Atlanta Falcons vs Baltimore Ravens: The good, the bad, the ugly
Sep 3, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Nick Boyle (82) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons in the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Ravens defeated the Falcons 20-19. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The ugly
Finishing
After the loss to the Dolphins, Dan Quinn made it clear that the Falcons would be a finishing team. But it was another poor end to the game, as Atlanta almost blew a 14-point lead with just 2:31 left of regulation.
All of a sudden, third-string Ravens quarterback Bryn Renner moved Baltimore down the field and completed a 6-yard touchdown to Jeremy Butler. With the football, up 20-13 with just 2:03 seconds left, the Falcons had to finish. But a quick offensive series and efficient use of timeouts by Baltimore meant Atlanta had to punt with just under a minute left. Matt Bosher stepped up, and the punt was blocked.
Two plays later, Renner picked out the man who blocked the punt, Daniel Brown, and the Ravens were within a point. As it was a preseason game, Baltimore went for two and failed to convert, but they should have never come close.
It doesn’t matter that this was just a preseason game. It was a poor finish, and the Falcons barely survived with a victory. In the regular season when the starters are on the field, running the ball to burn the clock late on will be crucial, which is why the play of Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman will be so important this season.
Next: Five things we learned from Falcons-Ravens