Ever since Atlanta blew a 25-point lead in a stunning loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI more than five years ago, the Falcons have struggled to close out games in their control.
That was apparent again in Sunday's heartbreaking 27-26 loss to the rival New Orleans Saints. The Falcons had a 16-point lead with 12:41 left on the clock but costly penalties and fourth-quarter struggles on defense led to a loss in the season opener.
Head coach Arthur Smith said Monday that he needs to take a good look at what went right and what went wrong.
"I think if you win or lose, the biggest challenge is, if you really want to improve and have the right mindset, is that you've got to be objective and need to be honest," Smith said.
"It obviously starts with me. What can I do to get better? There are certainly things every week that I can do better, so you don't make the same mistakes. Or something you see then say, ‘What can we improve on?' I think the worst thing you can do is not be objective. We stayed aggressive. Got to give New Orleans credit. They made plays. Some of their veterans made plays. But we'll continue to stay aggressive."
Despite the loss, Atlanta's play in the trenches was a bright spot. The Falcons defensive line, led by two-time Pro Bowl selection Grady Jarrett, tallied four sacks.
The offensive line did not allow a sack and opened the holes for a punishing ground attack, led by running back Cordarrelle Patterson (22 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (72 yards and a score), that rolled up 201 yards and two touchdowns and averaged 5.3 yards per carry.
"I thought the lines of scrimmage played pretty well for the most part," Smith said. "It wasn't perfect but if you can run the ball for 200 yards, that will give you a chance most weeks. I thought we kept Marcus pretty clean. I was not pleased with the penalties and the (third quarter) turnover in the red zone. But we'll get that stuff cleaned up."
Mariota completed 20 of 33 passes for 215 yards in his Falcons debut. Rookie Drake London led the team in receptions (five) and receiving yards (74). Second-year safety Richie Grant had a team-high 10 tackles and a pass defended.
Veteran running back Damien Williams left the game briefly with a rib injury. But Smith said the team escaped Week 1 in good shape on the injury front.
"Obviously Damien, we will continue to evaluate him. See what it looks like. But he did come back into the game," Atlanta's second-year head coach said. "Otherwise, obviously the guys are sore. We did play an NFL game. But we are pretty clean otherwise."
Atlanta plays the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (0-1) on the road in Week 2.
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