Falcons Fall Short vs. Saints in Desmond Ridder Debut
The Atlanta Falcons (5-9) are leaving the Big Easy with a much harder path to the playoffs after a 21-18 loss to the New Orleans Saints (5-9) Sunday afternoon at Caesars Superdome.
The Falcons fall to fourth place in the NFC South with the loss after being swept in the season series by the Saints. The Bucs and Panthers are in a reachable distance, but the Falcons let one get away today.
The game was arguably won in the first quarter when the Saints scored a touchdown on the first two possessions of the game.
Within less than two minutes, the game went from being scoreless to a 14-point hole. Saints quarterback Andy Dalton found tight end Juwan Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown. Then, Taysom Hill led a trick play that ended in a 68-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
The early hole put rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder behind the 8-ball, and the third-round pick struggled in his debut. Ridder completed 13 of 26 for just 97 yards. The team didn't get enough juice out of him, and it showed.
The Falcons stayed in the game thanks to a stout defense and dynamic rushing attack.
Fifth-round rookie running back Tyler Allgeier had a career day, running the ball 17 times for 139 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, veteran Cordarrelle Patterson also found the end zone and ran for 52 yards on 14 carries.
Despite the struggles, the team had a chance to win the game. With just over two minutes to go, the Falcons faced a 4th-and-5 at midfield. Ridder found fellow rookie wideout Drake London for a first down, but the ball was poked out by Saints defensive back Bradley Roby and the Falcons never got a chance better than that.
Had London held on to the ball, the Falcons might have had a chance to score a go-ahead touchdown or at worst, a game-tying field goal.
As the season gets down to the nitty gritty, small plays can have large impacts on the season. And for the Falcons, the play didn't go their way today. While the Falcons still have postseason aspirations, the margin for error is thinning and one more loss could kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
The Falcons are back in action on Christmas Eve on the road against the Baltimore Ravens. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.
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