Falcons most to blame for Week 10 loss to Saints
Ahead of Week 10's rematch, every football fan expected a thriller of a game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints . Besides the history between both teams and the overall matchup record at stake, the Falcons also had their playoff hopes to factor in while the Saints longed to snap a losing streak that began in Week 3.
By the end of it all, the final score read 20-17 in favor of New Orleans. In front of a cheering Caesars Superdome, the Saints used a strong first half to put themselves ahead before fending off their rivals in the final two quarters. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had his best game of the season, catching two touchdown passes from Derek Carr in the first half. This resulted in New Orleans entering halftime with a 10-point lead. The Falcons would try to rally behind another big outing from Bijan Robinson , but sloppy play from the rest of the team marred their attempt at a comeback.
A lot of things just didn't go well for the visitors. While the running back room did put up 181 yards on top of Kirk Cousins throwing for 306 yards , lapses and missed opportunities ended up biting them back. The loss now gives the Falcons a 6-4 record. They still lead the NFC South, but failing to make the most out of a winnable game like Sunday's most definitely hurts.
To describe the Falcons' frustrations in detail, here are the main culprits for the Week 10 loss.
Younghoe Koo's struggles
Despite trailing the entire game, the Falcons had several opportunities to get within striking distance, some of which were in the form of field goal attempts. However, kicker Younghoe Koo went just 1-0f-4 from the field . Two of Koo's misses occurred during the first half. His first attempt went wide left during the second quarter while Atlanta was just down by three. His second miss could've cut the lead down to single digits before halftime, but the kick was blocked by the Saints' defense . While the second one could be attributed to poor protection from the line, it didn't help that Koo was unable to capitalize again late in the game.
With 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Falcons trailed 20-17. Koo had the chance to tie from 46 yards out, but the ball hit the upright, giving possession back to New Orleans.
This kind of performance was surprising for the usually reliable Koo, who now holds a 70.8 field-goal percentage. This puts him on pace for his worst season as a member of the Falcons. In the last five years, the lowest FG average he ever tallied to finish a season was 86.5%.
Other second-half lapses
Three of Atlanta's six total penalties occurred during the team's first drive of the third quarter. During a particular sequence in that said drive, two straight penalties arguably cost the Falcons a chance at a touchdown. The team had a 1st-and-goal at the Saints' nine-yard line. Bijan Robinson ran the ball to the New Orleans 1, but lineman Chris Lindstrom was called for a low block, setting them back 15 yards. In the ensuing play, receiver Darnell Mooney committed a false start, costing them another five yards. By the end of the drive, the Falcons had to opt for a field goal.
Another costly moment transpired with around two minutes remaining in the game. The Falcons — down by three — had a 2nd-and-8 at the New Orleans 44. Kirk Cousins fired a middle pass that was intended for Drake London, but a streaking Tyran Mathieu picked it off for an interception.
And on Atlanta's final drive of the outing, the team continuously gained yardage until a sack and strip on Cousins caused the Falcons to lose 19 yards. From then on, it was clear that Atlanta didn't have an ounce of momentum left in the tank. The Saints eventually sealed the deal by forcing a turnover on downs as time expired.
