of 45 passes for 397 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He finished with a passer rating of 109.
“We dug ourselves too deep of a hole,” Ryan said. “I expect nothing less than us to continue to compete for however long we need to play. I don’t think that’s ever going to change. I think we have the right guys in the right mindset that regardless of the situation, we’re going to battle.”
Ryan was seen on the sidelines irate at times.
“That happens,” Ryan said. “Guys are going to get upset, frustrated. That’s part of the game. We’re all so competitive that we want to do it right every time.”
The Falcons continued to struggle in the red zone.
“When it comes to the red zone, your execution has to be very, very precise,” Ryan said. “I don’t think we’ve been as precise as we’ve needed to be.”
Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, who had two catches 24 yards, doesn’t believe the offense’s issues are major.
“When you have those opportunities, you have to cash in,” White said. “We didn’t do that until toward the end of the game…In the second half, we did a whole lot better moving the ball. Putting ourselves in position to win the game. We’ll learn from that and hopefully we’ll get better. We’ll hold onto the ball and not put our defense is bad situations and get some wins. ”
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