The Falcons were hoping that a players-only meeting, which was endorsed by first-year coach Dan Quinn, would help them shake their losing ways.
The meeting didn’t work.
It didn’t solve their inability to score touchdowns in the red zone, their leaky run defense nor help with quarterback Matt Ryan throwing interceptions.
Tampa Bay, looking like a team on the rise, defeated the Falcons 23-19 before 58,221 jubilant fans on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs improved to 6-6, and the Falcons, who have lost five in a row, dropped to 6-6.
“We’re a .500 team and we’re playing like it,” Quinn said.
Here are the five things we learned:
1. Missed tackles hurt: Linebackers Brooks Reed (from behind), Paul Worrlow (had a front shot) and Justin Durant (jumped in late) and couldn't bring down Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston on a third down-and-19. He put his hand down on the ground and spun out of the tackles to pick up the first down on a 23-yard gain that broke the Falcons' back.
“I thought he was down,” defensive end Vic Beasley said. “I thought I heard a whistle.”
Quinn, a former defensive coordinator, was steaming hot about that play.
“That’s one that we’ve got to get that play done,” Quinn said.
Four plays later, Winston tossed a touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Evans with Worrilow in coverage. Evans should have been covered by a faster defensive back.
Ryan was intercepted by Tampa Bay linebacker Lavonte David on the Falcons’ last-ditch drive.
“It was Tampa (Cover) Two coverage,” Ryan said. “Something that they played the entire game. I think Lavonte David got too much depth on that and I shouldn’t have made that throw. At some point in the drive, I was going to have to make an aggressive throw against that coverage, but that wasn’t the time to do it.”
The interception was Ryan’s sixth over the past three games and 13th on the season. He’s on pace to tie his career-high for interceptions in a season, which was 17 set in 2013.
2. Playoff picture. With the loss by the Falcons, the Carolina Panthers clinched their third consecutive NFC South title.
Seattle defeated Minnesota to improve 7-5. The Falcons trail Seattle by a game and now do not have a head-to-head advantage over the Bucs, who are 6-6 and swept them for the first time since the 2010 season.
The Falcons, in the midst of an historic collapse, need to win out and get plenty of help to make the playoffs.
Since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger, 66 of 72 teams that started 5-0 went on to make the playoffs. The Falcons appear on their way to becoming the seventh team to not make the playoffs after a 5-0 start. The most-recent team to do so was the 2011 Denver Broncos, who finished 8-8 under then coach Josh McDaniels, after a 5-0 start.
3. No-huddle almost saved the season. All three Falcons offensive stars have been calling for the unit to pick up the pace to get on track. Going up-tempo seemed to work for the Falcons near the end of the first half.
The Falcons needed just 3:54 to go 63 yards in 10 plays on a drive that concluded with Shayne Graham’s 47-yard field goal to pull them within 7-6 with about a minute left in the half.
The Falcons substituted players during the drive, but Ryan didn’t huddle and was quick to the line. He was 6-for-7 for 78 yards on the drive, including a 23-yard completion to Justin Hardy to convert a third-and-11 from the Falcons’ 7-yard line after Ryan scrambled away from pressure.
The drive stalled when Ryan fumbled on a hit by unblocked blitzer Kwon Alexander and Falcons running back Tevin Coleman recovered at the 50. But the offense seemed to find a rhythm when operating with no huddle.
Ryan and wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White have lobbied to push the tempo this season in the same way they’ve done in previous years. First-year offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has said he’s not against going no huddle, but added that there are potential drawbacks to playing fast if the offense isn’t efficient.
4. No rushing attack: Falcons running back Devonta Freeman returned after missing the last game with a concussion. He was held in check for most of the day and that contributed to another poor game in the red zone.
The Falcons have not had a rushing touchdown since playing New Orleans on Oct. 15.
Freeman had 14 rushes for 47 yards. Overall, the Falcons rushed 18 times for 64 yards.
“That’s a great defense,” Freeman said.
5. Hester not a factor. Falcons returner Devin Hester, who was making his 2015 season debut after spending time on the short-term injured reserve list with a turf toe injury, had two kickoff returns for 47 yards and one punt return for three yards.
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