Atlanta Falcons: Key plays in loss to Buccaneers
Once again the Atlanta Falcons came up short against a divisional foe and once again they couldn’t get out of their own way. Let’s examine the key plays that directly affected the outcome of the game.
Julio Jones’ fumble
The Falcons appeared to have hit a big play with a pass from Matt Ryan to Julio Jones, but Kwon Alexander hustled down the field and was able to take the ball away from Jones. He returned to ball into Falcons territory to set up Tampa Bay’s first score of the day.
Mike Person
The Falcons were driving the ball and were in scoring range when center Mike Person’s snap went awry. The ball squirted into the offensive backfield as Matt Ryan and Devonta Freeman attempted to fall on it, but the ball ended up in the Henry Melton’s grasp for the second turnover of the day.
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Matt Ryan ill advised interception and fumble
Perhaps the Falcons decided that two turnovers in the first half were not enough because Matt Ryan threw an interception to Kwon Alexander with 1:31 seconds remaining in the first half. On the Falcons first drive of the second half, Ryan fumbled the ball for the fourth turnover of the game which was recovered by Jacquies Smith.
The turnovers proved too much for the Falcons to overcome. They were able to mount a comeback in order to get the game to overtime where they fell short as the Bucs scored three points off an field goal on their initial drive. The Falcons surrendered 20 points off turnovers and lost the turnover battle which inevitably led to their loss.