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10 Takeaways from the Falcons’ 29-25 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Atlanta Falcons nearly pulled off another fourth-quarter miracle against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but they came up just short and suffered their seventh loss of the season to their NFC South rivals.
The Buccaneers took a 29-25 lead with 31 seconds left, and despite a valiant effort to get within scoring range, Falcons wide receiver Drake London was tackled three yards shy of the end zone on the final play of the game
Here are 10 takeaways from Atlanta’s Week 14 loss to Tampa Bay.
Falcons fans on Twitter trashed Desmond Ridder and Arthur Smith following Sunday’s 29-25 loss to the Bucs
The Atlanta Falcons no longer rule the NFC South following Sunday’s 29-25 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What started as a painfully slow and sloppy game turned into a thriller late in the fourth quarter.
Despite a record day from Drake London, the Falcons committed some costly mistakes that were too much to overcome. Desmond Ridder threw an interception at the team’s own eight-yard line and the offense gave up a safety later in the second quarter.
After the game, fans on Twitter expressed their displeasure with head coach Arthur Smith‘s play-calling and Ridder’s inconsistent performance.
Falcons vs. Buccaneers: Best photos from Week 14 matchup in Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons (6-6) are putting their NFC South lead on the line against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7) in Week 14. Check out the best photos from Sunday’s divisional matchup in Atlanta below. We’ll update the gallery throughout the game.
Every NFL quarterback (including Falcons QB Desmond Ridder) ranked by QBR entering Week 15
Aside from the putrid officiating, the top storyline through the first 14 weeks of the 2023 NFL season has been the return of defense. Even the top quarterbacks in the league aren’t putting up the type of elite numbers that fans have grown accustomed to.
There are still four weeks remaining for NFL offenses to turn things around, but with Week 15 upon us, let’s see where each quarterback is currently ranked in total QBR this season.
Atlanta Falcons release depth chart ahead of Week 14 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Atlanta Falcons (6-6) have released an updated depth chart for their Week 14 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-7). With both A.J. Terrell and Jeff Okudah banged up, look for Clark Phillips III and Tre Flowers to potentially play a bigger role in Sunday’s game.
Right tackle Kaleb McGary and linebacker Nate Landman are also injured and worth monitoring throughout the week. Check out the team’s depth chart for Week 14 below.
10 Takeaways from the Falcons’ 13-8 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday
It sure wasn’t pretty, but the Atlanta Falcons took care of business against the New York Jets in Week 13. Sunday’s 13-8 road victory was the second straight for this Falcons team, which remains atop the NFC South with a 6-6 record.
Here are 10 takeaways from Atlanta’s second road win of the season.
WATCH: Falcons QB Desmond Ridder connects with TE MyCole Pruitt for TD vs. Jets
The Falcons got off to another slow start on offense, but the defense came up with a big turnover that put Atlanta in scoring range. Quarterback Desmond Ridder made the most of the opportunity, connecting with tight end MyCole Pruitt in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Pruitt’s touchdown gave Atlanta a 7-2 lead over New York. Watch the play below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below.
This is how we Pruitt 🕺
📺 FOX | NFL+ pic.twitter.com/8om0UtmFkM
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 3, 2023
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Falcons Week 13 starting lineups with PFF season grades for each player
The Atlanta Falcons must get a win over the Tim Boyle-led New York Jets in Week 13 if they want to be taken seriously as the leaders of the NFC South. The team will look for its second road win of the season on Sunday.
Check out the Falcons’ starting lineups for their Week 13 matchup against the Jets, featuring Pro Football Focus season grades for each player below.
The Saints and Falcons had an equal number of takeaways, but the Saints still lost the turnover battle due to not capitalizing off Atlanta’s mistakes:
If you simply look at the stats at the end of the game, you’ll see the New Orleans Saints forced two turnovers and gave up two turnovers to the Atlanta Falcons. Mathematically, that means each team tied in the turnover battle. Numbers do lie, or at least don’t tell the full story.
Despite having the same amount of turnovers, New Orleans’ turnovers were met with more consequences. Both of the Saints turnovers came in the red zone and took points off the board. Derek Carr’s interception to Jessie Bates III was returned for a touchdown, taking points away from the Saints and directly giving them to the Falcons. Atlanta then turned a Taysom Hill fumble into another touchdown after a nine-play, 95-yard drive.
While teams may have forced two turnovers (with Tyrann Mathieu twice intercepting Desmond Ridder), Atlanta turned those opportunities into 14 points. The Saints got zero points from their takeaways. The Saints get a slight pass on one turnover because it was at the end of the half.
Still, the point discrepancy was a major difference in the game. The battle can’t be equal when one team scored over half their points from turnovers and the other couldn’t capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes. The Saints were the latter on Sunday.
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Studs and Duds from the Falcons’ 24-15 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 12
With the NFC South up for grabs, the Falcons seized the opportunity with a 24-15 victory over the Saints in Week 12. Sunday’s win wasn’t pretty, but the team rose to the occasion in the fourth quarter to improve to 4-1 at home.
In spite of everything that has gone wrong this season, Atlanta has a perfect 3-0 record in the division. Check out our studs and duds from Sunday’s win over New Orleans.
