Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was having a tough time coming to grips with the 29-28 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Ryan had two passes intercepted — one officially — that directly led to nine points. He also had two drives that stalled at the 4-yard line.
“It’s tough,” Falcons right tackle Ryan Schraeder said. “You can’t put it all on one play. We’ve got Matt’s back. We kind of beat ourselves at times today.”
With 4:32 to play, Kansas City safety Eric Berry stepped in front of a pass intended for rookie tight end Austin Hooper and returned it for a two-point conversion score.
“It was a poor play on my part,” Ryan said. “(I was) expecting combination coverage to the outside and Eric Berry did a good job of coming down off and going on to the tight end. A disappointing play. A bad play on my part. Ultimately, that was a tough one.”
With the score tied at 13, Berry intercepted Ryan and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.
“That was a decision that I can’t make,” Ryan said. “I’ve got to check the ball down or move on. I made a mistake there.”
Ryan completed 22 of 34 passes for 297 yards and one touchdown pass. He had a passer rating of 90 and completed passes to seven different receivers.
Ryan didn’t like the interceptions, but seemed to be more troubled by being stopped at the 4-yard line twice in the first half. The Falcons had to settle for two 22-yard field goals.
“They did a good job in the tight red zone, inside the 10,” Ryan said. “They did a pretty good job all day against us. Credit to them. I thought they played well. We just didn’t make plays when we needed to down there.
“They played tight man-to-man coverage and we just couldn’t come away with touchdowns down there … that probably costs us today.”
Ryan believes the team will bounce back from this tough defeat.
“It’s always tough to deal with,” Ryan said. “Always hard. It’s disappointing. We’ll learn from it though and get back at it again tomorrow. We’ll try to get better. We did some good things today. Just ultimately, a couple of mistakes cost us.”
Ryan still believes the Falcons can make a playoff push.
“You have to flush it out,” Ryan said. “That’s part of being a professional. Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes it’s tough. But it’s really important to move on and get ready for next week.”
The Falcons are set to play at the Los Angeles Rams next week.
“We have a really good football team,” Ryan said. “We are going out to play a really good defense. We’ve got to be ready and prepared to play. I will be for sure, prepared and ready to play.”
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