Saints vs. Falcons Notebook: New Season, Same Troubles Plague Atlanta
The Atlanta Falcons' contest against the New Orleans Saints kicked off the 2022 season, but fans could easily be convinced they were watching replays of games played from anywhere between 2016 to 2020.
The Falcons took strides in one possession games last year, finishing 7-2 in such affairs. Despite being up 26-10 in the 4th quarter and having several opportunities to seal the game, Atlanta continued to leave the door open, and New Orleans capitalized, storming back for a 27-26 Saints victory.
A dominant first three quarters will ultimately be overshadowed by a disastrous closing 15 minutes. Here are three takeaways from Atlanta's season-opening loss.
OFFENSE FLASHES, BUT CAN'T FINISH DRIVES
In the debut performance of Marcus Mariota as Atlanta's starting quarterback, the Falcons' offense played a strong three quarters, headlined by a dominant ground game. Atlanta finished with 416 total yards of offense, with Mariota going 20 of 33 for 215 yards through the air and running back Cordarrelle Patterson adding 120 yards.
Younghoe Koo had a typically strong performance, going 4 of 5 (his lone miss was from 63 as time expired) with a pair of makes from 50 yards or greater. However, therein lies the problem. Koo's presence was emphasized by Atlanta's inability to finish drives after working deep into New Orleans' territory.
Mariota fumbled inside the redzone in the third quarter, and the Falcons had to settle for a Koo field goal from inside the 10 early in the fourth quarter. In order to win close games, teams simply have to convert on those opportunities, and the Falcons didn't.
Why? A lack of targets to its biggest - and best - playmakers. Tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London were noticeably absent in the redzone, with reserve tight ends Parker Hesse and Anthony Firkser seeing more looks than the Falcons' star pass catchers. The same problem arose last year, and Atlanta simply has to involve Pitts and London moving forward.
DEFENSE RUNS OUT OF GAS AFTER STRONG START
Defensive coordinator Dean Pees' unit looked like totally different for three quarters - until it didn't. The Falcons' defense had four sacks through the game's first 35 minutes and held Saints quarterback Jameis Winston to under 100 passing yards before the start of the fourth quarter.
However, Winston exploded in the game's final 15 minutes, picking Atlanta's defense apart seemingly at will. The Falcons ran soft zone and couldn't generate enough pressure to mask it, resulting in chunk play after chunk play for New Orleans' offense.
There's also a point where credit has to be given to Winston and the Saints. All-Pro cornerback A.J. Terrell allowed a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to receiver Michael Thomas, but the throw - and catch - were simple cases of good offense beating good defense. Atlanta's passive coverage philosophies allowed New Orleans to breath and find a rhythm, and the Falcons simply couldn't recover.
ROOKIE REPORT: TWO STAND OUT IN DEBUT
Entering the week, the status of Falcons first-round pick Drake London was up in the air. Not only did he play, but he overcame a quiet start to finish as Atlanta's leading receiver, posting five receptions for 74 yards, including a crucial 13-yard catch on 3rd and 6 to extend a Falcons drive late in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie made his presence felt in his debut, recording his first career sack and generating pressure on multiple occasions. He's already carved out a role as Atlanta's 3-4 outside linebacker on passing downs and should only see his role grow with performances like this.
Third-round outside linebacker DeAngelo Malone and fifth-round running back Tyler Allgeier were both healthy scratches, delaying their debuts at least one more week. Second-round linebacker Troy Andersen didn't record any stats, and third-round quarterback Desmond Ridder served as Mariota's backup.
Undrafted rookies Timothy Horne, Jared Bernhardt and Nate Landman all made the active roster, but failed to rack up any statistics.
Atlanta will look to bounce back against the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams next Sunday at 4:05 p.m.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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