Atlanta Falcons 'Got to Improve' in All Phases, Says Calais Campbell
The Atlanta Falcons' comeback attempt fell short against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon, but there were missed opportunities that made the effort fail in the end.
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell noted that aspect in postgame media availability. On a day where starting quarterback Desmond Ridder entered concussion protocol, the Falcons had the ball with under two minutes left in an attempt to drive the field and take the lead. That in itself indicates that the game was there for the taking.
"You can go down the list if you want to but at the end of the day, I think it was in all different phases of the game," Campbell said. "Especially on defense where I feel like it’s my domain. We just got to improve and make sure that we just go back to doing our job and making sure that we just play football."
Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis (7) tries to get back on a fumbled bad snap but Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Calais Campbell (93) recovers in the first quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.
© Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
The defense itself struggled against quarterback Will Levis who made his first NFL start on Sunday. Levis got the nod while starter Ryan Tannehill recovers from an injury, and he threw for 238 yards and four scores in his team's 28-23 win. Three of those touchdown passes went to wideout DeAndre Hopkins.
Campbell himself registered one solo tackle, and the Falcons defense put up two sacks of Levis in the loss.
The Falcons will look to shore up the secondary (and defense as a whole) this week before returning home to host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the game will be televised on FOX.
