ATLANTA – The Falcons finished minus-3 in the turnover margin for the second straight week, and for head coach Dan Quinn, that's not an acceptable statistic.
Three things Quinn constantly preaches is ball, ball and brotherhood. Winning the turnover margin is at the core of Quinn's program. It's the statistic he views above all.
Why?
Because he knows how much of a factor the turnover margin can play in wins and losses. And on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Falcons' three turnovers on offense and zero takeaways forced on defense was the "story of the game" in Quinn's eyes.
Quinn's team was able to overcome the minus-3 turnover deficit in Detroit in Week 3, but against the Bills at home, they were not.
Of the Falcons' three turnovers against the Bills, one was a tipped pass, which has been a trend the past two weeks. Three of Matt Ryan's five interceptions have been off tipped passes.
"That's a part of our game that we can get corrected and I know that we will," Quinn said of the turnovers. "It is disappointing to have that happen two weeks in a row. I don't have a reason behind why that [happened] we didn't emphasize more two weeks ago compared this week. It's always a part of our thinking because we know it's such a big factor in winning."
Not only are the turnovers on offense a concern for Quinn, but the fact that his defense has yet to create a takeaway is also an issue he wants corrected immediately.
"Not creating them is also an issue for me," Quinn said. "Making sure we have our opportunities. I think we forced one fumble today. Back in Detroit I thought we missed some opportunities for some interceptions and I didn't think that was the case today."
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said forcing takeaways comes down to a mindset.
"We always want to be able to create turnovers on the defensive side of the ball," Jarrett said. "Whether it is to punch out the ball or try to get some caused fumbles. There's opportunity out there for us to get it but we have to be more mindful about it. It's a mindset. You have to attack the game in that manner and we just have to get the job done."
The Falcons now enter their bye week with a chance to not only get healthy but also self-evaluate where they are to this point.
"We'll get the issues corrected that we have too and the first one for us is the ball," Quinn said.
