The Falcons dropped their fourth straight game, losing 34-33 to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Matt Ryan had a strong outing, completing 30 out of 36 throws for 356 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Falcons (1-5) generated 444 yards of total offense against Arizona (2-3-1), but it wasn't enough. The Falcons drove down the field and scored following the two-minute warning, but Matt Bryant's extra point kick to tie the game was wide left.
Atlanta's defense struggled to contain Cardinals' quarterback Kyler Murray as he completed 27 of 37 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons defense managed to stiffen up in the second half, but did not force any turnovers and surrendered 442 yards of total offense to the Cardinals. Here are the main takeaways from Sunday's game:
Sharrod Neasman discuss critical penalty
The Falcons worked themselves back into the game coming out of the halftime break and knotted the game at 27-a piece in the fourth quarter. Atlanta's momentum shifted after safety Sharrod Neasman was hit with a fair catch interference penalty, which set the Cardinals up on the Falcons 45-yard line with 7:12 remaining in the game. The penalty ultimately led to a 14-yard touchdown completion from Kyler Murray to David Johnson. Neasman believes that he "did not touch touch anybody" and doesn't know if it was the right call on the play. For more on Neasman's quotes on the penalty, click here.
Matt Bryant, Falcons react to loss
After a heartbreaking loss on Sunday, the Falcons expressed their frustrations after falling short on their second half comeback. Atlanta made a statement comeback in the second half, but missed the extra point field goal to knot the game up late in the fourth quarter. Falcons kicker Matt Bryant discussed what went wrong on the missed extra point kick saying, "I just hit it too high on the ball, that's why it goes left like that. I just missed it,". For more on the players reaction to the tough loss click here.
Austin Hooper among NFL's top tight ends
Falcons' tight end Austin Hooper has been one of the main contributors in Atlanta's offense and has emerged as one of Ryan's top targets. On Sunday, Hooper led the team in receiving yards after reeling in eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. Through six games, Hooper stands at 42 catches for 480 yards and three touchdowns. Coming into Week 6 Hooper was ranked second amongst tight ends for receptions and yards. For more on Austin Hooper's career season, click here.
Other notable performances:
- Receiver Julio Jones came away with his third game of the season with over 100-yards receiving after reeling in 8 catches for 108 yards
- De'Vondre Campbell led the defense in tackles after reeling in nine for the day.
- Devonta Freeman had a better day on the ground, coming away with 19 carries for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
For those who want further analysis of Sunday's game between the Falcons and Cardinals, check out an archive of our live blog below.
