Embarrassment on the road - The Falcoholic

The Atlanta Falcons had to know this was the Super Bowl for the New Orleans Saints, but they sure didn’t come into this game playing like it. Instead, this was a reminder of nightmare Falcons-Saints games of yesteryear to kick things off, with Atlanta falling behind early and making a raft of mistakes.

We saw Atlanta surrender two huge deep balls, get gashed on the ground early by Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara, and fail to come up with pressure in key moments. We saw their offense sputter thanks to penalties and an unusually shaky first quarter from Kirk Cousins, who missed several throws. We saw Younghoe Koo miss a 53 yard try and have a 35 yard try tipped, making it simple for the Saints to go into halftime up 17-7. In a year where Atlanta has had some very dismal halves of football, it was the worst one given opponent (we hate the Saints!!!) and effort.

The Falcons have been a second half team throughout the season, so in our misery we called to the heavens for that team to show up. Atlanta still had their defensive struggles, but the third quarter was much better for the Falcons, with two scoring drives that piled up ten points and only a field goal allowed to the Saints. The momentum stalled out in a big way after that, because while the defense was up to the task, the offense came up short with a missed Younghoe Koo field goal try and a late Kirk Cousins interception.

The defense came up with another huge stop late to give Atlanta a chance, but they squandered that chance after moving well when Cousins was hit, fumbled, and Jake Matthews had to fall on it 18 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The Falcons then threw it over the middle twice to Pitts, and as time ran out, Cousins found Ray-Ray McCloud short of the sticks and he wasn’t able to get out of bounds in time. It was an awful, embarrassing loss, one that snapped a seven game losing streak for New Orleans and put Atlanta’s ability to put away inferior opponents in fresh doubt.

Here’s a full drive-by-drive recap of the game you just watched.

1st Quarter

The Falcons took the opening kickoff, with Ray-Ray McCloud getting to the 25 yard line. Bijan Robinson then took a run for 6 yards. Bijan then got nowhere on second down. Kirk Cousins then hit Ray-Ray McCloud over the middle for a big first down. Cousins then sort of jogged into pressure with nobody open and threw it away, and then on second down tried for Darnell Mooney but threw it a bit high with Mooney tightly covered and it fell incomplete. Drake London then made a juggling, fantastic sideline grab, but it was ruled that he didn’t have control going out of bounds. Punt, and Bradley Pinion had them pinned back at the 11.

On the opening play, Derek Carr rolled out and threw a short pass to Taysom Hill that the menace took 88 yards for a touchdown, but blessedly it came back owing to a holding call. That still gave the Saints about 20 yards, and Alvin Kamara then picked up a first down before Kaden Elliss rode him down. Kamara then picked up seven yards going right. Kamara was then stopped by Nate Landman after two yards. Hill then took it a yard or two for a first down. Matthew Judon then flew into the backfield to pressure Carr and force him to throw it out of bounds. Hill then got another carry and picked up five yards. Kamara then picked up another five yards and a first down. Juwan Johnson then caught a pass and picked up 15 yards. Carr under pressure tried Foster Moreau over the middle, but it was behind and Moreau slipped. Then Carr fumbled the snap and fell on it, losing four yards. Kamara then caught a short pass and was able to take it 11 yards. The Saints stayed on the field for fourth down, and the Falcons stuffed Hill. Turnover on downs.

Tyler Allgeier took the first down carry for a couple of yards. Allgeier then took it four about five yards and got cleaned out. Cousins then threw a high ball that Mooney coudn’t quite get. Punt, and the Saints got it on their own 44 yard line.

Clark Phillips then took down a swing pass to Hill after two yards. Jordan Mims then took it up the middle for a first down. Mims then was taken down after no gain by Phillips again, and a false start made it 2nd and 14. Carr couldn’t find an open man and threw it away as pressure arrived late. Kevin Austin Jr. (?) then caught it for a first down. Kamara then took it six yards. Kamara than squeaked through the line for a first down. Phillips then drove Kamara out of bounds for a slight loss, but a holding call backed the Saints up 10 yards. Dante Pettis then caught one and picked up eight yards. Arnold Ebiketie then went offsides to give the Saints five yards. Kamara then caught the ball over the middle as Carr was pressured, and Landman hit him hard after a yard.

2nd Quarter

The Falcons brought pressure on third down, and it forced Carr to scramble away and throw the ball out of bounds. The Saints hit the field goal to make it New Orleans 3, Atlanta 0.

Avery Williams took the kick return to the 29 yard line. Cousins then tried Mooney and it was incomplete, but Alontae Taylor was called for pass interference. Robinson then escaped contact in the backfield and picked up seven yards. He then found a hole and powered through it, picking up over ten yards and a first down. Bijan was then hit in the backfield for a loss of one yard. A quick pass over the middle to Kyle Pitts picked up seven yards. Cousins then tried for Mooney, but threw the sideline ball a little too far ahead of him as he dove and it was incomplete. Younghoe Koo then missed the 53 yard field goal try.

Kamara scooted up the middle for eight yards, with a defensive holding call on Ta’Quon Graham giving them another five yards and a first down. Kamara then got a yard on first down. Kamara then powered it up the middle for four yards. Then Carr was able to find time and fired one deep to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a touchdown, putting the Saints up 10-0.

Cousins finally got Mooney on first down, getting him on the sideline for an 18 yard gain. Robinson then took it for four yards out of the shotgun. Allgeier then took the carry up the middle for 12 yards. Allgeier then picked up six yards on first down. Cousins then threw a beautiful deep shot to Mooney, who reeled it in despite tight coverage to get the Falcons inside the five yard line. Allgeier took it up the middle for no gain on first down, and then picked up a yard and had the Falcons just short of the end zone. Raheem Morris threw the challenge flag, but the call was upheld. On fourth down, the Falcons simply handed it to Bijan and he was able to drive it in for the score. Saints 10, Falcons 7.

On first down, Carr once again had time and found Valdes-Scantling for 66 yards working against Clark Phillips. Kamara then ran it inside the one yard line. Kamara then lost two yards, with Eddie Goldman and David Onyemata driving him backwards. On the next play, though, MVS got open again and Carr hit him for a touchdown. Saints 17, Falcons 7.

McCloud took the kickoff across the 30. Bijan was then tripped up but got six yards out of it. Robinson then was hit hard in the backfield and taken down for a loss of a yard. Cousins then threw it to the sideline to Drake London for a seven yard gain and a first down. With pressure closing in, Cousins hung in and threw a sharp one over the middle to London for 19 yards and another first down. Robinson took it three yards on first down, and then Cousins tried to fit one in a very tight window to Pitts and it was broken up. McCloud then picked up 20 yards on a nice catch over the middle. Cousins was hit as he threw on the next play and the pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage. Cousins was hit as he threw and fumbled it, but London was able to fall on it. Cousins then tried to hit London but threw it out of the back of the end zone on third down. Koo’s short field goal try was tipped and missed.

The Saints kneeled it out.

3rd Quarter

Derek Carr got the ball a little past the 20 and ran on first down for five yards. Kamara took the carry on second down and lost yards, with Grady Jarrett picking him up and slamming him backwards. Justin Simmons flew in and knocked the ball loose on third down. Punt, and it landed around the 24 yard line.

Robinson took it nine yards to kick things off for Atlanta, followed by a six yard scamper for a first down. London then caught one over the middle near midfield for a first down. Then Bijan ran for four yards, but Chris Lindstrom was hurt on the play. Allgeier then picked up seven yards and a first down. A play fake and pass to London picked up a first down. Allgeier then picked up six yards, but a holding call on Kaleb McGary brought it back ten yards. Mooney then caught a short pass, managed to keep his balance, and spun his way to 14 yards. McCloud then took the reverse for five yards. Bijan was brought down just shy of the first down, but a defensive holding call on the Saints gave the Falcons a new set of downs. Bijan then fought through contact to take it all the way down to the one yard line, but an illegal low block on Lindstrom backed the Falcons up. Mooney was then hit with a false start. Now 1st and 25, the Falcons got it to Mooney for nine yards. London then caught one for another eight yards or so. On third down, Cousins hesitated a moment and was hit as he threw. Koo hit the field goal try at last. 17-10 Saints.

The Falcons kicked it off and the Saints returned it a little past the 30. The first down ball to Kevin Austin Jr. over the middle picked up close to 20 yards. Then a screen pass saw the Falcons miss like five tackles en route to 30 yards. Kamara then got three. Zach Harrison then got pressure and forced a low throw to Kamara. Then the Saints threw one to Jordan Mims and he got by a tackle to make it 4th and 2. The Saints hit the short field goal to make it 20-10 New Orleans.

Avery Williams took it to the 37 yard line on the kickoff return. Cousins managed to get it off with pressure getting close, but it was too high for London. London got it again, but it was only a three yard gain after he was wrapped up. Kyle Pitts then made the catch of the game down the sideline, a huge leaping grab for a big first down and then some. Bijan then took it to the sideline and ran it 37 yards for a touchdown, dragging defenders with him into the end zone. Saints 20, Falcons 17.

A quick pass to Kamara picked up five yards. He took the second down carry, but was taken down quickly by Khalid Khareem.

4th Quarter

A Juwan Johnson pass was off target and Clark Phillips had him smothered. Punt.

Avery Williams had the fair catch near the 20. A quick pass to Bijan picked up four yards, and then another one was thrown too low but Bijan scooped it up for five yards, with a Saints challenge coming in. The call was reversed, making it 3rd and 6. Cousins then tried to hit McCloud over the middle, but he couldn’t get it. Punt, and it was returned about 12 yards to give the Saints the ball back past the 30.

Kamara went nowhere on first down. Phillips then ran Kamara out of bounds, and Dee Alford overturned Juwan Johnson on a pass that made it 4th and 1. Punt, and a fair catch by Williams.

Bijan took it six yards on first down, and then got it again for another five yards and a first down. Cousins was way off on the next ball, which luckily was not intercepted after being deflected. He then found Bijan over the middle of the field for eight yards. Cousins then threw it to Mooney, but he was getting mugged by Alontae Taylor for a pass interference. Cousins then hesitated and threw it to Charlie Woerner, but it was deflected yet again. Then he threw a sharp ball to London over the middle to pick up 20 yards. Allgeier then got nothing on first down. Cousins then was sacked on second down, and a false start on Matthew Bergeron backed them up another five yards. Bijan then caught it for about 15 yards, setting up a field goal try for Koo. He missed it, as it doinked off the upright.

Kamara’s first down run was stopped immediately by Eddie Goldman. On second down, pressure came in and Carr was called for intentional grounding. Carr managed to pick up over 10 yards on a scramble, but Jessie Bates forced him out of bounds. Punt, and Avery Williams got about nine yards on the return to set the Falcons up at the 19.

Bijan took it about five yards after being tripped near the line of scrimmage. Robinson then took it four yards again to make it 3rd and 1. Robinson then picked up the first down. Then Allgeier took it 22 yards, getting some excellent blocking. Allgeier then picked up another three yards on first down, and Cousins threw a pick on the next play.

Kamara took it a yard or two on first down. A direct snap to Taysom Hill then allowed him to pick up three yards over the middle. On third down, Carr threw it to a wide open Kamara down the sideline, who had 10 yards on Kaden Elliss, but Kamara dropped it. Punt, with a Williams fair catch around the 15.

London caught the short pass and bullied his way to the first down. Cousins then caught Mooney over the middle for a big gain of about 20 near midfield, but his next ball was low to London. A defensive holding call on Alontae Taylor, his third penalty of the day, gave the Falcons 10 yards regardless. Cousins was hit and fumbled and Jake Matthews recovered it, but the team lost 18 yards on the play. Pitts got nine on the subsequent pass, and then Pitts got another one again, and with time running out Cousins threw it to McCloud short of the sticks and he was down short of the first down. Time ran out and the Falcons lost.

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