The Atlanta Falcons have dealt with their fair share of heartbreaking losses over the years, but the Week 5 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday has to be near the top of a long list, because while they were against a talented team, they had every opportunity to take control and improve to 3-2.
The 30-23 overtime loss saw the Falcons squander an eight-point lead with just two minutes to play, and once overtime started, things got even worse. The Ravens held onto the ball for seven minutes, stripping Atlanta of their hopes of pounding the rock, which resulted in a game-sealing interception.
After the dominant victories in Weeks 3 and 4 upon Michael Penix Jr.'s return to the lineup, this team looked like a force to be reckoned with, but it was only a matter of time before they came back down to earth, especially against a talented Ravens team, but they were beatable without Lamar Jackson.
Frankly, this loss was Kevin Stefanski's most demoralizing with the Falcons, because momentum was at an all-time high the last two weeks, and this was the perfect moment for them to make another statement and take further control of the NFC South. But Lamar or not, Baltimore is legit contenders, and knocking them off on Sunday Night Football would've been a message that this team is for real.
Not only was this a game the Falcons could've won, they probably should've, and this goes well beyond Penix for getting hurt and not returning for the overtime drive. It's not like you can really pinpoint this loss on anyone specific because everyone's culpable because they regressed a bit--but it's not all bad.
The Falcons' Week 5 loss to the Ravens was not solely a coaching issue
It's not like the Falcons did their best Dan Quinn impression and mismanaged the clock, but a lot of why they lost came down to unforced errors. They didn't convert in the red zone (were held to field goals on three separate occasions) and they turned it over on downs once. If one of those drives ends in a touchdown, we are talking about a completely different game here.
Frankly, Kevin Stefanski, Tommy Rees, and Jeff Ulbrich were out-coached by Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle, but coaching wasn't what lost them the game: execution was. Rees called a good enough game for them to win, but Ulbrich's unit being unable to stop the run made life very hard.
That's the thing though. This Ravens coaching staff is one of the better braintrusts in football, so while this loss is humbling, this doesn't mean we're bottom-feeders. In fact, knowing the Dirty Birds were able to keep up with one of the better rosters in football is encouraging despite Jackson's absence.
Like Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers had a nice game as well--and their defense and offensive line also did well. You have to give the Ravens credit. They took Bijan Robinson out of the game, forced the Falcons to beat them through the air, and kept the offense off the field in OT. And they did not allow this team to dominate them on either side of the line of scrimmage.
While Kevin Stefanski and the Falcons still have some work to do after this loss, it's going to be a good thing in the long run because it's now evident what this team has to clean up to not lose more winnable games. And now the schedule is about to get tougher, so they better get to work.
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