The running narrative surrounding the Atlanta Falcons since the 2016 Super Bowl has been their inability to finish off games. Too many times over the past few seasons, instead of putting opponents away, it was almost like Atlanta encouraged them to hang around. This resulted in some stomach-turning losses, most notably in last year’s 40-39 collapse to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.
Last weekend, the Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, and while it was a great win that ultimately helps the team, there is a difference between surviving and finishing games.
Olamide Zaccheaus’ touchdown gave Atlanta a 24-6 lead over New Orleans, and should have been enough to seal the victory. However, the next three possessions for the Saints would result in touchdowns, giving them a one-point lead with 1:01 left to play in the game.
It took just a seven-minute span in the fourth quarter for Atlanta to give up an 18-point lead. Luckily, Matt Ryan connected on a 64-yard completion to Cordarrelle Patterson, setting up Younghoe Koo’s third game-winning field goal of the season. So while we saw a lot of the same issues at the end of the game, this Falcons team simply survived better than those before it.
“We just like to give our fans a heart attack here and there, just to keep them on their toes, make sure they’re paying attention,” stated Patterson jokingly after the Sunday’s win over the Saints. “It just comes with the game you know. You can’t beat everybody by 40 points. It’s the National Football League, every week is tough.”
In four of the last five games, the Falcons have held a lead of eight or more points late in the fourth quarter. Only once did the team not relinquish the lead. Starting in Week 4 against Washington, the Falcons were up 30-22 but the game ended up as a 34-30 loss. This was then followed up by back-to-back games against the Jets and Dolphins where leads were blown or nearly blown. A 20-3 halftime lead over the Jets became a 20-17 lead with just under three minutes left to play.
As for the Dolphins game in Week 6, the same was true — a 27-14 lead with under 10 minutes to play eventually turned into a 28-27 deficit with two and a half minutes to play. The Falcons would eventually steal a win at the end, but it still continues the narrative that the team can’t finish off games.
“Its the National Football League, it’s not for soft souls,” said Smith. “If you get comfortable, shame on you.”
You do have to applaud Arthur Smith’s efforts to change the narrative. These are situations where the Falcons may not have been able to win in the past. And as frustrating as it was to see the team trailing against New Orleans with a minute left on Sunday, it was the kind of game that the previous regime probably would have lost.
Changing the narrative is a long process, but winning games is the quickest way to get there.
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