"Defensively, we had some opportunities to get off the field and we did not. We had an opportunity on third-and-1 in the later part of the third quarter and we had 12 men on the field. Those things are unacceptable." — Falcons coach Mike Smith
"Absolutely, it was a breakdown. We had guys who were responsible for the tight end and when you run up and try to stop a run and you're not playing what you're supposed to be doing, there is going to be wide open receiver. And that was the case there." — Smith on the blown coverage of Greg Olsen's 14-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter
"We've got a strong locker room. We're all professionals. We know what we have to do. We have to work to win football games. That's what we're paid to do. That's what we're supposed to do and we will continue to work that way." — Smith on the team's ability to bounce back from another loss
"He's a young talented player. I love going against guys like that. They bring out the best in me and hopefully, I can bring out the best in him." — Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez on Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly, whose interception set up Carolina's first touchdown
"Collectively, as an offense, we have to keep going out there and work hard. We have to work on our technique and execute. When the ball is in the air, you've got to make the play. When you have the ball in your hands, it's up to you to go out there and do something for this offense. You have to be smart and everything. It's really no secret. Going out there and making the right reads and making the right adjustments, cutting the right way as a receiver, it's really that basic at this point in the season." — Gonzalez on the state of the offense
"All of the talking is over with right now. It comes down to every man showing what he has inside of him right now. At this point in the season, looking at our record, every man has to go home and look in the mirror and come back every Sunday. Either you've got it or you don't. Either you're going to show up or lay down. It's going to determine what kind of man you are now." — Safety William Moore on the state of the team
"It was the same thing, similar to all of the games this season. We keep running out of time. We fight to get back in the game and we keep searching for that one big momentum-changer to put us in the game. We have to take advantage of the plays that are given to us. (Carolina quarterback) Cam (Newton) gave us some opportunities today and we took advantage of them for the most part, but we ran out of time." — Moore on the flow of the game
"Time is not going to stop, by any means. When we get back tomorrow, we'll watch the film and see what we can correct. Obviously, we're going to keep on busting our butts and preparing." — Guard Justin Blalock on the state of the team
"I don't want to get into trying to take positives out of a loss. A loss is loss, no matter what. It's was nice to get it going. It was something to build on, but I don't want to be too happy about it." — Blalock on the Falcons running game, which generated 78 yards in 20 attempts
"I learned a long time ago that this game is bigger than one person or one performance. One of the reasons why I decided to come to Atlanta is because I know it takes a team effort to win." — Running back Steven Jackson, who rushed for 57 yards in 13 carries
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