The Falcons need to burn their throwback jerseys.
It seems like every time they wear them, strange things happen.
Last season, they were cruising along against the woebegone Chargers. But, then out of nowhere, the Falcons couldn’t block nor tackle. They ended up losing to the Chargers when they blew a 17-point lead.
Why they trotted out the black throwbacks on Sunday remains a mystery for football purposes. (We know they wear them in the name of capitalism and increase jersey sales.)
But for football purposes, the Falcons history of losing, and sometimes in ridiculously bizarre fashion, should not be celebrated.
The throwback jerseys belong in the closet.
How else do you explain all of the injuries in the 23-17 loss to the Bills on Sunday before 71,272 fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Falcons, already reeling from injuries, lost wide receivers Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, safety Keanu Neal and defensive tackle Jack Crawford to injuries.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw two interceptions and had a questionable forced fumble returned for a touchdown. The Bills converted the three turnovers into 13 points, including a 55-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka.
The Falcons were up 10-7 early in the third quarter when Jerry Hughes beat left tackle Jake Matthews and knocked the ball out of Ryan’s hand before his arm was in motion. Cornerback Tre’Davious Davis scooped up the ball and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-10.
Ryan though his arm was moving forward.
“I thought so, but it’s not my job to rule or officiate,” Ryan said. “It’s was just one of those bang-bang plays that was tough.”
The play was reviewed and the super slow motion showed Hughes hitting Ryan before the arm went forward.
On the enusing possession, Ryan threw up a 50-50 ball to Taylor Gabriel and Bills safety Micah Hyde intercepted the pass. The Bills added a 24-yard field goal from Hauschka to take a 17-10.
The Falcons tied it on a Justin Hardy touchdown catch. The Bills answered with a 56-yard field goal and then, after Hyde’s second interception, Hauschka boomed a 55-yard field goal.
The Falcons potential game-winning drive stalled when Ryan called an audible to play-action pass play on fourth-and-1 on the Bill’s 10-yard line. The pass for Gabriel fell incomplete.
“It was just an opportunity for us to try to get them to come up and throw something behind it,” Ryan said. “It didn’t work out for us, which was disappointing. We had a lot of opportunities in that drive to make some plays, we just didn’t make them at the end of the game. It’s disappointing.”
The Falcons, even before Jones and Sanu left the game, were playing sloppy football.
“We did a lot of things over the course of that game that made it difficult to overcome,” Ryan said. “The turnovers for instance. When you turn the football over three times for minus-three in the turnover category, it’s tough to win games like that.”
The Falcons wasted a fine day by running back Tevin Coleman, who had nine rushes for 79 yards and caught four passes for 65 yards.
Tight end Austin Hooper pitched in with five catches for 50 yards.
Really, the Falcons haven’t been sharp all season. They’ve played through spurts and needed goal-line stands to beat the Bears and Lions. They looked special for a little more than two quarters in racing out to a 31-3 lead against the Packers.
But everything else has not been particularly special.
So, the bye week will give them time to reflect and give the coaches some time to figure out how to get the ball rolling when they return.
The good news is they get a chance to steamroll a pretty basic Dolphins team on Oct. 15 before traveling to the Patriots for the Super Bowl LI rematch.
“A week to rest will allow us to (get healthier),” Ryan said. “We also have to take a look at where we are at and figure out ways to improve. I’m sure that’s something the coaching staff will work hard on this week and from a player’s standpoint, we need to do that same thing.”
Ryan, who tossed three interceptions against Detroit, will need to get his weapons back and must stop the rash of inteceptions. Five in the past two games is too many.
About the Author
