Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- Unable to get anything going offensively, the Atlanta Falcons fell to the Baltimore Ravens 26-16 as their disappointing 2018 season continues.
Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn on the loss and how he views his team going forward, “The reality is, we’ve got to embrace the hardness that we are in and a part of. We have an expectation of how this last quarter of football will go, and that expectation is for us to play well. It’s a challenge that we have to overcome”
The story of the game was the Falcons inability to move the ball, as they were held to just 130-yards of total offense against a Ravens defense that is proving to be one of the best defensive units in football.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed 16 of his 26 passes for 131-yards, getting to the end zone just once as he found tight end Austin Hooper for a fourth-quarter score that would be the only time Atlanta would find an offensive touchdown. Ryan has had a great season overall, but this will not be one to remember as the veteran quarterback failed to get much of anything going through the air.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan on the loss, “It was a disappointing day for us. Offensively, we were never able to get into any drives really other than the first and the touchdown drive that we had. You know, disappointing, but credit to them. They came out and had a good game plan for us and they executed the plan a lot better than we did.”
Things wouldn’t get any easier in the running game, as the Atlanta backfield was held to just 34-yards. The Ravens defense really shut down anything the Falcons tried to do, as anything second-year offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian seemed to come up with, the Ravens were prepared for.
The Ravens defense really seemed to win the game at the line of scrimmage, as they were constantly in the backfield causing fits for Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offensive line. In total, the Ravens sacked Ryan three times for 35-yards, pressuring him countless other times to make the former MVP uncomfortable in the backfield.
For the Falcons defense, this was one of their better performances of the season. With Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones making his long-awaited return following a broken foot earlier in the year, the defense seemed rejuvenated, flying around the field and making plays like they were not able to do in his absence.
Atlanta allowed the Baltimore offense to gain 358 total yards, but when the Ravens moved deep into the Falcons territory, the defense was able to stand strong and hold them to field goals. The Ravens brought a new wrinkle this week in the form of a new starting quarterback, as former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson would make his first career start at quarterback at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The rookie was inconsistent, completing 12 of his 21 passes for 125-yards, while also doing damage on the ground. Jackson rushed 17 times for 75-yards and a touchdown and was able to use his legs to extend plays. Jackson really made one big mistake in the first half, when he put the ball on the ground while being sacked by Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. The fumble was picked up by Falcons defensive end Vic Beasley, who returned the ball 74-yards for a touchdown that gave Atlanta a 10-7 lead.
Jackson would recover, however, and the offense settled down, putting together several long drives in the second half that really allowed their defense to rest up.
If there was a positive for the Falcons to take away from this loss, it was the way the defense played with the return of Deion Jones. Coming into the season, the Falcons defense was looked at as a unit that could take the next step to become one of the top groups in the NFL. Injuries have halted that progress, but the returning Jones seemed to bring a leadership that lifted the performances of those around him. How the defense continues to play will be something to look for as we move to the final stretch of the 2018 NFL season.
The loss moves the Falcons to 4-8 on the year, and pretty much ends any hopes of sneaking into the playoffs. It’s been a difficult season for Atlanta, who have been unable to overcome mounting injuries on defense throughout the season. The season isn’t finished, however, and the Falcons will have a stretch of final games where they can show progress as a way to build towards 2019.
The Falcons will next travel up to Green Bay to take on the Packers in a matchup with one of the best quarterbacks in football, Aaron Rodgers. That game will take place Sunday, December 9th at 1:00 p.m.
