Atlanta Falcons: Devonta Freeman stars in loss to New Orleans Saints
What looked like a mismatch on paper turned out to be a surprising defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints. We all knew that the Atlanta Falcons were not world beaters, but they were expected to win and win convincingly.
However, that was not the case. In the midst of the loss, there were a couple of individuals who stood out. I present them with a game ball for their performance.
Devonta Freeman
Week in week out, Devonta Freeman has shown up. The second-year back out of Tallahassee continues to impress on the season and show why he’s one of the most underrated players in the league.
Freeman only garnered 13 carries on the night but totaled 100 yards rushing on the nose and a touchdown. He displayed his versatility with eight catches for 56 yards and another score. It was somewhat puzzling that the offense went away from Freeman at times when it was obvious that the running game was working.
MORE: What we learned from Falcons loss to Saints
As long as Freeman stays 100 percent, the Falcons have a stable back to rely on whose going to fight for every yard he can.
Matt Ryan
Matt Ryan didn’t have an outstanding game but it was better than last week against Washington. Ryan completed 30-of-44 attempts for 295 yards and two touchdowns.
Matty Ice did have two fumbles which were both costly and uncharacteristic of him. One thing I like about Ryan’s skill set is he doesn’t lock in on one target, which was evident in this game as he completed passes to nine different receivers.