The Atlanta Falcons Disappoint in a 30-28 Loss to New York Jets
Oct 7, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) celebrates in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Jets won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
The frustration level for fellow Atlanta Falcons fans is at an entire new high. Last night, the Atlanta Falcons got straight up embarrassed by the now 3-2 New York Jets. While the score shows the game was close and a well-earned win for the Jets, for the Falcons, losing to the Jets is a huge loss.
Geno Smith tore apart the Atlanta secondary. A rookie quarterback completed 16 out of his 20 passes for 199 yards and three touchdowns. He managed to have a passer rating of 147.7 against the acclaimed Mike Nolan. It is an inexcusable statistic.
In two games against quarterbacks in their first or second year, the Falcons have allowed 465 yards and five touchdown throws. They have only managed to intercept these young quarterbacks twice. This is the ultimate testament to how poor the defense has played this year. The Falcons have a total of 11 sacks on the season. They have three interceptions and only thirteen tackles for loss.
It is embarrasing as a fan to watch the defense play football. The last thing any fan wants to happen is for a rookie quarterback to complete 80 percent of his passes. It became hard to watch when the Jets took a 17-7 lead in the second quarter. It was evident early in the game that the Jets were going to come close, if not win the game against what was once the NFC South champions who had a total of four losses on the season.
While I think the Falcons lost the game more than the Jets won it, we have to give credit where credit is due. The Jets’ front seven was fantastic in this game. Rex Ryan threw looks at the Falcons that were hard to read and effective. The Jets got to Matty Ice in nearly every play.
Geno Smith did play an exceptional game. It was easily his best in his short career. It appears the Jets are once again a wild card threat.
The Falcons need to take this next week and recuperate. It has been a rough five games for a squad who dominated the NFC in the regular season last year.