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Atlanta Falcons 27-26 loss so close, and reminiscent

By Yakiri Thomas / September 13, 2022
Photo Courtesy of @emoryrosephotography

“Same team you wrote our obituary,” said Head Coach Arthur Smith post game.

I am definitely not going throw shade but I will say for most ATL-liens this game seem like déjà-vu . The Falcons have the ability to lead in big numbers but just can’t close the game.


Let’s start from the beginning- 70,000 fans almost blew the roof off the Mercedes Benz Stadium when the dirty birds returned home to face one of the oldest southern rivals when the Saints came to town for Atlanta season opener on Sunday.

Atlanta Hawks superstar Trae Young was in building to support the Falcons while sporting his custom Ice Trae Falcons jersey.

In the first half the Falcons rushed for 107 yards.


Marcus Mariota captured a two-yard touchdown rush in the third quarter marking his first touchdown with the Falcons.

In the third quarter Mariota fumbled the ball on the 5-yard line, preventing the team from scoring.

Then there was the end of the game Younghoe Koo had a opportunity to kick a game-winning 63-yard field goal, the attempt was blocked by the Saints.

The dirty birds came so close and after blowing a 16 point lead and dominating most of three periods fell short to the Saints 27-26.

“I just lost track of where I was. I thought I needed a few more for first down. So, I put my head down. I realized I already had it. Looking back in that situation I wish I would have just gone down and protected the ball and we would have had another chance to score points.” said Mariota.

The Falcons offense recorded 416 total yards of offense, including 201 rushing yards.

Is this the same team from last season?  Last year Matty Ice and the Falcons ranked 31st in rushing yards, now without quarterback Matt Ryan for the first time in 14 seasons this is a new era for the offensive line which will have already seen major improvements.

“We’ll get another shot at them down in New Orleans, and we can’t wait. Write whatever you all want. You guys ranked us 45th. You buried us in May. Bury us again. We don’t care. We’ll get back to work.” said  Smith.

Up Next: The dirty birds will bounce back next week when the team travel to the West Coast to face the Los Angeles Rams . Kickoff at 4:05 p.m.

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