The Atlanta Falcons unbeaten start to the season came to an end against the New Orleans Saints and the team has no one to blame but themselves. The Falcons fumbled in the red zone and had issues with snapping the ball that led to turnovers and Saints' points. In the end New Orleans got their home win and the Falcons are left trying to figure out how to bounce back as they prepare to take on the Tennessee Titans in Week 7.
One of the critical moments of the game came in the first half. Tevin Coleman made it on to the field as he is finally healthy following a rib injury against the New York Giants. He showed great bursts of speed, but poor ball security as he stalled out a promising Falcons drive with a fumble in the redzone that was recovered by New Orleans. Head coach Dan Quinn showed faith in the young back by putting him in the game again, but the lack of production might end the running back rotation.
Earlier in the season, Quinn had stated he intended for the running back rotation to be an equal split between Coleman and Devonta Freeman, but Thursday night's game showed that Freeman needs the bulk of the work with Coleman still adjusting to the game. Freeman currently leads the league in touchdowns and had two on the night for the struggling Falcons.
"Devonta's a baller, man," Roddy White said, via ESPN.com. "I love his competitive edge that he brings to the game. He's different. You know how you can just tell when people are different and just how they go about and play the game of football? He's a different kind of guy. He goes out there and gives everything he's got. That's why he's so special. In the run game and in the pass game and all the things that he's able to do for us, he's a special player."
Thursday night also showed a change with the wide receivers. White finally found the endzone for the Falcons after weeks of no catches and complaints over his role. The receiver looked strong while Leonard Hankerson had critical bobbled catches that stalled the offense out. Quarterback Matt Ryan was clearly comfortable throwing to White along with Jacob Tamme who also had a big game.
The biggest issue for the Falcons was simply missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds. The redzone fumbles, poor protection from the line and dropped passes stalled out anything promising the Falcons had going. The team now sits near the bottom of the NFC South despite being 5-1 on the season. They cannot afford to drop any more to divisional opponents.
