For two weeks, the Atlanta Falcons were riding high on back-to-back wins over the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
The team was playing some inspired football behind the Week 3 return of starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a reimagined offense after a disastrous first two weeks of the season, alongside a shutdown defense that earned high statistical marks across the NFL.
But the inevitable happened – the Falcons took a loss.
And it may be for the better.
“It’s heartbreaking to an extent,” said Atlanta cornerback Billy Bowman Jr.
“I know this team is going to bounce back, and the feeling in the building is getting back to work, focus on next week, and overcome this lesson.”
On Sunday Night Football, Atlanta (2-3) suffered a rare primetime game loss to the Baltimore Ravens (4-1). Baltimore visited Atlanta and left with a 30-23 Week 5 overtime win.
The Falcons led 17-9 midway through the third quarter, but were outscored 21-6 for the rest of the night. Backup quarterback Tyler ‘Snoop’ Huntley, replacing the injured Lamar Jackson, scored a one-yard sneak to take the overtime lead after nearly eight minutes of the 10-minute overtime period.
With Penix out of the game with a rib injury sustained from a hit by Ravens outside linebacker Tavius Robinson as time expired in regulation, Tua Tagovailoa came in to take it home.
That he did, after a 20-yard gain to wide receiver Drake London. Then, Tagovailoa in fact did take it home by tossing a game-sealing interception to Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton.
“Obviously, we didn’t do enough to win that game. Really missed opportunities,” Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski recapped the loss. “When you’re playing a good football team, and these margins are razor-thin, we’ve got to come through on some of those plays. We can be better in those moments. Disappointing, frustrating, but we will learn from it.”
A culprit in the Falcons’ loss was struggling to stop the Baltimore rushing attack, as running back Derrick Henry led with 102 rushing yards, contributing to a 208-yard effort on the ground. The Falcons entered the game with the NFL’s top run defense.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards but was fairly neutralized.
“It’s just one game. It doesn’t define us,” Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. said. “We’ll get back to the drawing board and get these details right for next week.”
A Sunday positive was Atlanta’s ability to lean on Penix without its fine-tuned run game. The quarterback went 19-for-32 for 240 yards and threw a touchdown pass. London and Pitts were heavily involved in the offense.
Defensively, the defense showed it can get on the scoreboard as safety Jesse Bates III returned a 30-yard fumble recovery after safety Sydney Brown punched the football out of the hands of Ravens tight end Mark Andrews.
“We’re going to be good. It’s one game,” Penix reacted to the Falcons’ loss to the Ravens. “Obviously, it’s a game we felt like we could’ve won – we should’ve won. Whenever you get a chance to close out a game with a good team like that, you’ve got to do it. But we’re good with where we’re at. The loss sucks, but we’ve got to be ready for next week.”
So, in the loss, Atlanta has some building blocks moving forward in the season.
And now the Falcons are humbled entering another home game against the Chicago Bears in the potential return of quarterback Caleb Williams, who’s been out since Week 1 with a grade two right hamstring strain.
And the best thing about it is that Atlanta is still in play for the NFC South, holding on to the No. 2 spot behind the Carolina Panthers and ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Saints.
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