After not having turned the ball over in their first two victories, the Saints had 3 costly gaffes that helped lead to a 27-24 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Not to mention a missed 29 yard field goal attempt by Garrett Hartley that would have put the Saints at 3-0 for the second consecutive year. Instead, it was the rival Falcons who are now tied with the Saints and Bucs in the NFC South with a record of 2-1.
For the first time in a long time, we saw Saints quarterback Drew Brees (30/38, 365 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, 111.1 QB Rating) make a mental mistake. Early in the 2nd quarter, Brees was chased out of the pocket by an Atlanta defender. Instead of throwing the ball away, he made an ill-advised underhanded toss intended for TE Jimmy Graham. The ball was picked off easily by Falcons’ safety Thomas DeCoud. The Saints were at the Falcon 25 yard line and had a chance to put points on the board. A rare poor decision by Brees cost the Saints.
The Falcons were at times dominant on offense. They held on to the ball for 45:50, while the Saints managed just 27:15 of possession. The Saints defense was already coming off of a tiring effort in San Francisco, and this was the last thing they needed on a short week of rest.
Atlanta ran for 202 yards on the day, led by Michael Turner (114 yards, 1 TD) and Jason Snelling (62 yards). The Falcons averaged 4 yards per carry and, but for a couple of long runs, it was a very methodical style that wore down the Saints’ front seven.
Quarterback Matt Ryan (19/30, 228 yards, 2 TD, 108.8 QB Rating) was very solid and under control. The Saints sacked him twice, but after awhile that Falcons running game just slowed down the pass rush. The Saints did an especially poor job in covering tight end Tony Gonzalez, who had 8 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. It seemed every time the Falcons needed a big first down, Gonzalez was left wide open.
But the part of this game that really stings is that 29 yard field goal attempt in overtime. The Saints had stopped the Falcons on their first possession of the extra session. And Drew Brees was leading the Saints down the field to what looked like a certain victory. Hartley lined up for the short kick and pushed it wide left – it wasn’t pretty.
The Falcons jumped on the opportunity for new life and drove down the field for Matt Bryant’s game-winning field goal.
Hartley had a bad opener against the Vikings, but seemed to rebound last week against the 49ers. He even hit the game-winning kick. Now it appears his job is in jeopardy as the Saints are working out kickers this week.
This has got to be a tough call for coach Sean Payton. Hartley hit the biggest kicks in Saints history during the playoffs last year. They wouldn’t have won the Super Bowl without him. But, on the other hand, how long can Payton wait for Hartley to turn things around? Will he have the confidence in Hartley to hit another clutch kick?
I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt for another week. But if Hartley has lost his confidence, it may be time for a change.
Still, this loss came down to more than just a missed kick. The Saints as a whole were too mistake prone and gave the Falcons too many opportunities. It’s just a shame that they couldn’t take advantage of a chance to win, even after the mistakes.
Who Dat Awards:
Lance Moore – Had 6 catches for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns. Also had a huge punt return. Great to see #16 healthy and contributing in a big way again.
Jeremy Shockey – Darn near matched Tony Gonzalez’s production.
Will Smith – The defensive end had 1 sack and was able to apply some pressure on Matt Ryan.
Jimmy Graham & Jason Kyle – The duo teamed up for one of the prettiest muffed punt recoveries you’ll ever see.
Football Fan Spot 